Townes Van Zandt - Pancho and Lefty. Heartworn Highways

Townes Van Zandt playing a medley of his hit. This is "Pancho & Lefty" played at Uncle Seymour's place. Taken from the DVD extras on "Heartworn Highways". If you have any interest in this type of music you MUST BUY THIS DVD. It is outstanding in every possible way. It'll show you real country music the way it was . . . and should be. Not this overproduced, "all hat, no cattle", pop-music crap that Nashville suits have always force fed the public.
For more from this album and more tune in to TheRecordSelector.com Every selection comes from a record in my collection!

[@p-sz]

My uncle made this film in 1975. Glad you all enjoy it!

[@Daniel-tx8un]

Really?

[@p-sz]

@@Daniel-tx8un Yes, really.

[@melissaraejackson3447]

That's amazing! God Bless your uncle for making sure that incredible moment was immortalized for future generations like myself who are just discovering it. Just magical.

[@jamescarroll3759]

@@Daniel-tx8un NO! (Father Dick Byrn)

[@ThunderboltWisdom]

Thanx to your uncle I am seeing TVZ sing and play for the very first time. And I love it. One man and one guitar is pure magic in my opinion. 🤓🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍

[@Halffastpaddler]

Willie Nelson has described this song as the best song ever crafted. That's one Hell of a compliment.

[@L.C.Sweeney]

Willie Nelson is a hack.

[@Tyler-ry3lk]

Life.and great music

[@Nubenhoofer]

Damned right! I pray that the world sees song writing like this again.

[@markysf]

@@Nubenhoofer colter wall has crafted some great stories. and he's still in his 20's. and i think he was only 20 when he wrote kate mccannon.

[@markysf]

@user-gz1kv1us8r he's a Canadian western singer songwriter. he's really a story teller though. there is quite a bit of his stuff on youtube.

[@yungun8677]

Townes is one of several that I was privileged to see shortly prior to his demise, along with Gregg Allman and John Prine. In the summer of 1996, a friend and I saw Townes at a venue in small town South Carolina. He was in delirium tremens and did not seem well at all. One or two songs into his third set he said “F*** it” and left the stage. I felt sorry for him. On the way to the car afterwards, we saw him out at his travel trailer. We went over to speak to him. By this time he had had a few drinks and was in better spirits. He invited us into the trailer and offered us a beer. His J-200 was there and I asked if I might play it. His answer was “sure”. I started playing one of his songs and at a point he began singing “Flyin’ Shoes”. He was extremely nice to us. Fond memory!

[@natalliaf6387]

"my friend and me"...."not my friend and I" (this liar went back and edited his post)....in his original made up story, he wrote "Townes handed a bottle to my friend and I".

[@yungun8677]

Thank You Mack. BTW, it’s Mac not Mack

[@yungun8677]

😉

[@gabrielgilliland]

This is such a cool story

[@DrStich]

You're a lucky man Rick.

[@kevinjohnwood6233]

If Townes Van Zandt can't break your heart, you ain't got one

[@dropkickirish4449]

Oof. Well said, my man.

[@glenmartin2230]

Amen, brother.

[@ulrichwill496]

Yessss ❤❤❤❤🇨🇭

[@johndoppleguard]

🤚You have a high probability of being correct.😮 yes you. Whatever😴 your👉 fake tuber👈 name is🙈 Ever heard the term, "psychological operations" ? 🤥My guess is u have.😳😮🐑🙊😴 Hmmm, thats ironic, don't you think? Peace love hair Be more like a Monk.....

[@Nubenhoofer]

Agreed. Any time I'm feeling detached from my true feelings, I play Townes. 3 or 4 songs is all it takes to scroll through my entire soul like an old secretary's rolodex. Same with John Prine. These 2 men have done more to get me through life than my own dad, and for that I am truly grateful.

[@stabbedwestward725]

This song is a great example of why country music fans should be angry about the bastardization of the genre.

[@CBTlongboarding]

alex freeman I couldn’t have said it any better myself, brother.

[@green917]

Amen

[@humpy936]

Yep

[@UrbanPanic]

There's still great country being written and played, just gotta turn off the radio to find it.

[@marsharupe8112]

Country radio is just pop now. Sad. Country has lost its folk and mountain music roots.

[@VASailpwr]

Gold. There is more grit and honesty in that room than in 95% of country music today.

[@lassehaggman]

Whenever people mock country music, I send them the link to this video. It is a true masterpiece. Nothing to do with your regular Nashville crap.

[@lukecollett5944]

There's more grit and honesty in these cats hats.. than 95% of country music today

[@michaelrogers1328]

You damn right!

[@chopcitycustoms6451]

I’m glad a few artists are bringing real country back to life! It took 5 musicians to write Jason Alden’s last hit 😂 what a joke.

[@Mojo32]

​@@chopcitycustoms6451😂 very true

[@gunsofaugust1971]

Clips like this is what makes the internet great.

[@pickititllneverheal9016]

Amen to that.

[@scotpfaff9220]

One of my favorite drinking songs on a cold day

[@stvbrsn]

Yes, they certainly... is.

[@dennisalvarado5134]

No. "memes" make the internet it's a fact. Yes this song is a classic.

[@FixNewsPlease]

One of few.

[@eilishoshea3349]

'You weren't your mother's only son, but her favorite one, it seems. She began to cry when you said goodbye, and sank into your dreams.' The man was a poet. Pure genius.

[@melorafoy7109]

I also love "The dust that Pancho bit down south, ended up in Lefty's mouth." I loved the Willie Nelson versions of this for years before I realized what Federales are.

[@user-xd5lr5pp6w]

@@eilishoshea3349 He wore his gun outside his pants for all the honest world to feel & Lefty, he can't sing the blues all night long like he used to, the dust that Poncho bit down south ended up in Lefties mouth. Townes was a great poet! This okie's Shakespeare

[@sunnyvaledrunk6688]

Townes Van Zandt...a tortured soul, with a knack for writing songs from the heart....brings a tear to my eye! RIP Townes!

[@parkersummers860]

That's Uncle Seymour Washington in the back. Born 1896, died 1977 (the year after this was filmed)

[@stevefaure415]

Townes was the best of America, in the old sense---poetic, rustic, funny as hell, a little drunk, sad, and a stranger. Those days are long gone.

[@jamiewilliams685]

Unfortunately America is being devoured whole by authoritarian globalism much like the rest of the Western world.

[@hanibalsmith2116]

maybe for you. sorry but they are not. all in the looking glass

[@11Hasaan]

100% People ask me if I like country and I typically say no. As to the mainstream stuff going on today, but this, this poetic greatness, incredible song writing, yes I absolutely love everything TVZ ever did. I wish There was more documentary's about this legend.

[@brotherjohn2002]

Check out Tyler Childers friend

[@cityfarmerjack]

Those days just got a little farther now that John Prine when & joined that Musical Skyway to the Stars,...

[@brt-jn7kg]

"The dust Pancho bit down South ended up in up in Lefty's mouth" is quite possibly the greatest lyrics in all of American songwriting.

[@jperry060]

Followed only by "Now you wear your skin like iron, and your breath's as hard as kerosene." Christ.

[@stefanhenderson1177]

I agree

[@roijax801]

It is good

[@kaisersozay99]

100%

[@tomcorcoran6926]

Guy Clark’s “I have seen the David, seen the Mona Lisa too, and I have heard Doc Watson play Columbus Stockyard Blues” is right up there too.

[@garyowen2846]

I find it hard to understand why Townes Van Zandt has not been inducted in the Nashville song writers hall of fame. He is one of the greatest ever

[@mossymoose8920]

charles owen any hall of fame seems like a popularity contest, especially the R’n’R HoF.

[@Kursebi]

Fixed in 2016 )

[@borisblvd5354]

MONEY & POLITICS...That's why

[@johnsieger6197]

Go to Nashville, it will be obvious.

[@TheGrouchDnD]

Because Nashville is garbage

[@Sondie]

I'm a 24 year old asian-american and not what most people would expect a country music lover to be. That said, I was born in Texas and grew up my entire life exposed to Southern culture and music. I've come to love old country and grew up listening to Hank Williams Sr., Waylon Jennings, David Allan Coe, Merle Haggard and etc with my father. When I first heard Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson's rendition of the song it quickly became my favorite. Then I learned that the original song was by this gentleman right here and it has become my new favorite. I was heartbroken to hear about his struggles with drugs; but he's at peace now and left an amazing legacy. I really wish I could have watched him perform this live.

[@edwardkay2743]

My girlfriend grew up in Maoist-era China and had to toe the line not to end up on the wrong side of the Red Guards (though it happened anyway). She loves all this music too. Although when I sang her "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys", her first comment was, "As a parent, that sounds like good advice." But my point is, it's what's in your soul that counts, not your ethnicity, and clearly, you got it.

[@dylanstringer6609]

Race doesnt define your taste in good music man, this is mericana, all colors accepted, its cool to know theres people that appreciate this kinda music, NOSTALGIC, and cheers to texas with that being said, one of the best places iv ever lived and experienced

[@awarewolves1712]

@@edwardkay2743 "As a parent, that sounds like good advice." Lmao, that's awesome!

[@awarewolves1712]

"I'm a 24 year old asian-american and not what most people would expect a country music lover to be." Why not, because you're only 24? Shoot man, that don't mean nothin'.... : )

[@lvait957]

[@jasonpinnix1905]

Any one still here in 2024 ?

[@doomermurks6959]

Absolutely

[@aprilguittar9658]

👋👋👋💔

[@DennisThompson-oc9hh]

Forever❤

[@dobot84]

You know it! 🎉

[@GalacticoBernabeu]

I'm hearing this song for the first time now! 👌

[@mrjasonrowland]

The simplicity is the complexity.

[@timothyrowland1501]

Exactly 💯

[@jcpennington183]

How the hell have I gone 31 years without knowing who this guy is? He's great.

[@ethangrant4168]

my feelings today exactly

[@photojoeva]

Youre here now.....welcome home

[@nvrgvnup4346]

i grew up with my moma listening to this music , it will never fade once u hear it , it sticks . luv the name btw , my baby son, my 18yr old is named after me & my dad pennington garan ☮️!!

[@chrismarshall5014]

I know how you feel I’m 47 and just started listening to country. From now on I’ll give any kind of music or art a chance and I’ll try my best to have an open mind. Townes and Blaze Folley should be right up there with Dylan! They are to me and I’m a big Dylan fan.

[@trevorlahey1956]

You are really fucked up no doubt

[@missbritt288]

This video has an ambiance thats hard to describe its musical but it feels silent and still , like a picture come to life

[@harrywilliams6049]

Hello miss Britt, I'm harry all the way from Texas, how are you doing today

[@basedchris8784]

@@harrywilliams6049 hi Harry

[@MrAbehensley]

You should listen to Tecumseh Valley then. One of my favorite Townes songs.

[@ninapannell2122]

Only know to well of the connection between alcohol and intellectual behavior

[@jasongreene8992]

Your description is almost as beautiful as the song Miss Britt. Songs written by a man's soul are only heard by the souls of those who invite him in. The ears only hear silence but the spirit hears a beautiful story with no beginning or end, of life lived and lost, one of peace .

[@davidgarza1301]

“Pick it and it won’t ever heal” got to love Townes sense of humor.

[@coocoocachooglin]

Psoriasis has joined the chat

[@Luxowell]

I think about that one liner way too often. It's funny, but fuck if it ain't truth I could have used a few times in my life.

[@thanman11]

My 4 yr old little boy burst into tears when he heard this song and couldn't stop crying.

[@randysutton2120]

I heard Willie and Merle's version at around that same age, and had a similar reaction. I'm 44 now, and this song still has that same power.

[@larmclock9097]

My dad sang it to me when i was that age. I did too

[@Jason-eh3uj]

Your boy must be "an old soul" to be so moved .

[@moragmacgregor6792]

Ask him about that when he's grown.

[@DonnSeib]

When country music was really country.

[@steveperreira5850]

Those days are mostly gone. But I got the live room in my prime!

[@flatheadcatfish8017]

Pretty sure this isn't country music. It's Folk music if anything.

[@rickwolfe3623]

Someone ask him why he didn't write any Happy Song. He replied that these were the Happy Songs. Another star that was too bright for this existence.

[@jasonvanorsdol1755]

Even under the Texas big Skies.

[@DimaSins549]

Hell this song makes me happy.

[@SSHitMan]

He said there were 2 kinds of music, the blues and zippedy-doodah.

[@thanosdarkseid8695]

like me he suffered bipolar awful mental illness back then no meds why he did every drug every drink man!! damn sad! to us despair sadness loneliness is happiness we hate it the feeling but it wont leave our brains!!!

[@thomaswalz3515]

This quote is worth repeating:

[@bryanthayer1795]

It boggles my mind that Townes doesn’t even realize he’s playing to 4.5 million people through that camera he’s looking at

[@elnafinn]

5.7m now Bryan

[@elultimosonador3958]

i think of this type of thing often. hes way back there in the 70s. i dont think anyone from that long ago really ever dreamed of anything like the internet happening . Im not sure where they thought these videos would go. But they certainly never dreamed, i dont think, that the videos would be sitting here for us all to watch daily, at any hour, of day or night. Its wild man.

[@edgarpoe5214]

The greatest artist has the most humble heart.

[@musek5048]

@@edgarpoe5214 this cannot be overstated enough. a humble poor person will forever be above a rich greed asshole.

[@larrymartell5411]

@@musek5048 Townes came from a wealthy family.....

[@HeideePetersen]

The absolute LOVE of my life, chose death over me 😢 my love for him was/is the strongest I've ever felt for another human. I would have conquered ANY obstacle to have been with him forever 😢❤

[@MichaelCherau-kt8gy]

I like townes too!!!@

[@trevscribbles]

"The dust that Pancho bit down South, ended up in Lefty's mouth" I only wish Townes truly understood how great he was before he passed.

[@Dandroid5000]

Don't think it would've mattered all that much to him, and could possibly have been detrimental to his writing.......genius tends to thrive on self-doubt, after all. Besides, he wrote the most beautifully bitter sweet songs, and his own sad story only adds to the melancholy when we listen, don't you think? I'm welling up just thinking about it....

[@warshipsatin8764]

he knew he was great, only realized too late he didnt need to destroy himself for it

[@joemarshall4226]

@@warshipsatin8764 Steve Earle said that Townes knew how good he was. He was probably nicotine and alcohol addicted as a young teenager, and then the insulin shock therapy made it worse. Most of the guys his age struggled with these things at one time or another...

[@johnmckay6254]

@@Dandroid5000 Any songs in particular of his you'd recommend? I just realized he wrote Dead Flowers and Poncho and Left by Willie and Waylon is one of my favorite all time songs and I just learned he wrote that too. Thinking there's probably a lot of great stuff from him that I need to start uncovering but I'm easily discouraged and not really sure where to start.

[@gourmetfoodreviews2879]

@@johnmckay6254 One I'd highly recommend is Waiting Around to Die. Powerful song.

[@FasterFaster196]

There will never be another Townes. There was never one before him. He wasn't america. He was loved and adored, always alone, forever an outcast.

[@jackiesmallwood8448]

What impresses me so much is how vast townes influence spreads. From traditional country to doom metal. To me he's like the Bob Dylan for us in Appalachia

[@harrywilliams6049]

Hello Jackie, I'm harry all the way from Texas, how are you doing today

[@eliseintheattic9697]

Dylan's alright, I guess. He wrote some good songs, but I don't know that he really felt it the way TVZ did. Dylan always seemed a little pretentious and aloof. TVZ is relatable and a genius. Then again, Dylan did inspire one of the best songs ever written, Diamonds and Rust.

[@CaptainTrips560]

@@eliseintheattic9697Dylan had some good songs, but imo he’s just a poet who sometimes strums a guitar. TVZ is both a genius poet & a genius musician

[@CaptainTrips560]

As a fan of Townes and a fan of doom metal, I’m curious about why you feel his influence has spread to doom metal? I’m not disagreeing with you, I’ve just never noticed this influence personally (which found very well just be me being ignorant about music)

[@alabamaisyourdaddy6137]

@@eliseintheattic9697There is nothing “pretentious” about something as heartwrenching and honest as Blood on the Tracks. Dylan is one of the greatest songwriters of all time and anybody who knows a damn thing about songwriting will tell you the same

[@drpavel_]

one of the things I really love about townes van zandt is how often he'd have some corny little joke or anecdote, and then right after just play one of the most beautiful haunting songs ever written.

[@artpatten1279]

We tend to focus on his songwriting, but "a medley of my hit" is a hell of a quip. :)

[@rej727]

"Pick it and it won't ever heal" is a good quip too.

[@coachhannah2403]

"Medley of our hit" - Crosby Stills and Nash (Nash talking?) put that one out there at Woodstock, in '69. It is on the video and audio products from the event.

[@jmccullough]

I've heard Tom Rush say that when introducing "No Regrets/Rockport Sunday".

[@gregchildress7474]

Townes told jokes between songs on stage.

[@jimw.4161]

Unappreciated genius... One of rhe best songwriters of any era. Left us way too soon - but his music, and his legacy, endures.

[@randywestvalley]

one of the most beautifully crafted storytellers songs of all time

[@charlesbrown4483]

With all due respect to Mr.Prine, Townes Van Zandt is the greatest American songwriter ever. Across all genres, across all eras, Townes is the best to ever do it.

[@delboyrams363]

100%

[@ntdemott]

This song makes me cry. A good friend of mine who passed in July used to always play parts of it when we'd be hanging out way too drunk. He was so shy of his voice so ended up singing everything in this really subdued and haunting way. I don't have any recordings of him but it's fresh enough I can still hear him singing this and I fucking miss it.

[@fredleber2432]

R.i.p

[@shoepixie]

I'm so sorry. I lost my brother recently, and I wish I could sing with him again. I'm so glad you have this memory!

[@parkerj1232]

I'm pretty much the last one that survived out of my good friends, even lost my brother and mother of my kids. This song reminds me of my brother. I doubt he ever heard it but he would love it

[@jessedevilbiss8436]

An alcohol friend of mine would text me a song each morning telling me how great the day was going to. All the while he was in his wheelchair with his dog looking out the window at his bird feeder. This was one he sent a few times. RIP Eric.

[@ModestCasanovaa]

@@jessedevilbiss8436 RIP

[@gabrielgamboa3982]

I’m 27, my name is Gabriel and I wish more people around me appreciated this as much as I do.

[@rafaelotani7444]

That's the kind of thing that makes you miss something you never had.

[@danielswierczynski2001]

True that!

[@turrafirmaguitarchannel]

The American tragedy. An ocean of grief in a stolen land.

[@rottenrobb2583]

Depressing to see him halfway nodding out and shit. Buried too many people I love. Watched too many buried alive to slowly rot away in the concrete tombs of some penitentiary. This song feels like my own bad choices and decisions in life staring at me in my face.

[@chercharl]

This.

[@johneato]

You dont want it

[@Nomadic10]

Townes Van Zandt, a rare breed, they don't come like em no more

[@shinyribs2178]

1:20 That older fella just watching and listening with a stone wall face. Suddenly one lyric brings up a memory and a huge smile grows on his face. That's why music like this is so great.

[@hamcheesecola]

look up "waiting around to die" from this same video. The lyrics hit him hard and he starts to cry. Really moving

[@dwighthamilton3943]

@@hamcheesecola Yes that is a remarkably authentic moment. I think this is Austin. I lived there in the 70's and that beautiful girl is classic 70's Austin Hippie Chick.

[@tnimbus]

read the book 'A Deeper Blue' - there's a section about when they stayed with him. He was a retired blacksmith

[@jeddyhi]

I never wanted to step into a video before. I strangely want to be there.

[@strawberryseason]

me too

[@danedonovan5787]

Townes is so good. This guy Brett McDaniel is great too. He's an up-and-comer for sure. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIjTqKGBmK-tqLs

[@shaanp9796]

Yup.

[@katherinestiletto]

I want to do drugs with all of these people

[@annamariehewitt3173]

I'm 70 and 'Pancho and Lefty' is my all time favourite song to play and sing on my Guitar.

[@rmellencamp]

That’s awesome man

[@notmyname3681]

I only discovered Townes a couple of months back at 43, this is my favourite song to play now along with Waiting Around to Die. I wish I had heard his music earlier, but I found it at a really important time to me.

[@lesliegmn3927]

Years ago I was in a jam group. This was known as “my song.” Thanks, guys.

[@stevenstewart6349]

Excellent. I have a hard time singing it, but I love it anyway.

[@heinstrijbos3769]

Seeing him 4 times in the Netherlands. I'll never forget he was singing this song live in a small Dutch music cafe

[@3DCGdesign]

His breath's as hard as kerosene and horse as fast as polished steel. Who else can make similes like these? No one. Thanks for this masterpiece, TVZ!

[@JeffMTX]

TVZ was a roaring freight train of similes... Hell maybe they was metaphors.

[@RugbyDemon6789]

uncle seymour is too cool .. just chilling in the back taking in the song - the whole atmosphere seems so peaceful and quaint - pure Americana right here

[@noelbenoit8088]

+RugbyDemon6789 I miss those kinds of settings, many in my youth, not so many now. If I live long enough I'm gonna buy me a cabin in the woods.

[@Miguel_Travels]

You can see Uncle Seymore say a little something to his mother in heaven @1:19 so cool.

[@petercunnius4028]

Agreed. I thought that was dereus Rucker

[@danedonovan5787]

Townes is so good. This guy Brett McDaniel is great too. He's an up-and-comer for sure. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIjTqKGBmK-tqLs

[@SeattleShelby]

Cheers to all the folks listening to this song that travel the road, living out of a suitcase like me.

[@moose2934]

Jerald?

[@SeattleShelby]

@@moose2934 Nope. Not Jerald, but I do hope he’s living life free and clean, wherever he is.

[@grahampeterson3293]

I watched an interview with Steve Earle about Townes, the interviewer asked him, "Virtually everyone agrees that Townes was an exceptionally talented songwriter and performer, why wasn't he more successful?" Earle replied, "Townes kept shooting himself in the foot, he was a good shot, and his foot was right there."

[@VoxGothica]

Steve Earle knows a thing or two about that as well. Cut from the same cloth.

[@jamesbondaygee]

Just discovered him. Love him, but he isn't a virtuoso singer.

[@w1ndwr1t3]

@@jamesbondaygee Towns was an excellent singer before the drugs and alcohol. Listen to his first two albums.

[@grahampeterson3293]

@@jamesbondaygee I don't think you have to be a virtuoso singer to be an excellent performer. When you write exceptional songs that comes from two things: talent and your experiences. Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine none are very good singers but they are great performers because they are exceptional song writers who lived and experienced the songs they sing. Others can sing their songs well, because they may have similar experiences, but those experiences didn't move them to the point where they had to write it down and record it and I think that makes a difference in your ability to perform a song. Townes was cut from the same cloth as those guys.

[@shanoinoz]

@@VoxGothica yes.... indeed he was 👍

[@kieranbrennanmusic9261]

The world is empty without song writers like this . Straight off the cuff. He used the gifts God gave him. No regrets. Better to die broke and have tried rather than follow the sheep.

[@doUcare4music]

I saw him in Ireland, Cork, ... and again in Galway. Genuine Genius 🎶

[@harrywilliams6049]

Hello Ro, I'm harry all the way from Texas, how are you doing today

[@DuderinoDeux]

Fantastic

[@jamesbradshaw3389]

You lucky son of a gun

[@suyashgautam8396]

Townes has been my life support during the covid pandemic. Endless hours listening to him in the lockdown, i wish i could have said thank you, i miss him like that Love from Nepal

[@danfarmer9743]

Say "thank you", he'll hear you. I miss him too!

[@snugglepusmcgee1252]

Me too, and some Guy Clark, they were good buddies back in the day check it out is good!

[@mom2adragon677]

Amazing that my old Austin neighbor is being heard in Nepal!

[@shailesdahal8742]

Suyash, i have been listening to him since ages man ! What a coincidence, its Saturday morning here and with my milk tea i am hooking up with TVZ. Cheers. Dherai khusi lago !

[@joemarshall4226]

Are you a native to that part of the world? amazing to me that Townes speaks to you so clearly......but then again, I like Ravi Shankar!

[@buffalowallows7689]

I was fortunate enough to meet this talented man. He came to Hays, Montana in the mid 90s with a few other semi famous musicians. I played in the local band. He was very supportive and said that we were a surprise. I remember his hand shake was soft and he had on some Roy Orbison looking sun glasses. I didn’t realize or know how famous he was until years later. One our local musicians told me that he was the best in the business. He must’ve had a rough life. Of course I didn’t believe any of this. I didn’t even know he passed away a couple years later. I just saw an article on social media that he died 28 years ago on New Year’s Day. That’s the same day our mother died 53 years ago. I googled his name and found out that he really was a great song writer/singer and he did have a rough life. Thank you for taking the time to come to our small poverty stricken Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. I’m thankful and grateful for the opportunity to meet you and shake your hand!Rest in peace sir. You truly are a great man!!!

[@silva0186]

he had a soft handshake? he seems like he'd have a mans handshake. rough to hear

[@mistascott007]

Uncle Seymour cried some grown ass man tears to this, that shows the power in these lyrics.

[@mattconnor8677]

The older I get the more I appreciate Towne's poetry/music. I just turned 66 and first heard his stuff back in the 1970's.

[@christopherecatalano]

Every single thing about this video needs to be taught in both music and film schools. I am transported to a place that feels so far away yet so much like the home we all love to be inside of on one of those soft, perfect nights we have all experienced in a lifetime, somewhere, surrounded by those we love to be around. And what an amazing and timeless piece of music. It transcends any musical genre specifics I can think of because it so not show biz. I cannot stop watching this beautifully captured moment in human history. This is a work of art. So much understated emotion and power in the lyrics, and yet it is the little touches of humour that break my heart each time I see it.

[@jparachin3737]

i am hispanic and i listen to this at 4am in Austin Tx . Rip this spiritual mentor and i hope he out grows his wrongs in the afterlife

[@snmthecloser]

For all those aspiring young songwriters out there, this is a magnum opus in pure poetic perfection. Each line crafted of the finest rhythmic silks, the lyrics flowing like the swiftest currents on a back bending river bank. Both Homeric and Proustian, the illusory language is the archetypal Western ballad at its absolute finest, transmigratory and truthful. Townes reaches deep into his understanding of the human condition and runs right through the trappings of Western cliches into a world with far more depth, utterly and painfully realistic. He taps into that place in our souls we dare not explore. Death, and selling one’s system of values for the trappings of a quick dollar, force a reckoning with those decisions. The shame of that traitorous choice proves to eat you from the inside out. What must be remembered is that Townes felt the human condition, and human suffering so personally, so deeply. He saw in himself and in the world a heart-wrenching melancholy that pervaded his every breath. Living on the road my friend, was gonna keep you free and clean. And now you wear your skin like iron, and your breath’s as hard as kerosene. It is so painfully rare that a song grabs your very breath one stanza in. It’s as close to perfection as the human mind can hope to strive for. As if he’s peering out from behind the page and grabbing you by the neck, suffocating you with your own thought dreams. The world aches for minds as strikingly brilliant as that of Townes Van Zandt. He is dearly, sorely missed.

[@Jerry-hv5nq]

I agree very much with everything you said and I appreciate your analysis. It seems almost unattainable for a song to be this perfect both in melody and words, but he did it. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better song and the way he plays guitar is like the way an orchestra plays a classical piece. Every note from the guitar is very intentional. And just his effortless charisma the mysterious smile as he starts the song and his emotions laid bare on his face as he sings without the exaggeration which has become so common. I honestly think this is the greatest song ever written better than anything bob dylan Neil young hank Williams any of those guys ever did even though they were great obviously but this song is something else entirely.

[@wargeocarl]

You sir, have a gift of putting thoughts into words. Fantastic breakdown of a man and his music. Thank you.

[@danmiller5902]

Other than your slightly pedantic opening sentence, this is a brilliant analysis - I couldn't agree more. I saw TVZ in Crested Butte, right around the time this video was filmed, in a small community hall-type venue. I was 12 or 13, and that performance has stuck with me my entire life. I usually automatically dislike most artists' most popular songs, but with Townes, as you say, this was perfection; every line, every note, every nuance of pathos and melancholy is soul-wrenching.

[@posljednjilist4400]

Gay

[@VoltWrangler]

@@wargeocarl The analysis of poetry is in its own turn, poetry

[@gabrielgamboa3982]

My grandma passed the other day. I was able to be with her during her early days of hospice. I listened to this a bunch while I was visiting, Dandridge Tennessee. A beautiful place to be during a hard time. Beauty in life in death and in pain. Thank you Townes Van Zandt. RIP my Geema, Kathy.

[@shittysunglasses]

Thanks for sharing, I miss mine like crazy.

[@austingass]

“pick it, and it won’t ever heal”

[@jamesfloyd1864]

Flashback seventy-five years and my Missouri Grandma's very words. (chicken-pox)

[@vaman5591]

@@jamesfloyd1864 Amen y'all

[@jamesfloyd1864]

@@vaman5591 You been there.

[@MarkSmith-nw4os]

I love the way he picks that guitar. If there is a better version of this song, I don't care.

[@DSM20T927]

There isn't.

[@tonygibson8277]

Agreed

[@wilhelmvg9978]

The version on Live at the Old Quarter is possibly better but you can’t watch him perform so..

[@leonelsierra3822]

The old black gentleman knew that was a legend in the making...his face expressions says it all

[@briscoesjug1026]

I'd love to hear the music that the older gentleman behind townes has heard in his day

[@photojoeva]

Uncle Seymour'

[@traviswade5208]

You can tell he really likes townes music. Says a lot about townes. Watch the waiting around to die from this same session and you will see how hard townes music hits him.

[@loadi2865]

He wrote it , he sang it , nobody can improve on that. That's the way it should be sung.

[@lukasjackson958]

Same as Bobby McGee....

[@lostdoggy6965]

Then we wouldn't have Dead Flowers, Dirty Old Town, or Cocaine Blues to say the least.

[@roadkil2]

loadi2 AMEN !

[@bobjob66]

loadi2 why?

[@loadi2865]

its like trying to improve the monalisa or a picaso painting,

[@travelerinthyme]

back in the day, I learned this song from another girl, jammin' on the porch. I was singing on the Drag in Austin, when a scuzzy bum wandered up and tried to sing along (messing up my song awful), he tossed $10 in my guitar case and said "Love the way you sing my song." and wandered off up the street. Everyone came running up saying "Wow, that was Townes Van Zandt!" "Who?" says me, "never heard of him." Still one of my fave songs, ever.

[@lbraun8492]

Cool story. 😁. Thanks for sharing 🤗

[@ArcoZakus]

Marcia Cash, By that time he was probably waiting around to die. You playing his song might have meant more to him than you could have guessed. Thank you for sharing your story, and for keeping real music alive.

[@dennisalvarado5134]

Right.

[@CardozaComedy]

Then the Alamo clapped

[@dano5866]

I will smile every time I think of this, especially when I hear one of Townes' songs. Thanks.

[@NazarethSandoArt]

Something about Townes' music makes change... loss... endings... aging... death... a little easier to make peace with. We're all just trying our damned best to make it through life in as little misery as possible. I'm glad he was able to leave behind a legacy that helps bruised hearts and minds navigate life a little more surefooted. Thank you man, for all you left us.

[@VoltWrangler]

Perfection

[@robsmith5526]

Thank you Willie and Merle for making me curious enough to look up Van Zandt and discover this gem of an artist in 2022.

[@dowadiddy2002]

One of the best-crafted country songs ever written! So sad that Townes struggled so tremendously with substance abuse. Died far too soon.

[@betsykarasik9626]

Both the lyrics and the arrangement of this song are incredibly haunting. The film slayed me.

[@donhanns4870]

I was only 1 when this was recorded. It took me 45 yeays to stumble across it. Its the little things ya know.....gotta love it!

[@NorthwestPewPew]

im 19 been playing bluegrass since i was 7, this stuff keeps me going man

[@texlongone]

Townes was a real talent who could not handle general life. There are many who cannot. Rest in peace cowboy!

[@upaharsimkhada3108]

The scene is set sooo perfectly- uncle seymour, the girl, townes van zandt. It just reminds you of a past that didnt exist. Something.

[@smasco6447]

Patriots are subscribing to thesonsoflibertymedia.com To get our country out of socialism and soon to be communism.

[@Anthony-hu3rj]

@@smasco6447 Sit down, close your mouth, listen, go back to school, think, don't follow asses.

[@diamondsprince]

@@smasco6447 how dare you desecrate this song with that. the master is playing sit down, shut up, and grow out of that crap

[@myronlarimer1943]

Disagree, totally. This image is a true picture of what parts of our country were and still are really like…

[@tomcorcoran6926]

You haven’t spent much time in Texas, have you?

[@13Silveraven]

I wish I had known about Townes before he left us as he really was such an awesome Singer and Song writer ..

[@Matty18795]

When im drinking alone i always listen to his music. The pain in his voice and the way he expresses emotion through poetry is incredible. I only dicovered him about 6 months ago but he is my favourite now

[@Julian-bq9qv]

A sad, tragic, broken man who managed to pur so much of his pain and confusion into song. I know the was a total drug and alcohol addict, BUT I cannot but wonder if those damnable insulin shock treatments set all of it in motion.

[@enigmawyoming5201]

Julian -can't argue whether or not the shock treatments brought all of us towards Townes. I also wonder if weed would have helped him then and kept him with us today now. Like it did Willie. I've watched this video many time in my past. Ken Burns brought me back here now. I'm weak with emotions after every episode of "History of Country Music" on PBS.

[@cosmyccowboy]

I discovered Townes about 10 years ago myself and am sad it took me so long, at least the music lives forever!

[@wallgod663]

Positivity brother . Control it and raise another one !

[@icu-81too]

Sittin' here drinking alone and just read this comment. Yup, I reckon so.

[@johnwaynesasser]

The greatest country song ever written? Perhaps.

[@kicksyyarosh5708]

Wow,i cant believe the two people in background sat through the whole song without looking at there phones,Pure Magic

[@ozrics62]

It, s a sad world today hate wretchad phones at least what you say doesn, t make me feel alone

[@nate9092]

they didnt have cellphones back then

[@ozrics62]

@@nate9092 you Don, t say that's my view point

[@jimw.4161]

Well, I guess there are a few of us left.... not much consolation, is it?

[@Atezian]

Wrote this for 2 bandits i saw on tv after i wrote this song lol

[@from-Texas]

Every rebel knows this story. Legends come and legends go but the story goes on forever.....

[@dagnabbit6187]

A genius ! Read his bio and he was a straight A student in school. He chose to be a drifting troubador sleeping on couches and writing excellent songs and performing in small venues which some people call dives but I call just call them more modest surroundings where great music also comes into the world

[@smwrbd]

yep

[@sistersmileyvibes5551]

Agreed, well said.

[@HandleGF]

I'd prefer to go with the medical diagnosis, Sigmund ("acute manic depressive").

[@numerum_bestia]

lets play the romantic version. the real version. death will always be a far more romantic concept than love. Death will never leave you. it will only inch slowly closer.

[@b.a.peters5534]

justsaying it's not a choice it's an illness.

[@Taylor-ur7wl]

God bless this song and everyone who listens to it. “Pick it! and it won’t ever heal...” ugh hits so hard❤️❤️

[@harrywilliams6049]

Hi Taylor, I'm harry all the way from Texas, how are you doing today

[@chillestplays4034]

This here is the reason I picked up a guitar 6 years ago and haven’t stopped picking ever since. Damn shame I couldn’t have met this man. Cheers Townes.

[@peterpedersen1641]

When Townes was sick and getting sicker. He hit the road with Guy Clark and the new young guy, Robert Earl Keen, dark black hair, in his twenties. I got a call from a friend that they were playing in Pipersville, PA at a restaurant there. My other friend lived down the street from Guy Clark in Austin Texas in the 70s, We show up, Guy is at the pool table with a tall glass of vodka, pretty hammered at that. We shot a couple of games a pool and talked about the old days. Major amazing storyteller, whether in music or just a chat. Townes was quiet until they started playing. Not the best of singers, but one hell of a singing storyteller as The Ballad Of Poncho and Lefty is. They played for two hours solid, They were tired. We weren't. Helped them load up their stuff. Townes passed away a few months later. Now we lost Guy a few months back. Two of the best fingerpicking songwriters that ever lived. RIP guys.

[@tundraastorm7444]

Peter Pedersen great story 😊 Great Experience

[@lastnamefirst4035]

Good story. I bet Townes was in rough shape at that point. Guy passed in 2016 and Susana before. Still sad that they are gone

[@dr.johnpaladinshow9747]

Drying my tears now. I first met Townes at a party when he walked into the kitchen and announced that Blaze Foley was coming over. Half the party cheered. Half groaned. Miss em both. Back in the hill country now, but that Austin scene is long gone. Most have passed, retired or moved to Nashville. Robert Earl has a place next door to my friends ranch and he still plays a small town venue from time to time. Willie is still around, but he's really gettin on in years now.

[@lastnamefirst4035]

@@dr.johnpaladinshow9747 rodney crowell, emmy lou...yer right. Not many left from that great group

[@dr.johnpaladinshow9747]

@@lastnamefirst4035 I just fell into a dive into the old Austin music. Have known most all of these folks. Trying to sing along but the tears make it hard.

[@ronnie5129]

I THINK THAT MR. TOWNES VAN ZANDT WAS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED SONGWRITER OF ALL TIME, THE PEOPLE WHO SAW HIS SKILLS DID HIS SONGS, THANK ALL OF YOU WHO DID HIS SONGS, SOME ARE STILL WITH US, SOME ARE NOT.. R.I.P. MR. Van Zandt, COUSIN FIGEL

[@timhanson8556]

Cousin Figel not under appreciated for the last 15 years... another great was “Guy Clark”, hundreds of songs ( most all hits)

[@brendaluna173]

He was so cool. He died at 52, still had a lot to live. Rest in peace Townes

[@shariblack4128]

I fell in love with this tune recently, as covered by another artist with more than a few gifts, storytelling in song being one of them: TYLER JAKES. Check out his rendition, as he shares a killer tribute to Townes. It was great to hear what inspired Townes to pen the tune and then to watch him perform it live in an intimate setting. MEMORABLE❣️

[@sgenetti77]

Ha, same here but with Billy Strings instead.

[@shariblack4128]

@@sgenetti77 I will check it out! ❤️

[@sgenetti77]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6jXcqCki7mZjJo@@shariblack4128

[@ianwalkerdownland]

He not only wrote this wonderfull song he worked out the amazing fingerpicking here.

[@avimae4225]

It is the genuine imperfection that makes this type of music so raw and perfect. Shalom and blessings

[@ninadeaton2651]

Such a heart felt song. And it's amazing no matter how many times I hear it I feel it's message.

[@maryjohnson3984]

Ninagail Deaton U know...the dislikes about this song..I just think they can't grasp the meaning and "feeling" of this. Now.... listen to Willie and Merle's rendition BUT KEEP IN MIND who wrote this song. TVZ

[@purdymissouri1758]

Depsues de los alleluia, cuando muera. Esta sera mi melodia que mis hijos, y mi esposa. Tocaran si señor. This will be my funeral songs, after the alleluia. Love this song. Thank you Jesus for this guys talent.

[@mjcau]

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Airman's Odyssey

[@Chad_Fuckhammer]

This man is not a mere musician. He is a wizard. His guitar is his wand and his words a magical spell of grief, love and the healing of a broken heart.

[@michaelharwell5497]

No one can sing it like Townes. From the depths of his soul.

[@chrismascher8667]

The thing I love about Townes is that he appears to (sing) his songs only to keep your attention to the story that he's trying to tell. I had a hard time learning to love and appreciate Townes. Now 20 yrs later I'm glad I put forth the effort.

[@zaftra5126]

I wish he would’ve released this song just like this. Just him. Just his Guitar. I grew up listening to this song with Willie and Merle. I didn’t know this existed until now. My God, this is my favorite version from the man himself that wrote it. What a gem!

[@asajordan2951]

It's a life changing moment when you hear/see Townes Van Zandt for the first time: I'm spiritually and musically the better for it, but there is an underlying anger and sadness that he is not as known and respected as he deserves to be

[@vaman5591]

@@asajordan2951 Life sends you what you need, when you need it.

[@rrickman]

check out Live at the Old Quarter, all his best songs with just him and a guitar from the late 70s

[@gabrielgilliland]

Check out old quarter and sky blue album

[@danmiller5902]

@@rrickman Absolutely. Easily my favorite TVZ album for just that reason. Most of his releases were over (and poorly) produced.

[@Milleymusic]

Had lunch with Townes Van Zandt at the Edmonton Folk Fest a few years before he died. One of the sweetest men I have ever met. Pancho and Lefty is one of my favorite songs to play. "The most missed man the world never knew, TVZ"

[@fffanman]

Lucky you. I just found him 2 days ago by chance. I’m in Edmonton as well.

[@SuperTexasT]

I'm so glad we have this. God bless Townes Van Zandt.

[@harrywilliams6049]

Hi Tina, I'm harry all the way from Texas, how are you doing today

[@daniellerider2363]

Beautiful....... No one tells a story no more.

[@harrywilliams6049]

Hello Danielle, I'm harry all the way from Texas, how are you doing today

[@1992Maton]

"Pick it! ...and it won't ever heal" Townes... hope he knows there are some of us who struggle with the same ailments he did. Thanking him for the brief relief of song and real songs at that. From Australia

[@bonniebuckner3399]

The grandpa in the background looks like the sweetest ole man.

[@hanibalsmith2116]

sorry to rain on your parade but probably Townes smack dealer.

[@hw8140]

@@hanibalsmith2116 holy shit that's funny

[@dingleydb]

i wondered who he was

[@Cisco-dy8dl]

Look how long he holds that drag from his cigarette.

[@markthompson118]

If I'm not wrong that's the man Blaze Foley was protecting when he got shot.

[@alancampbell9897]

I saw Townes play a small venue in London only a couple of months before he passed. Voice like gravel, still smoking, still mesmerising. We all sang along to this chorus - he loved it, we loved it. Then he slipped away - no kindness there I suppose.

[@familiarsting4108]

She is so in love with him. This video is so beautiful and raw.

[@shanehipsher4390]

"Pick it.!, and it won't ever heal." Love it.

[@russellwilliams7589]

I've struggled with plenty of my own demons so Townes' music has always resonated with me. I don't mean to ruffle feathers, but it's exhausting listening to people frame artist's lives and project their medocraty onto them. "Oh, if they just would have cleaned up and been like me, they would still be alive, or they would have made it, blah blah blah." Townes was authentic. Art comes from pain, and heartache and struggle. If Van Gogh would have been a trust fund kid, and had a top notch therapist, we wouldn't know who he was today. Art that endures doesn't come from a place of comfort. Townes lived the way he wanted to, it may seem tragic seeing how the sausage got made, but he's been gone a while now and here we all are listening to him I wonder if he had cleaned up and lived up to certain expectations if that would be the case?

[@320jetstream]

Russell Williams Well put

[@4Topwood]

Townes came from a wealthy family. Poverty was not his problem. Not sure he lived the way he wanted to, either. But he had a rare gift for music and for poetry.

[@aongusaongus4371]

How can you not feel this. If so. You have a hole in your soul

[@showerhead9608]

A Masterpiece of Modern Music. Thank you to Mr. Nelson and Mr. Haggard for keeping Townes current.