Townes Van Zandt Top 10 Songs

[@Raelven]

Thank you for keeping Towns' music alive so that hopefully he gains many new fans. I got to meet him once. He was a sharp, fast wit, and had a way to make you feel you'd known him forever, but didn't know him at all. There was just as much in what he didn't say, as in what he said. ✌️

[@chickenjio]

Sir YOU are keeping Townes’ music alive. Thank you for a cool story. Such a sadness is felt knowing you’ll never meet a hero of yours, but also an important lesson in there maybe. Cheers!

[@yonatanfried9670]

Mine are, not ordered: Our mother the mountain To live is to fly Don't you take it too bad Be here to love me I'll be here in the morning Lungs Tower song Highway kind Pancho and lefty For the sake of the song

[@iansingsiansings2101]

Townes came south a few times, never saw him but i'm listenin' now. Townes van Zandt 19900922 Madigan's AUS @ Buzz Roberts (Sep.22 and 23 1990) and Townes van Zandt Oct. 28 1988 Oranga Hall Hamilton New Zealand @ TheSWMiles add to your playlist.

[@elizabethheyenga9277]

I'm no TVZ scholar but I've listened to many interviews, read a lot of articles, watched documentaries, found some esoteric stuff. The amount of basic misinformation about things like Pancho & Lefty is crazy. He is the first one to say it isn't about Pancho Villa, spare us!!

[@doylegaines1319]

Yes - what you said.

[@masongraves4228]

Nice videos! Make a Guy Clark or John Prine one

[@chickenjio]

I’ll make a John Prine one this weekend!

[@chickenjio]

Thank you for your kind words btw

[@colstoncopeland9357]

Townes was a lyrical genius

[@ffggddss]

#4 - Pancho and Lefty: Maybe you're punking us & you did already know this, but Pancho is an actual historical figure - Pancho Villa, a Mexican renegade around the turn of the 20th century, and Lefty is his American sidekick, whose actual name I don't know. If I have it right, Pancho and his boys were sort of banditos operating somewhere in or around Texas. But look up Pancho Villa on Wikipedia; I expect it'll tell more than you ever wanted to know. Incidentally, there was a movie a few decades ago about this duo; I don't know how accurate it might be, and I don't recall the title now. I often wondered whether TVZ may have got the inspiration for the song from that movie; probably not, since there have been plenty of stories elsewhere about Pancho. I think it was Teddy Roosevelt who sent US forces to try to capture him; I may be mistaken. The song has Mexican Federales chasing him, not Americans. Anyway, thanks for this list; I've long wanted to learn more about TVZ's "catalog," but was too lazy to look into it seriously. I first heard of him when "Pancho and Lefty" was playing on my car radio years ago, and I had to pull over and listen intently to try to learn the song, which I found amazing. Later I learned that "If I Needed You" was his, and then "Tecumseh Valley" entered my life, and those were the only songs of his I knew of until I landed here. "Pancho" and "Tecumseh" are my current favorites; but that may change after I've gone through your list. I must now get off my duff and dive into this list... Fred

[@chickenjio]

Fred thank you for the back story of Pancho Villa. As a fan of Latin American culture I must do some research on him as well. Try “TVZ Live at the Austin city limits” it’s one of my favorite live shows of his. Also look at “blue wind blues” and of course “Wabash cannonball.” Take care!

[@Raelven]

TVZ also claimed he was pulled over by two cops in Texas, who said their names were Pancho & Lefty, they let him go on a DUI after he played a couple songs for them and he wrote the song "Pancho and Lefty", later that day. I think with Townes, the landscape was always, ever changing. We'll never truly know. And that is ok, because at the end, most of it was probably just made up by Townes.

[@elizabethheyenga9277]

@@chickenjio problem is he's wrong. It isn't about Pancho villa, which TVZ has said. This came to him in a dream (possibly waking) and he met "his" Pancho and Lefty after this song came to him.

[@elizabethheyenga9277]

@@Raelven if you listen to interviews TVZ said he met them after he wrote the song!

[@Raelven]

@@elizabethheyenga9277 I've heard him tell both versions, at different venues and times. Great thing about Townes, he let the story guide him, and there was no right or wrong way to tell it.

[@julesotis13]

dlyan smylan....gimme saint john prine and ole townes van zandt any dya...greta list brother....lots of lil thoughts popped up while listening....i live in santa fe and warn folks driving in winter theres reasons theres songs about th eraotn pass....and ill share a lil annecdote...in a TVZ Tribute livestream i believe two Jan 1 times ago (TVZ and Hank Senior both day on a new years day) he would have just turned 8something the other day this being march 10th.....anyway the great Kevin Shinyribs Russell joined this livestream tribute and played Two Girls probably cuz hes head the beautiful Texas Rain LP version with Sir Soug sahm and TVZ doing it....anyway afterwrads humours inteeligent amous Shiny Kev asks if anyone knows what the song (hes just played well) isabout....this livestream is hosted byand featured the likes of Butch Hancock Jaimee Harris Joe Ely Jimmie Dale gilmore Betty Soo and other notable caring awesome talents of huge TVZ fandom and many of whom knew him some well.....I was expecting at least Butch to try an answer after a few cute akward silent moments they all agreed nah no one really knows what Two Girls is about but its sure great...Lupe and Lil agree....thanks... peace and lvoe and music - SJOCR

[@jamesbradshaw3389]

So this man knows everything, and he talks too much, I prefer to hear Townes Van Zandt sing his songs

[@andrewfarrar1786]

Are you from TN?

[@chickenjio]

Nope I’m from the west coast 😂

[@catladyoftroyn.y.8713]

I left house vansant but I can't stand to listen to Sky one more minute doing narrative no music

[@MrCaptainFilm]

too much talking, going on about coffee. Just play the music