Rat in a drain ditch
Caught on a limb
You know better but
I know him
Like I told you
What I said
Steal your face
right off you head
Now he's Gone
Lord he's gone
Like a steam locomotive
rolling down the track
He's gone
He's gone
and nothing's gonna bring him back
He's gone
Nine mile skid
on a ten mile ride
Hot as a pistol
but cool inside
Cat on a tin roof
Dogs in a pile
Nothing left to do but
smile, smile, smile
Now he's gone
Lord he's gone
Like a steam locomotive
rolling down the track
He's gone
He's gone
and nothing's gonna bring him back
He's gone
Going where the wind don't blow so strange
Maybe on some high cold mountain range
Lost one round but the price wasn't anything
Knife in a back and more of the same
Same old rat in a drain ditch
Out on a limb
You know better but I know him
Now he's gone
Lord he's gone
Like a steam locomotive
rolling down the track
He's gone
He's gone
and nothin's gonna bring him back
He's gone....
Musical details:
Recorded on
First performance: April 17, 1972, at the Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark. "He's Gone" appeared in the first set, between "Jack Straw" and "Next Time You See Me."
The web site Steam Trains--Harris Mountaintop has some excellent information and images of steam locomotives.
See Owsley's web site for more information on the logo and its design.
American listeners will probably be reminded of the title of the Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) play, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," (1955) the final line of which, at least in some versions, is:
"Nothing's more determined than a cat on a tin roof--is there? Is there, baby?"The line is spoken by the character Maggie the Cat. (Not actually a cat...)
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 11:09:46 -0500
From: Lepok@aol.com
Subject: He's GoneHi David!
A small fact you might want to add to the "He's Gone" page:
"Smile, smile, smile" (as in "Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile) was a campaign slogan of William Howard Taft, the successful Republican candidate for President in 1908. Taft was known as the most jovial man in politics. Source: Fay M. Blake & H. Morton Newman, Verbis Non Factis: Words Meant to Influence Political Choice in the United States, 1800-1980, p. 60 (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Pr., 1984), citing James Barber, The Pulse of Politics, p. 223.
Best wishes,
Dave Kopel
Thanks, Dave!