Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Powderfinger

From Live Rust (1979)
-------------------------------
POWDERFINGER

Look out, Mama, there's a white boat comin' up the river
With a big red beacon, and a flag, and a man on the rail
I think you'd better call John,
'Cause it don't look like they're here to deliver the mail
And it's less than a mile away
I hope they didn't come to stay
It's got numbers on the side and a gun
And it's makin' big waves.

Daddy's gone, my brother's out hunting in the mountains
Big John's been drinking since the river took Emmy-Lou
So the Powers That Be left me here to do the thinkin'
And I just turned twenty-two
I was wonderin' what to do
And the closer they got,
The more those feelings grew.

Daddy's rifle in my hand felt reassurin'
He told me, Red means run, son, numbers add up to nothin'
But when the first shot hit the docks I saw it comin'
Raised my rifle to my eye
Never stopped to wonder why.
Then I saw black,
And my face splashed in the sky.

Shelter me from the powder and the finger
Cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger
Think of me as one you'd never figured
Would fade away so young
With so much left undone
Remember me to my love,
I know I'll miss her.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Neil
• Young
• Crazy
• Horse
• Powderfinger
• Live
• Rust
• 1979
• Folk
• Rock
• Classic

[amhellbent]

Cheers for posting this, great to listen to it again so many years later, still an outstanding song. I've just had the pleasure of hearing it  while seeing in the new year, its just gone midnight here in New Zealand. So here's hoping for a decent 2011, its off to a good start :)

[RockkkV2]

@amhellbent Happy New Year!!!

[Scagable]

One of the best of all times

[wingman572]

is big john still drinking?

[JSTSAYYES]

Someone please, please post the concert video for this song (from live rust).....

[dp1101dp]

@567wolfen All the more with this phenomenal song. Happy 2012 (as far as the music goes I wish time stopped at 1979...)

[567wolfen]

remember of those gone by. Our memories keep them alive forever

[567wolfen]

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012 to all - still 1 of my favorite albums of of all time

[sidDkid87]

@Shakey719 I believe that gives 1 year and two weeks from today ; )`

[TB09ish]

Neil's best song...in my humble opinion...

[dv8r1dog]

My favorite song by Neil. If there was one song I had to pick from my youth it would be this version of Powderfinger...played this album til in disentegrated. AWESOME!!!!

[johnthehulk1]

Neil's great tribute to "The Van Zants". Truly one of his greatest songs from "Rust Never Sleeps". Great singing, plus his unique sound with his mongrel guitar "Old Black". Love that Bigsby. Truly a multi-tentacular musician. "Buffalo Springfield" was his proving ground, and "Crazy Horse", his greatest melodic guitar playing.

[Shakey719]

@ninebreaker21 Really? The Robert Deniro film? How avante garde! I'll have to check it out, before the 2012 Apocolypse, of course ;)