dbt track # 77 - When the Well Runs Dry

[Clams]

Leaving When the Well Runs Dry off A Blessing and a Curse in favor of Daylight and Easy on Yourself was one of the worst decisions ever made by DBT. Okay that might be overstating it, but thank god for The Fine Print, right?

The only justification I can think of is that the lyrics can too easily be interpreted as Jason's DBT swan song, when at the time they released ABAAC, he was still very much a member of the band. That's just my personal theory, though I'm sure some of you historians can better address this aspect of the song.

Anyway, I love Cooley's guitar (which reminds me a lot of his playing on Little Bonnie) and especially Jason's keyboards really give the song a warm, full sound. There are some days when I think this might be Jason's best DBT song.

There's a sacrifice you make
There are people along the way
When there's nowhere to run and there's nowhere to stay
And the wheels still move

But won't slow down
Even when you're spinning in the same soft ground
And there's a tear in her eye
Because she's known you too long
And she can't tell the singer from the whorehouse song

When the well runs dry
There's nothing left to say
Just throw up your hands and wail all day
And everything's fair
And you don't like it that way
Something has to die
When the well runs dry

There's a dancer I used to get
By giving her cigarettes
She told me that I hadn't quite hurt enough yet
So I let her do me wrong
But not for very long
Then I put her in the mirror and I put her in a song

When the well runs dry
There's nothing left to say
Throw up your hands and wail all day
And everything's fair
And you don't like it that way
Something has to die
When the well runs dry

Sitting here at the top your will is getting weak
You let my mind get fattened up
Now I'm quiet and I ain't supposed to speak
I'll speak up when I've had enough

A singer we used to know
He let himself go
Played 15 minutes of a sold out show
And everybody laughed
In the aftermath
And he never came back
No he never came back

When the well runs dry
There's nothing left to say
Throw up your hands and wail all day
And everything's fair
And you don't like it that way
Something has to die
When the well runs dry

[tinnitus photography]

i heard this when i saw Jason play solo and loved it immediately.


in some ways, The Fine Print is better than some 'regular' DBT records...i really like it.

[Zip City]

I've always considered it a swan song, though someone on here a ways back (maybe on 9B) posted an interview with Jason where he denied it.

That said, it's a fantastic song

[Gang Green]

I was never tuned into this issue, but, now that you mention it, "When the Well Runs Dry" is a great song and would have fit nicely in ABAAC. "Daylight" and "Easy on Yourself" are two of my least favortie Isbell/DBT songs. But, they could have just included "When the Well Runs Dry" as well as the other two as they only had ten songs on the album to begin with.

[jimmyjack]

Not a fan of this one, even beyond its obvious "Tweeter and the Monkey Man" rip. Sounds about as stock as Jason's contributions on ABAAC. Actually, I may even prefer "Daylight" to this one.

[OkieinTexas]

Not to be insulting, but this is a great song and some of you seem to be concerned that maybe Patterson and Cooley will read this board and question your fanboy status if you admit anything Jason did was worthwhile.

The Tweeter And The Monkey Man comparison was just insipid.

Relocated Okie

[Van]

I have always loved this song.

[Iowan]

1) It's definitely a swan song. I don't care if Jason denied. Artist's are rarely that honest about the specific meanings of their songs in interviews. What good would it do Jason to say "yeah, it was my swan song. So what?" when it's pretty obvious that's what it was, and IMO the likely reason it was left off the album. Just wouldn't have been gasoline on the fire of a situation that it appears all parties have resolved and moved past successfully.

2) I don't think it sounds like Tweeter and the Monkey Man at all.

3) It is one of Jason's best songs.

[Smitty]

Not to be insulting, but this is a great song and some of you seem to be concerned that maybe Patterson and Cooley will read this board and question your fanboy status if you admit anything Jason did was worthwhile.

I haven't even commented, but that is insulting. Jason gets as much praise on here as Hood or Cooley - I don't even get where you're coming from with that statement.

[OkieinTexas]

Smitty wrote: I haven't even commented, but that is insulting. Jason gets as much praise on here as Hood or Cooley - I don't even get where you're coming from with that statement.

If you are not one of those that have commented, then why worry?

[Tequila Cowboy]

Not to be insulting, but this is a great song and some of you seem to be concerned that maybe Patterson and Cooley will read this board and question your fanboy status if you admit anything Jason did was worthwhile.

The Tweeter And The Monkey Man comparison was just insipid.

Relocated Okie

Well Okie, everyone has opinions but three of the four comments above yours are positive. Not sure where you're coming from here. Not everyone is going to like it. All that being said I dig this one a lot, but damn is it bleak.

[OkieinTexas]

Okie thinks some of the collective dost protest too much. Do you guys really want me to take the effort to go through past posts in regards to opinions about Jason's contributions? Personally, I think the "fanboy" comment hit a little close to home for some. I will leave it at that unless some of you want me to continue. If so, then you can call me a troll and be done with it.

[mwh]

I prefer both Daylight and Easy on Yourself to this one. They are both good songs, are worthy of being on this disk, and I'll never understand the hate on here for them (especially Daylight.) When the Well Runs Dry is probably my least favorite of the DBT era Jason songs.

[colodogdoc]

"And she can't tell the singer from the whorehouse song"

I had always heard this as "And she can't tell the singer from the wore out song".

By the time I came around to the band this song was the bonus track on the ABAAC download, so I got it then. Always really liked it; anybody know if he ever does it at one of his shows now? Seen him twice solo and never heard him do it.

[Tequila Cowboy]

Okie thinks some of the collective dost protest too much. Do you guys really want me to take the effort to go through past posts in regards to opinions about Jason's contributions? Personally, I think the "fanboy" comment hit a little close to home for some. I will leave it at that unless some of you want me to continue. If so, then you can call me a troll and be done with it.

You know I think Daylight and Easy on Yourself are awful. Nothing is going to change that for me and it's my opinion. Of course Danko/Manuel is, IMHO, one of the very best DBT songs as is Decoration Day. In fact I like every Isbell DBT song with the exception of the ABAAC songs. I have never noticed a an anti Jason slant here, in fact I think a lot of people romanticize the time he was in the band to the point of silliness as I think they were a fantastic band before him and have remained one after. Those years were fun though and produced a lot of great music. I guess I'm unsure as to what you're looking for regarding Jason and his music. I think there are a lot of folks on this board that wish he was still in the band, personally I'm not one of them, but have remained a fan and see him with the 400 Unit several times a year. Not sure how you feel he's been slighted here in any way,

[sactochris]

I may even prefer "Daylight" to this one.

I prefer Daylight to this one.

[sactochris]

I may even prefer "Daylight" to this one.

I prefer Daylight to this one.

[Clams]

"And she can't tell the singer from the whorehouse song"

I had always heard this as "And she can't tell the singer from the wore out song".

By the time I came around to the band this song was the bonus track on the ABAAC download, so I got it then. Always really liked it; anybody know if he ever does it at one of his shows now? Seen him twice solo and never heard him do it.

Yep, I always heard it as "worn out song" too!

I saw Jason play it at a solo show (just him and Browan on electric guitars) in Charleston, SC right about the time that The Fine Print was coming out.

Daylight is better than Well Runs Dry??? Belongs in the blasphemy thread!

[jimmyjack]

Not to be insulting, but this is a great song and some of you seem to be concerned that maybe Patterson and Cooley will read this board and question your fanboy status if you admit anything Jason did was worthwhile.

The Tweeter And The Monkey Man comparison was just insipid.

Relocated Okie

I think you'll find if you peruse the archives, I have sung Jason's praises here many times. I pre-order his records, have even shared the stage with him a few times, and count him as one of the best songwriters of my generation. His work with the Truckers is, imo, unassailable. Decoration Day is probably my favorite album of all time and Jason is a big reason for that.

That said, I don't see why i should have to even defend myself to some lurker / troll trying to pick a fight. If you don't think the verses of WTWRD sound EXACTLY like the chorus of Tweeter & The Monkey Man, you have cloth ears, or have never heard Tweeter & The Monkey Man. I mean, I think it's even sung in the same key. Same melody, note for note. It's no big deal, really, people 'accidentally' steal all the time (My Sweet Lord, anyone?), but to deny the similarity is way more of a fanboy-ass thing to do than to politely utter a 'nay' at a song choice. All I was saying is I don't think it's a great song, and the Tweeter & The Monkey Man thing puts me off.

[tinnitus photography]

2) I don't think it sounds like Tweeter and the Monkey Man at all.

i never heard of that song before, but listening to it via youtube, the chorus is pretty much matches (exactly?) like Well/Dry.

[Clams]

2) I don't think it sounds like Tweeter and the Monkey Man at all.

Jimmyjack I'm not saying that you're wrong (you're a musician and I'm not), but I'm with Iowan. I don't hear any similarity.

[Penny Lane]

I may even prefer "Daylight" to this one.

I prefer Daylight to this one.

me too...i like both, though...just like Jason's voice in Daylight (see argument in Daylight thread)

[Mr. B]

2) I don't think it sounds like Tweeter and the Monkey Man at all.

Jimmyjack I'm not saying that you're wrong (you're a musician and I'm not), but I'm with Iowan. I don't hear any similarity.

I hadn't heard the comparison before today, but in just listening to them with my non-musician ears the similarities seem pretty clear.

In this clip, Jason introduces the song as being about "sabotage". Not sure how that impacts the theory of whether its meant to be his swan song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXYsLUEJ8r0.

[Duke Silver]

Are those lyrics official? They're substantially different from the way I've always heard it. Thought "there are people along the way" was "of people along the way," "everything's fair" was "everything's fine," "whorehouse song" was "worn out song," and "sitting here at the top" was "silly little appetite." Guess I'll have to listen again.

This is my favorite Jason song from the ABAAC era. Love the tired, understated, worn out vocal performance. The similarity to that other song doesn't bother me any more than Marry Me's similarity to Already Gone, or Never Gonna Change's similarity to Rockin in the Free World. Nothing new under the sun, talent borrows/genius steals, etc.

[Clams]

Are those lyrics official? They're substantially different from the way I've always heard it. Thought "there are people along the way" was "of people along the way," "everything's fair" was "everything's fine," "whorehouse song" was "worn out song," and "sitting here at the top" was "silly little appetite." Guess I'll have to listen again.

No they aren't official. I usually copy and paste the lyrics straight from the DBT website, but the site doesn't have lyrics for The Fine Print. So I just googled the song and got the lyrics from one of those ridiculous lyric websites. So it's no surprise that some of the words might be wrong. I probably should have posted a disclaimer. Damn... caught slacking again... sorry.

[jimmyjack]

or Never Gonna Change's similarity to Rockin in the Free World

You just blew my mind, sir. You're RIGHT!!!

[sactochris]

I may even prefer "Daylight" to this one.

I prefer Daylight to this one.

me too...i like both, though...just like Jason's voice in Daylight (see argument in Daylight thread)

Those high notes he manages to hit just slay me every time.

[Duke Silver]

or Never Gonna Change's similarity to Rockin in the Free World

You just blew my mind, sir. You're RIGHT!!!

it's not exactly the same...but definitely reminds me of it every time

[Rocky]

"And she can't tell the singer from the whorehouse song"

I had always heard this as "And she can't tell the singer from the wore out song".

I like this lyric so much better and it seems to fit the sentiment better. You may be right.

[mark lynn]

A singer we used to know
He let himself go
Played 15 minutes of a sold out show
And everybody laughed
In the aftermath
And he never came back
No he never came back
[/i]

I seem to remember this line maybe being inspired by Hank Jr. But it could be about anything like any other song I guess.