Hey y'all! Clams asked if I'd be interested in taking the reigns for song of this week, so I bring to you Perfect Timing. This has been one of my favorite Cooley songs since the moment I heard it, his use of what I would describe as a bouncing melody paired with John Neff's incredible lead work have always blown me away. It's a stand out song to me on BTCD as it's so very different from everything else that was on that album, but it's one of two songs that keep that album in my standard rotation (the other being Checkout time in Vegas) also worth noting is the music video featuring the creation of the Cooleybird guitar and starring Scott Baxendale, if you haven't seen it already it's worth checking out on Youtube.

Here I am again perfect timing
the strings are ringing and the words are rhyming
I used to hate the fool in me, but only in the morning
now I tolerate him all day long

Out on the highway, I hear the moaning
That low and lonesome whisper,
you only know from longing,
through those naked trees at the windows glowing orange,
taking over that cold shoulder racing by

I might have known before
if I'd got this old before I thought I got too cool to give a damn,
That who you see in dreams at night seem to spend their afterlives
trying hard to live the last one down

Here I am again perfect timing,
the strings are ringing and the words are rhyming
I used to hate the fool in me, but only in the morning
now I tolerate him all day long

psychobillycadillac wrote:also worth noting is the music video featuring the creation of the Cooleybird guitar and starring Scott Baxendale, if you haven't seen it already it's worth checking out on Youtube.

Here's that video for ya:

The grin on Cooley's face at the end = priceless.

Cooley playing Perfect Timing on the Baxendale guitar:


Great write-up! I absolutely love this song. The lyrics are perfect, Neff is flying and flawless, and Cooley swings a mean harmonica. This song's one of the many reasons why I love BTCD. Wish he'd play it more often.

I have loved this song since minute one. The lyrics are great, speak to some universal truths and it just has a great vibe. Now I even love it more since I've learned that John's solo was played on the Baxendale guitar Lurleen won for me in the raffle. Now I can play the song, grin and say "that's my guitar right there. Yep."

Tequila Cowboy wrote:I have loved this song since minute one. The lyrics are great, speak to some universal truths and it just has a great vibe. Now I even love it more since I've learned that John's solo was played on the Baxendale guitar Lurleen won for me in the raffle. Now I can play the song, grin and say "that's my guitar right there. Yep."

Damn, that's cool. Is it the one he used on the ACL dvd?

Duke Silver wrote:

Tequila Cowboy wrote:I have loved this song since minute one. The lyrics are great, speak to some universal truths and it just has a great vibe. Now I even love it more since I've learned that John's solo was played on the Baxendale guitar Lurleen won for me in the raffle. Now I can play the song, grin and say "that's my guitar right there. Yep."

Damn, that's cool. Is it the one he used on the ACL dvd?

I don't think so although there is footage on YouTube of him playing it on The Dirt Underneath Tour and, I believe some clips from Plan 9 records around that time.

Brighter Than Creation's Dark was my entry point into the world of DBT so obviously this is one of the first songs I fell in love with, especially the guitar pickin' and that subtle harmonica near the end. But I have to confess that, four years later, I still can't get my head completely around that third verse...

I might have known before
if I'd got this old before I thought I got too cool to give a damn,
That who you see in dreams at night seem to spend their afterlives
trying hard to live the last one down

Great tune.

Clams wrote:Brighter Than Creation's Dark was my entry point into the world of DBT so obviously this is one of the first songs I fell in love with, especially the guitar pickin' and that subtle harmonica near the end. But I have to confess that, four years later, I still can't get my head completely around that third verse...

I might have known before
if I'd got this old before I thought I got too cool to give a damn,
That who you see in dreams at night seem to spend their afterlives
trying hard to live the last one down

First two lines seem like a tongue twisting, Cooley-esque way of saying "If I knew then what I know now..."

Second two are murkier.

To me, this song really solidified Cooley's status as one of my favorites. I had been a DBT fan a couple years by the time BTCD came out and other than A Blessing and a Curse, I owned the 3 albums previous (my first live shows would come later in '08 ). I knew that '72 was awesome. Daddy's Cup kicked ass. When the Pin Hit's the Shell, I remember was one of my favorites at that point - but I was really anticipating the new album coming out because not only couldn't I wait to hear some new Truckers' stuff, I needed to hear some new Cooley 'what does his newer stuff sound like?' Lo and behold: there it was - track #5. The feeling I had listening to this song for the first time was awesome. Perfect Timing.

Love this song to death like so many other Trucker songs, but this was my teenage daughter's favorite Truckers tune. I took her to the Clearwater Festival last summer to see her first DBT show. Thankfully, they played Perfect Timing, plus it was the first time I saw it live. Now that's perfect timing. Thanks again DBT

I love this tune. The guitar solo sounds like it could have been straight out of a Grateful Dead song. Good stuff.

roll down the windows, put it on curse controll, crank up Perfect Timing, and head for the lake. Goddamn what a great day!

fistfightsandtears wrote:roll down the windows, put it on curse controll, crank up Perfect Timing, and head for the lake. Goddamn what a great day!

Had the kids with you, huh?

beantownbubba wrote:

fistfightsandtears wrote:roll down the windows, put it on curse controll, crank up Perfect Timing, and head for the lake. Goddamn what a great day!

Had the kids with you, huh?

just makes me feel like slowing down and enjoying the day. but yeah i did have the kids with. Champ and Peaches love the feel of the wind blowing in thier ears!

fistfightsandtears wrote:

beantownbubba wrote:

fistfightsandtears wrote:roll down the windows, put it on curse controll, crank up Perfect Timing, and head for the lake. Goddamn what a great day!

Had the kids with you, huh?

just makes me feel like slowing down and enjoying the day. but yeah i did have the kids with. Champ and Peaches love the feel of the wind blowing in thier ears!

I was just joking about "curse control".

Johnny Neff's acoustic on this reminds me of Clarence White with the Byrds. The icing on the cake of a fine Cooley song.

beantownbubba wrote:I was just joking about "curse control".

ooooooooooooooooh! Yeah i ate a lot paint chips as a kid so sometimes i require help in turning on the light bulb