Tag: Lyle Lovett

Between the Lines: ‘She’s Already Made Up Her Mind’

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She had these green eyes that looked at me like no one had ever looked at me before. It's intoxicating to be looked at like that. Everything else in the world disappeared when I was with her. I knew I was in trouble right from the start. All my friends told me she was too young. I knew that myself and I tried to run. I did. I ran across seven states. But the faster I ran, the more I fell behind because she was always there with me. Like a memory of what might have been. Like a hope for what used to be. She's the dream I can't wake up from.

Still, I knew better than to fight her on it. That's a lesson I learned the hard way. Because, while there is nothing so deep as the ocean and there is nothing so high as the sky, there is also nothing unwavering as a woman when she's already made up her mind. Once she's dug in … best to just leave her be.

I did that.

Then I didn't.

That was my first mistake. Or, maybe, my third.

So now she's sitting at one end of the kitchen table and she is staring without an expression. Those green eyes of hers … absolutely blank. Like I could reach right through her and not touch a thing. I can hear the TV on in the other room and the dog barking outside as the big yellow school bus bucks and rumbles its way down the road. I can feel everything else in the world except her.

Here, in the kitchen, she's not looking at me. She is looking at the space between us and she is talking to me without moving her eyes. She's just talking. She said something about going home. She said something about needing to spend some time alone. “It's not you, it's me.” “I just need to figure some things out.” Like it was only a temporary break we were taking. And she wondered out loud what it was she had to find, but she'd already made up her mind. She'd already left without leaving.

I feel dead inside. In my heart and soul. But my body still has some life left in it. When that finally goes, my friend, carry me down to the water's edge and then sail with me out to that ocean deep. Let me go easy down over the side and let the water wash me clean, wash me away.

And remember me to her.

Story based on “She's Already Made Up Her Mind” by Lyle Lovett. Photo credit: squilla.dave / Foter / CC BY-SA.

7 Americana Covers That Are Better Than the Originals

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In response to our own Michael Verity's 7 Americana Songs That Should Never Be Covered by Anyone (Even Bob Dylan) list, here are 7 Americana Covers That Are Better Than the Originals. (Bob Dylan was excluded altogether because, really, almost every Dylan song is made better by someone else's voice). Also excluded were a few too-obvious, non-Dylan choices including Jeff Buckley's seminal take on Leonard Cohen's “Hallelujah,” Johnny Cash's powerful reworking of Nine Inch Nails' “Hurt,” and Gary Jules haunting rendition of Tears for Fears' “Mad World.”

Generally, artists shouldn't take on a song unless they can make it better and make it their own, in some way. These picks — and so many others — fit that bill. What would you add?

“Angel from Montgomery” — Bonnie Raitt

Many sing this John Prine classic, but no one sings it like Bonnie Raitt.

“Georgia on My Mind” — Ray Charles

Ray Charles and “Georgia on My Mind” go together like peas and carrots, so some might be surprised to learn that it was written (and originally performed by) Hoagy Carmichael (with lyrics by Stuart Gorrell) about Hoagy's sister Georgia.

“How Sweet It Is” — Joan Osborne and Karen Dalton


There was some staff debate about which cover of the Holland-Dozier-Holland composition would make the list. Marvin Gaye first made it famous, with Junior Walker & the All Stars and James Taylor taking their turns. In these lesser-known versions, Joan Osborne put on a soulful slink while Karen Dalton folked it up.

“Wonderwall” — Ryan Adams

This astounding and sparse re-imagining of “Wonderwall” shows the true craftsmanship underneath the Oasis pop sheen. It's just so, so good.

“If I Needed You” — Lyle Lovett

Like “Angel from Montgomery,” this Townes Van Zandt standard has been offered up by almost every folkie on the scene. But none of them come close to Lyle Lovett. You can hear his deep respect for the song and its writer in this version.

“Willin'” — Linda Ronstadt

Almost every song Linda Ronstadt ever sang was better than the original by sheer virtue of her presence. That's the mark of a great singer. Her take on Little Feat's “Willin'” is no exception to that rule.

“Two of Us" — Michael Penn and Aimee Mann

Many would say that no one does the Beatles better than the Beatles, but this little ditty from the I Am Sam soundtrack is awfully wonderful.