Neil Young – Prairie Wind [2005]

 052

(Warner Bros ’05)

1. The Painter (4:37)
2. No Wonder (5:46)
3. Falling Off the Face of the Earth (3:35)
4. Far from Home (3:48)
5. It’s a Dream (6:32)
6. Prairie Wind (7:35)
7. Here for You (4:32)
8. This Old Guitar (5:33)
9. He Was the King (6:09)
10. When God Made Me (4:05)

 

 

THE PAINTER

The painter stood
before her work
She looked around every where
She saw the pictures and she painted them
She picked the colors from the air

green to green
red to red
yellow to yellow
in the light
black to black
when the evening comes
blue to blue
in the night

It’s a long road
behind me
It’s a long road
ahead

If you follow every dream
You might get lost
If you follow every dream
You might
get
lost.

She toed the line
She held her end up
She did the work of too many
But in the end
She fell down
Before she got up again

I keep my friends eternally
We leave our tracks in the sound
Some of them are with me now
Some of them can’t be found

It’s a long road behind me
and I miss you now

If you follow every dream
you might get lost
If you follow every dream
you might
get
lost.

 

NO WONDER

See the bluebird fly easy as a dream
Dipping and bobbing in the sun
Could she be the one I saw so long ago
Could she be the one to take me home

This pasture is green
I’m walking in the sun
It’s turning brown
I’m standing in the rain
My overcoat is worn
The pockets are all torn
I’m moving away from the pain

Tick-tock
The clock on the wall
No wonder we’re losing time
Ring, ring
The old church bell
The bride and her love
Seeking guidance from above

Amber waves of grain bow in the prairie wind
I’m hearing Willie singing on the radio again
That song from 9/11 keeps ringing in my head
I’ll always remember something Chris Rock said

Don’t send no more candles
No matter what you do
Then Willie stopped singing
And the prairie wind blew
The green kept rolling on
For miles and miles
Fields of fuel rolling on for miles

Tick-tock
The clock on the wall
No wonder we’re losing time
Toll, toll
The fallen soldier bell
The old church on the hill
Still standing when so many fell

Back when I was young, the birds blocked out the sun
Before the great migration south
We only shot a few
They last the winter through
Mother cooked them good and served them up

Somewhere a senator sits in a leather chair
Behind a big wooden desk
The caribou we killed mean nothing to him
He took his money just like all the rest

Tick-tock
The clock on the wall
No wonder we’re losing time
Ring, ring
Ring the wedding bells
The bride takes the ring
And the happy people sing

 

FALLING OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH

I just want to thank you
For all of the things you’ve done
I’m thinking about you
I just want to send my love
I send my best to you
That’s my message of love
For all the things you did
I can never thank you enough

Feel like I’m falling
Falling off the face of the earth
Falling off the face of the earth
(Falling)
Feel like I’m falling
Falling off the face of the earth
Falling off the face of the earth

Oh…

I just want to tell you
You sure mean a lot to me
It may sound simple
But you are the world to me
It’s such a precious thing
That time we shared together
I must apologize
For the troubled times

Feel like I’m falling
Falling off the face of the earth
(Falling)
Feel like I’m falling
Falling off the face of the earth
Falling off the face of the earth

Oh…

Feel like I’m falling
Falling off the face of the earth
Falling off the face of the earth
(Falling)
Falling off the face of the earth

(Falling)
Feel like I’m falling
Falling off the face of the earth
(Falling)
Feel like I’m falling
Falling off the face of the earth
(Falling)

 

FAR FROM HOME

When I was a growing boy
A-rocking on my daddy’s knee
Daddy took an old guitar and sang
Bury me on the lone prairie
Uncle Bob sat at the piano
My girl cousins sang harmony
Those were the good old family times
That left a big mark on me

Bury me out on the prairie
Where the buffalo used to roam
Where the Canada geese once filled the sky
And then I won’t be far from home
Bury me out on the prairie
Where the buffalo used to roam
You won’t have to shed a tear for me
‘Cause then I won’t be far from home

Walking down the trans-Canada highway
I was talking to a firefly
Trying to make my way to Nashville, Tennessee
When another car passed me by

Some day I’m gonna make big money
And buy myself a big old car
Make my way on down to that promised land
And then I’m gonna really go far

Bury me out on the prairie
Where the buffalo used to roam
Where the Canada geese once filled the sky
And then I won’t be far from home
Just bury me out on the prairie
Where the buffalo used to roam
You won’t have to shed a tear for me
‘Cause then I won’t be far from home

 

IT’S A DREAM

In the morning when I wake up and listen to the sound
Of the birds outside on the roof
I try to ignore what the paper says
And I try not to read all the news
And I’ll hold you if you had a bad dream
And I hope it never comes true
‘Cause you and I been through so many things together
And the sun starts climbing the roof

It’s a dream
Only a dream
And it’s fading now
Fading away
It’s only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay

The Red River stills flows through my home town
Rollin’ and tumblin’ on its way
Swirling around the old bridge pylons
Where a boy fishes the morning away
His bicycle leans on an oak tree
While the cars rumble over his head
An aeroplane leaves a trail in an empty blue sky
And the young birds call out to be fed

It’s a dream
Only a dream
And it’s fading now
Fading away
It’s only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay

An old man walks along on the sidewalk
Sunglasses and an old Stetson hat
The four winds blow the back of his overcoat away
As he stops with the policeman to chat
And a train rolls out of the station
That was really somethin’ in its day
Picking up speed on the straight prairie rails
As it carries the passengers away

It’s gone
Only a dream
And it’s fading now
Fading away
Only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay

It’s a dream
Only a dream
And it’s fading now
Fading away
It’s only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay

It’s a dream
Only a dream
And it’s fading now
Fading away

 

PRAIRIE WIND

Trying to remember what my daddy said
Before too much time took away his head
He said we’re going back and I’ll show you what I’m talking about
Going back to Cypress River, back to the old farmhouse

(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Trying to remember what Daddy said)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)

I tried to tell the people but they never heard a word I say
They say there’s nothing out there but wheat fields anyway
Just a farmer’s wife hanging laundry in her back yard
Out on the prairie where the winds blow long and hard

(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Trying to remember what Daddy said)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)

Late at night, lights dancing in the northern sky
Like the Indian spirits trying to show me how to fly
You can see into the future but it may be a mirage
Like a new car sitting there in your old garage

(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Trying to remember what Daddy said)

There’s a place on the prairie where evil and goodness play
Daddy told me all about it but I don’t remember what he said
It might be afternoon and it might be the dead of night
But you’ll know when you see it ’cause it sure is a hell of a sight

(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)

(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)

Prairie wind blowing through my head
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
Trying to remember what Daddy said
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
Before too much time took away his head
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
He said we’re going back and I’ll show you what I’m talking about
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)

(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
Going back to Cypress River, back to the old farmhouse
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)

(Prairie wind blowing through my head)
(Trying to remember what Daddy said)
(Prairie wind blowing through my head)…

 

HERE FOR YOU

When your summer days come tumbling down
And you find yourself alone
Then you can come back and be with me
Just close your eyes and I’ll be there
Listen to the sound
Of this old heart beating for you
Yes I’d miss you
But I never want to hold you down
You might say I’m here for you

When the winter comes to your new home
And snowflakes are falling down
Then you can come back and be with me
Just close your eyes and I’ll be there
Listen to the sound
Of this old heart beating for you
Yes I’d miss you
But I never want to hold you down
You might say I’m here for you

In the spring, protective arms surrounding you
In the fall, we let you go your way
Happiness I know will always find you
And when it does, I hope that it will stay

Yes I miss you
But I never want to hold you down
You might say I’m here for you
Yes I miss you
But I never want to hold you down
You might say I’m here for you
I’ll always be here for you

 

THIS OLD GUITAR

This old guitar ain’t mine to keep
Just taking care of it now
It’s been around for years and years
Just waiting in its old case
It’s been up and down the country roads
It’s brought a tear and a smile
It’s seen its share of dreams and hopes
And never went out of style
The more I play it, the better it sounds
It cries when I leave it alone
Silently it waits for me
Or someone else I suppose

This old guitar
This old guitar
This old guitar

This old guitar has caught some breaks
But it never searched for gold
It can’t be blamed for my mistakes
It only does what it’s told
It’s been a messenger in times of trouble
In times of hope and fear
When I get drunk and seeing double
It jumps behind the wheel and steers

This old guitar ain’t mine to keep
It’s mine to play for a while
This old guitar ain’t mine to keep
It’s only mine for a while

This old guitar
This old guitar
This old guitar
This old guitar
This old guitar
This old guitar
This old guitar

 

HE WAS THE KING

– Okay, we’re gonna start with a… Uh…
Start with an F. Just ride in on the F.
Maybe that’s a good way to start.
Or maybe the D. Whaddya think, Ben?
– Uh, the F sounds good…
– Just like a…

The last time I saw Elvis
He was shooting at a colour TV
The phones were ringing in the pink motel
And the rest is history
He was the King

The last time I saw Elvis
He was singing a gospel song
You could tell he had the feeling
And the whole world sang along
He was the King

The last time I saw Elvis
He was up on the silver screen
Pushing a plough in a black and white movie
And everybody started to scream
Yes, he was the King

The last time I saw Elvis
It was some kind of Vegas dream
Spotlights flashed on a silver cape
And a blue-haired lady screamed
He was the King

The last time I saw Elvis
He was fronting a three-piece band
Rocking on the back of a flatbed truck
With an old guitar in his hand
He was the King

The last time I saw Elvis

The last time I saw Elvis
He was riding in a pink Cadillac
Wind was blowing through his hair
And he never did look back
He was the King

Thank you very much

The last time I saw Elvis
He was singing that gospel song
You could tell that he had the feeling
And the whole world sang along
He was the King

He was the King
He was the King

– Elvis has left the arena
– But he was rocking while he was getting out.
– Oh, man, you blew me right outta my seat when you said, “Thank you
very much.” I almost stopped playing!
– “Thank you very much.”

 

WHEN GOD MADE ME

Was he thinkin’ about my country
Or the color of my skin?
Was he thinkin’ ’bout my religion
And the way I worshipped him?
Did he create just me in his image
Or every living thing?

When God made me
When God made me

Was he planning only for believers
Or for those who just have faith?
Did he envision all the wars
That were fought in his name?
Did he say there was only one way
To be close to him?

When God made me
When God made me

Did he give me the gift of love
To say who I could choose?

When God made me
When God made me

When God made me
When God made me

Did he give me the gift of voice
So some could silence me?
Did he give me the gift of vision
Not knowing what I might see?
Did he give me the gift of compassion
To help my fellow man?

When God made me
When God made me

When God made me
When God made me

 

—————————-

 

Neil Young: acoustic and electric guitar, harmonica
Ben Keith: dobro, pedal steel and slide guitar
Spooner Oldham: piano, Hammond B3 organ and Wurlitzer electric piano
Rick Rosas: bass guitar
Karl Himmel: drums on “Far From Home,” “It’s A Dream,” “This Old Guitar,” and “No Wonder,” and percussion on “Here For You,” “Prairie Wind,” “He Was The King,” and “This Old Guitar”
Chad Cromwell: drums on “Here For You,” “Prairie Wind,” “He Was The King,” and “This Old Guitar,” and percussion on “No Wonder”
Grant Boatwright: acoustic guitar on “It’s A Dream”
Clinton Gregory: fiddle on “No Wonder”
Horns:
“Far From Home,” “Prairie Wind,” “He Was The King”:
Wayne Jackson of The Memphis Horns: Arranger
Wayne Jackson: horns
Thomas McGinley: horns
Special Guest Vocalist:
Emmylou Harris “Far From Home,” “This Old Guitar,” “No Wonder”
Singers:
Pegi Young “Far From Home,” “Here For You,” “Prairie Wind,” “He Was The King,” “Fallin’ Off The Face Of The Earth,” “No Wonder”
Diana Dewitt “Far From Home,” “Here For You,” “Prairie Wind,” “He Was The King,” “Fallin’ Off The Face Of The Earth,” “No Wonder”
Anthony Crawford “No Wonder,” “Prairie Wind,” “The Painter”
Gary Pigg “He Was The King,” “No Wonder”
Curtis Wright “No Wonder”
Grant Boatwright “The Painter”
Strings: “Here For You” “It’s A Dream”:
Chuck Cochran: arranger
Pamela Sixfin
Connie Ellisor
Alan Umstead
David Davidson
Mary Kathryn Vanosdale
David Angell
Gary Vanosdale
Jim Grosjean
Kris Wilkinson
Carole Rabinowitz
Bob Mason
Carl Gorodetzky
Everhard Ramon
Fisk University Jubilee Choir
“No Wonder” “When God Made Me”
Paul Kwami, director
Brandon Colvin
Hayley Reed
Kawana Nicole Williams
Jeremy Kelsey
Aorian Chism
Christan Riley
Terrance Pogue
Wesley Trigg

Recorded at Master-Link, Nashville

Produced by Ben Keith and Neil Young

Released as CD and as CD with DVD-Video of recording studio “Sessions”