Life Is Just A Tire Swing Debut in 1974

[conched]

Transcribed from Jimmy’s Show at the Exit In in Nashville in 1974

Debut of Life Is Just A Tire Swing 3.13.1974

This is a brand new song. I hadn’t quite… I’ll tell you…it’s a really weird story. I guess that’s how you write ‘em. This is really too strange. The name of the song is When Life Is Just
A Tire Swing. I remember from uh, I used to go every Sunday… every other Sunday to eat dinner with my aunt in Gauthier, MS which is about 60 miles from Mobile on the coast; and they’re real crazy my aunt and uncle were…crazy old people and they lived in a big ole antebellum home and they lived in one room and the rest of the house was all cold and damp. And we used to always have our Easter egg hunts there. Elmer’s Gold Brick eggs (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elmers-Go ... 6197968435)
…they were made in New Orleans and man are they good. But, I had written about two verses of this song and I was in Illinois doing a bunch of one-nighters last week, college dates and I was flying from Peoria/flown to Peoria and was driving to Macomb, IL which is about 60 miles away and I rented a car and I was ridin’ down the road and tuned in to the radio and Hoyt Axton song came on…When The Morning Comes with Linda Rondstadt, which I love and I was just cruising along about 55 not speeding or anything. I looked over to the right and there was this huge old house, farm house, with about 8 cars up on blocks, tractor, and there was this tire swing in the front yard, and I went wow, that’s just great now I know how to finish the song, now I’ve seen one and I’m not just working from memory. And coming back I did the gig that night and had to catch a 6 o’clock plane in the morning so I was driving straight back through and I fell asleep at the wheel and I cracked up and hit a telephone pole managed to demolish the rent a car, and I got out without a scratch just got a sore, which I am, just a little bit, but I hit about 25 yards from the tire swing and the first thing I saw when I climbed out of the car was that tire swing and it freaked me right out and this farmer and this family came out and pulled me out of the wreck and I was just sitting there and didn’t know anybody, shaking like hell on the side of the road but I had the ending of my song. It’s a hard way to do it, but it sure did contribute to tieing it all together. It’s the first…I just finished it up and it’s still a little bit rough, but it’s one of the best things I think I’ve ever done.

I remember the smell of the creosote plant,
When we’d go every Sunday to eat with my
Crazy old uncle and aunt.
They lived in a big house Antebellum style,
Winds would blow across the old bayou,
And I was a peaceful little child.

Life was just a tire swing.
‘Jambalaya’ was the only song I could sing.
Chasing after sparrows with rubber tipped arrows
Knowin I could never kill a thing
Life is just a tire swing

Then I got a little older
My folks sent me off to camp
Yeah, me and my cousin Baxter
And a pup tent with a lamp
Well in about 3 days
Baxter went away
And so I stayed alone
And that was the time
I felt in my mind
I didn’t have attachment for home.

And life was still a tire swing.
‘Jambalaya’ was the only song I could sing.
Blackberry pickin’ and eatin’ fried chicken,
And I never knew a thing about pain.
Life was just a tire swing.

Yeah I’d never been west of New Orleans
Nor east of Pensacola.
My only contact with the outsideworld
was a n RCA Victrola.
And Elvis would sing and then I’d dream
About expensive cars
and who would’ve thought that twenty years later
I’d be rubbing shoulders with the stars.

Life was just a tire swing.
‘Jambalaya’ was the only song I could sing.
Blackberry pickin’ and eatin’ fried chicken,
OH I never knew a thing about pain.
Life was just a tire swing.

Then the other morning on an Illinois road
I fell asleep,
But was abruptly wakened up by a ‘Ma Bell’
telephone pole,
and a bunch of Grant Wood
Faces askin,
‘Is he still alive?’
But through the window I could see
it hangin’ from a tree,
and I knew that we’d both survived.

And Life was just a tire swing.
Jambalaya’s is the best song that I can sing.
Blackberry pickin’and eatin’ fried chicken,
And I finally learned a little about pain,
’cause life is just a tire swing
Life is still a tire swing.

(And the final version of the song was finally recorded for the A1A album)

I remember the smell of the creosote plant,
When we’d have to eat on Easter with my
Crazy old uncle and aunt.
They lived in a big house Antebellum style,
And the winds would blow across the old bayou,
And I was a tranquil little child.

Life was just a tire swing.
‘Jambalaya’ was the only song I couldn’t sing.
Blackberry pickin’, eatin’ fried chicken,
And I never knew a thing about pain.
Life was just a tire swing.

In a few summers my folks packed me off to camp;
Yeah, me and my cousin Baxter
In our pup tent with a lamp.
And in a few days Baxter went home,
And he left me by myself.
But I knew that I’d stay, it was better that way,
And I could get along without any help.
Life was just a tire swing.
‘Jambalaya’ was the only song I couldn’t sing.
Chasing after sparrows with rubber-tipped arrows
Knowin I could never hurt a thing.
Life was just a tire swing

And I’ve never been west of New Orleans
Nor east of Pensacola.
My only contact with the outside
world was an RCA Victrola.
And Elvis would sing and then I’d dream about
expensive cars, and who would’ve figured twenty
years later I’d be rubbing shoulders with the stars.
Life was just a tire swing.

Then the other morning on some Illinois road
I fell asleep at the wheel,
But was quickly wakened up by a ‘Ma Bell’
telephone pole, and a bunch of Grant Wood Faces
screaming, ‘Is he still alive?’
But through the window could see
it hangin’ from a tree, and I knew
I had survived.

Life was just a tire swing.
Jambalaya’s still the best song that I can sing.
Blackberry pickin’, eatin’ fried chicken,
But I finally learned a lot about pain,
’cause life is just a tire swing
Life is just a tire swing
Life is just a tire swing

[catsway]

Great song line. Thank you for posting Nancy. It was a real treat for the CRB to perform it at the 2011 Tampa show in the #7 slot.

[Summerlover]

Nancy, I talked to a bar owner from Peoria that in fact was at our local community college and saw Jimmy in 74. Wth, I was 14, why wasn't I there?? LOL

We loved the reference at the St Louis show last year when he played Life Is Just A Tire Swing. Best yet, I captured it.

Hey Jimmy, would love to treat you to the Lariat. Come on up, the college is still there and what a terrific small venue. One can dream right?