South Coast of Texas

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I love story songs, slice of life songs, places that will never come again songs. Here is one of the best. Guy Clark's picture of the South Coast of Texas, his youth and the people he knew whose way of life is disappearing in favor of the tourists who don't know what they missed. So do you have a story of a place and time now gone.



The South Coast of Texas

The south coast of Texas is a thin slice of life
It's salty and hard it is stern as a knife
Where the wind is for blwon' up hurricanes for showin'
The snakes how to swim and the trees how to lean

Chorus

The shrimpers and their ladies are out in the beer joints
Drinkin' em down for they sail with the dawn
They're bound for the Mexican Bay of Campeche
And the deck hands are singin' adios Jolie Blon

There's snowbirds in search of that sunshine and night life
And fond of greasin' palms down the beach as they're goin'
This livin' on the edge of the waters of the world
Demands the dignity of whooping cranes and
The likes of Gilbert Roland

Chorus

In the cars of my youth how I tore thru those sand dunes
Cut up my tires on them oyster shell roads
But nothin' is forever say the old men in the shipyards
Turnin' trees into shrimp boats Hell I guess they ought to know

Chorus