TRACK TALK #317 Drifter's Escape

DRIFTER'S ESCAPE
ALBUM : John Wesley Harding (1967)
Recorded : 17 Octobre 1967
Released : 27 Décembre 1967

Première performance live : Eugene (30 Avril 1992)
Dernière performance live : Dublin (27 Novembre 2005)
Total : 256 fois à ce jour.



Lyrics
“Oh, help me in my weakness”
I heard the drifter say
As they carried him from the courtroom
And were taking him away
“My trip hasn’t been a pleasant one
And my time it isn’t long
And I still do not know
What it was that I’ve done wrong”

Well, the judge, he cast his robe aside
A tear came to his eye
“You fail to understand,” he said
“Why must you even try?”
Outside, the crowd was stirring
You could hear it from the door
Inside, the judge was stepping down
While the jury cried for more

“Oh, stop that cursed jury”
Cried the attendant and the nurse
“The trial was bad enough
But this is ten times worse”
Just then a bolt of lightning
Struck the courthouse out of shape
And while ev’rybody knelt to pray
The drifter did escape

Ah celui là!

Un des titres "bizarres" de JWH... Je le rapproche souvent de The Wicked Messenger, bien que la mélodie soit très différente, c'est un morceau un peu semblable, je trouve; difficile à apprivoiser aux premières écoutes de cet album monumental car moins intense que St Augustine ou même The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest; mais qu'on prend un énorme plaisir à écouter avec le temps!
(Ca me rappelle ce fait étrange: j'ai bien mis 1 an avant d'aimer JWH, qui est désormais dans mon top 5...)

Une version live qui fait feu de tous bois :

voici mes 5 versions live favorites :

- san jose 09/05/92
- berlin 17/06/96
- santa cruz 15/03/00
- portsmouth 25/09/00
- dublin 27/11/05