Pancho in Mexico

[Br1ck]

That's right, the Feds got Pancho.

[Gdjjr]

Originally Posted by kurth

thanks....I was fortunate to live in Austin for a decade when the music scene was in high gear. I've got alot of great stories...but my best was the night at Rome Inn. It was Blue Monday....and Willy was playing with his band...an unusual occurance at Rome Inn. Usually it was Jimmie Vaughn or Stevie Ray. I grew up with Willy's harmonica player and was sitting at their table while they were on break. Stevie Ray played the break. It was a sizzling performance. He was untouched in those days. I probably saw him play 50 times, many times for free, or a buck cover. But that night he ripped the heart from the floor. It was a short set and when he finished ....Willy stood up to take the floor....and he was booed off stage. I felt sad for the man. It was obvious he was no match for Stevie Ray, but he isn't a bad guitarist in his own right. But he was no Stevie Ray Vaughn. Those days in Austin were legendary. I've got dozens of stories....of Jerry Jeff Walker, Joe Ely with Jesse Taylor, Omar and the Howlers, Marcia Ball etc etc. But the best night I ever heard was Roky Erickson at Raul's singing "Living in the Kremlin with a Two-Headed Dog" ....astounding.

Wow! I think Willie is one of the most under rated players there is- but, the time you're talking about was just before he hit the big time with Blue Eyes Eyes Cryin In The Rain which made him a 20 year over night sensation- he's not a shredder but a great knowing what will sound good with what he's singing player--

I didn't even know a *movement* in Austin was taking place in 78 or 79- to have experienced it is something you can draw interest from from the deposits in your memory bank and pass on the stories to your descendants and let them enjoy a better time and place, even if vicariously-

[Silly Moustache]

I've been comparing a google translate version of the Spanish lyrics, and it seems to regard the Federales as being "unkind" rather than acting (out of kindness, I suppose" in the English.

Huh?

[kurth]

Originally Posted by Br1ck

That's right, the Feds got Pancho.

No one knows who assassinated Poncho...and he most likely didn't leave any last words, as reports said he died instantly, being the main target of many guns. Mexican history is highly embellished. And Mexico is the easiest country in the world to kill someone...still. Like 2% of murders are brought to justice.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

All I know is..

The day they laid poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio

[Goat Mick]

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Bob

All I know is..

The day they laid poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio

Where he got the bread to go
Ain’t nobody knows….

[BradHall]

I know it’s common to think Pancho in the song was Pancho Villa, but Towns Van Zant, the songwriter who wrote the song, says it was not.

[kurth]

Townes said this, according to wikipedia, if one chooses to believe it as the authority of western culture...." "I realize that I wrote it, but it's hard to take credit for the writing, because it came from out of the blue. It came through me and it's a real nice song, and I think, I've finally found out what it's about. I've always wondered what it's about. I kinda always knew it wasn't about Pancho Villa, and then somebody told me that Pancho Villa had a buddy whose name in Spanish meant 'Lefty.' But in the song, my song, Pancho gets hung. 'They only let him hang around out of kindness I suppose' and the real Pancho Villa was assassinated."[2]. I listened to the youtube version a couple of times....and I'd say, his statement beats around the bush, but it's obviously about pancho villa. In the 80's , in the little town where I live ( not so little anymore), there was a pancho and lefty's bar. It was the place back then before all the tourist arrived. It woulda taken a brave man to tell them 'Pancho' wasn't pancho villa.
ps Pancho or Poncho as it's sometimes misspelled in mex is a common apodo or nickname for Francisco...which is a very common given name. If you've never heard the joke about Mexican names....there's only 143 names in Mexico....from the 143 conquisidors who came with Cortez. That was certainly true before wwii ...before Mexico began taking in refugees from europe.

[rllink]

I always interpreted the chorus that goes, "All the Federales say they could've had him any day/ They only let him slip away out of kindness I suppose." To be a bit sarcastic by the storyteller. The feeling I get from it is that the Federales are just saying that to save face. That's my interpretation anyway.

[Misifus]

Acaso podia traducirlo. Probare.

(Perhaps I can translate it, I’ll give it a try.)

[Mark Stone]

My favorite expression of this song is Towne's recording of it on Heartworn Highways, where he introduces the song as "a medley of my hit". He says he wrote it about 2 Mexican Bandits that he saw on TV two weeks after he wrote the song ===== Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zprRZ2wFQD4

[catndahats]

to the OP; the youtube video by Freddy Fender / Townes has Freddy singing some of the lyrics in Spanish starting at the 2 minute mark...hope that helps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sePtsYj67A

and Kurth, you are right about the Texas music scene in the early-mid '70s---we were cosmic cowboys back then. Had several personal encounters of the Willie kind from time to time around San Marcos. He was friends with one of my professors and one of my room mates. SRV played Cheatam Street on Sundays free cover and $1 pitchers of beer....he had not achieved fame at that point, and his style was raw to say the least...great none the less.

[kurth]

@catndahats...do u still live in san marcos? My brother lives there. It's as far north as i'll go ! Nice town still. Austin is ruined....for me anyway. Can't bear it. I left at the perfect time.

[catndahats]

live near New Braunfels...and while it is nice to have Austin about an hour away, I avoid it these days.
Plenty of music going on in the area without going to the big city.

Originally Posted by kurth

@catndahats...do u still live in san marcos? My brother lives there. It's as far north as i'll go ! Nice town still. Austin is ruined....for me anyway. Can't bear it. I left at the perfect time.

[brad4d8]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

I tune my 12 strings one tone down - dd-dd.

Thanks. I've never tuned my 12s down except for the occasional dropped D, never saw a reason to.