The Enhanced Version

July 14, 2026 00:04:10
The Enhanced Version
Heart Banter/Music Covers & Acoustic Guitar
The Enhanced Version

Jul 14 2026 | 00:04:10

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Show Notes

Townes Van Zandt’s life touched mine only tangentially until recently. I first heard of Van Zandt through Nanci Griffith’s cover of his song “Tecumseh Valley.” Like many Van Zandt ballads, it tells a tragic and beautifully melodic story about a woman named Caroline. “Techumseh Valley” is about a life, a time, and a place far from the life I’ve led. Yet, it’s a song I’ll never forget. Although Van Zandt never became a big name in the music world during his career, it is because of the depth, emotion, and poignancy of songs like “Tecumseh Valley” that the singer and songwriter is remembered and celebrated today, almost thirty years after his death.

There are two more Van Zandt songs that have really touched me. They are “If I Needed You” and “Pancho and Lefty.” I’m covering “Pancho and Lefty” here. “If I Needed You” will arrive in the near future.

Thanks for listening.

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Episode Transcript

[00:00:07] Living on the road, my friend is gonna keep you free and clean. [00:00:14] Now you wear your skin like iron. Your breast is hot as kerosene. [00:00:21] You want your mama's old lane ball but her favorite one it sings. [00:00:28] She began to cry when you said goodby and sank into your dream. [00:00:40] Pancho was a banded voice. [00:00:44] His horse was fast polished steel. [00:00:47] He wore his gun outside his pants for all the honest world of field poncho man his manchino on the desert down in Mexico and nobody dying words but that's the way it goes. [00:01:14] All the fade around and say they could have had him any day they only let him slip away. [00:01:26] How the kind is I suppose Lefty he can't sing the blues all night long like he used to. The dust that Pancho bit down south Ended up and left his mouth the day they laid poor Poncho low. [00:01:50] Left his split for Ohio where he got the bread to go There ain't nobody knows all the fan around they say they could have had it any day. [00:02:12] They only let him slip away out of kindness I suppose. [00:02:42] The poets tell how Pancho fell left is living in a cheap hotel. [00:02:49] The desert's quiet and Cleveland's cold and so the story ends we're told Pancho needs your prayers it's true but save a few for Lefty too. [00:03:03] He only did what he had to do and now he's growing old all the family Riley said we could have had him any day. [00:03:22] We only let him hang around out of kindness I suppose a few great fan around and say we could have had him any day we only let him go so long how the kindness I suppose.

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