Tuesday 31 July 2012

TUESDAY BLUES!! Ryan Adams - English Girls Approximately

Ryan Adams - English Girls Approximately (2004)

This track features on Ryans Love is Hell album and was written about English songstress Beth Orton, for whom he dated.  Marianne Faithfull provides the backing vocals on the album version.


I've always liked the song, but I had never really trawled through the lyrics until I was figuring it out on the guitar and then I realised how much of carnage that this relationship had left.

The lyrics make subtle reference to her, ("Norfolk" - she was born there, "Bethany", "daybreaker" - her album) and he undeniably held a torch for her after they split. If you know the song, it does reveal it in a new light.

He prophetically wrote the song, "This One's Gonna Bruise" and sang backing vocals on "Concrete Sky" - on the 'Daybreaker' album...

...English girls can be so mean


English girls are pretty when they play guitar
Crazy like a day just breaking I ain't sure what for
Ain't got a mother or a father or a place to fall
She's got a brother in the blues, 
But he doesn't know the blues at all
You said you didn't love me, it was right on time
I was just about to tell you, but ok, alright
Said you didn't love me, you didn't want a thing
English girls can be so mean

She's got pretty eyes as a pair of jewels
Falling down the Camden
Like a couple drunken criminals
She had a messy bedroom on the edge of town
I had never been good enough
To ever keep around
You said you didn't love me, it was right on time
I was just about to tell you, but ok, alright
Said you didn't love me, it didn't mean a thing
English girls can be so mean
But, oh, look at you now
Oh, look at you now
Mmm, best I've ever seen
Just a tall drink of water
Just pourin' down the sink

Tall drink of water, she's a Norfolk waterfall
Little daybreaker, she's shooting like a cannon ball
Crazy like a rocket when
You're coming through my radio,
Kept me in your bed till the winter time
Through the fall
Fall time come, and I guess my little bird can sing
Come on Elizabeth, come on Bethany
Come on forever, I'm tired and I want to sleep
My little dove flew away, and I'm guessing
She was done with me
You said you didn't love me, it was right on time
I was just about to tell you, but ok, alright
Said you didn't love me,
That you didn't want a thing
English girls can be so mean
But, oh, look at you now
Oh, look at you now
Mmm, best I've ever seen
Just a tall drink of water
Just pourin' down the sink

Kissed me on the lips but my heart just slept it off
Words may move,
But they're never movin' fast enough
Celebrate the differences
I'll celebrate the songs you sing
Just three words, my love
You meant everything
You meant everything
You meant everything
You meant everything


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TUESDAY BLUES!! Ryan Adams - English Girls Approximately
4/ 5
Oleh

3 comments

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31 July 2012 at 09:40

Ryan Boyo overload what with Dylan cover....but can you get too much of the Ryan....I don't think so! great song.

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Anonymous
31 July 2012 at 09:40

Excellent. Didn't know this was about Beth Orton. Will listen to the album again. Thanks.

English girls, Welsh girls...they can all be mean. Heartbreaker.

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11 August 2012 at 07:17

Sitting in a hotel room near Delray Beach, listening to this and sipping Coronas......

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