This is one of the saddest songs ever written about cock-fighting. It's a sport that I understand remains popular in Mexico and among the Mexican population -- I mean those born in Mexico, rather than Americans of Mexican descent. But it was also popular in China, when I lived there: there was a place called Hangzhou Birds' Paradise that featured daily cock fights. Perhaps there's some ambiguity in the word "paradise" in Mandarin.
In any case, rope in if you decide to listen to this. It's a genuine tragedy.
4 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I first heard that when Ian Tyson did it. And yes, it's a tragedy, almost in the Greek sense. "If he wins the fight just once more . . ."
This was written by Tom Russell; here's his version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3so4gpDRpQ
Russell's story:
"I was driving taxi in New York in 1981 and had given up on music for a while. I picked up Robert (Hunter) in my taxi and told him I wrote songs too. He said “sing me one of your songs”, so I sang him “Gallo del Cielo”, he said: “you WROTE THAT?? Sing it again!” I sang it three times as I passed his hotel. He asked if I had a tape of the song. I said, yes, back at my house twenty minutes away. He said: “Let’s go get it, I’ll pay the cab fare. I wanna play this song for The New Riders of the Purple Sage and The Dead. It’s a great song.”
(From TR's FB page, which I'd link if I could figure out how to link FB posts)
4 comments:
I first heard that when Ian Tyson did it. And yes, it's a tragedy, almost in the Greek sense. "If he wins the fight just once more . . ."
LittleRed1
This was written by Tom Russell; here's his version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3so4gpDRpQ
Russell's story:
"I was driving taxi in New York in 1981 and had given up on music for a while. I picked up Robert (Hunter) in my taxi and told him I wrote songs too. He said “sing me one of your songs”, so I sang him “Gallo del Cielo”, he said: “you WROTE THAT?? Sing it again!” I sang it three times as I passed his hotel. He asked if I had a tape of the song. I said, yes, back at my house twenty minutes away. He said: “Let’s go get it, I’ll pay the cab fare. I wanna play this song for The New Riders of the Purple Sage and The Dead. It’s a great song.”
(From TR's FB page, which I'd link if I could figure out how to link FB posts)
There is also Steve Martin's scene in "The Jerk" about cat juggling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bGVT4-1DBU
"Some people juggle geese."
-Wash
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