Theme For An Imaginary Western

Album: Climbing! (1970)
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  • When the wagons leave the city
    For the forest and further on
    Painted wagon of the morning
    Dusty roads where they've gone
    Sometimes travelin´ through the darkness
    At the summer comin´ home
    Forcing faces by the wayside
    Look as if they hadn't known
    All the sad was in their eyes
    And the desert that´s dry
    In a country town
    Where the map was found
    Oh the dancing and the singing
    Oh the music when they play
    Oh the fire that they saw there
    On the grave of no return
    Sometimes they found it
    Sometimes they kept it
    Often lost in on the way
    Pawnee shadow to possess him
    Sometimes ride inside of day
    Oh the sad was in their eyes
    And the desert that´s dry
    In a country town
    Where the map was found
    Oh the sad was in their eye
    And the desert that´s dry
    In a country town
    Where the wagons bound Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 5

  • James Mariani from Ocean Beach CaThe Jack Bruce version delivers like only a composer can land it.
  • Eero Martin from Europe, FinlandAwesome, finaly I got facts, indeed.
  • Paul S. from Pittsburgh, Pa.I usually like a certain website for their lyrics but they really mutilated the lyrics to this one so here they are if it's not too long to submit:

    When the wagons leave the city
    For the forest and further on
    Painted wagons of the morning
    Dusty roads where they have gone
    Sometimes traveling through the darkness
    Met the summer coming home
    Fallen faces by the wayside

    Looked as if they might have known

    Oh the sun was in their eyes
    And the desert was dry
    In the country town
    Where the laughter sounds

    Oh the dancing and the singing
    Oh the music when they played
    Oh the fires that they started
    Oh the girls with no regret
    Sometimes they found it, sometimes they kept it
    Often lost it along the way
    Fought each other to possess it
    Often died in sight of day

    Oh the sun was in their eyes
    And the desert was dry
    In the country town
    Where the laughter sounds

    Oh the sun was in their eyes
    And the desert was dry
    In the country town
    Where the laughter sounds
  • Ed from Lebanon, NhOn Jack Bruce's own albums, he lists the title as "Theme *for* an Imaginary Western".
  • Wayne from Plantation, FlThe lyrics are a big part of this tune, and are by Bruce's long-time songwriting partner and former beat poet, Pete Brown. Mountain performed the tune at Woodstock, and arguably it was a bit out of place given the better-known and more raucous tunes we associate with the festival. It's about as different from their Mississippi Queen type tunes as you can get, but Mountain was largely about the coming together of West's bluesy/earthy and Felix's lyrical/classical styles.
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