http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONasj5meH_sThe centerpiece of Street Legal:
Señor, señor, do you know where we’re headin’?
Lincoln County Road or Armageddon?
Seems like I been down this way before
Is there any truth in that, señor?
Señor, señor, do you know where she is hidin’?
How long are we gonna be ridin’?
How long must I keep my eyes glued to the door?
Will there be any comfort there, señor?
There’s a wicked wind still blowin’ on that upper deck
There’s an iron cross still hangin' down from around her neck
There’s a marchin’ band still playin’ in that vacant lot
Where she held me in her arms one time and said, “Forget me not”
Señor, señor, I can see that painted wagon
I can smell the tail of the dragon
Can’t stand the suspense anymore
Can you tell me who to contact here, señor?
Well, the last thing I remember before I stripped and kneeled
Was that trainload of fools bogged down in a magnetic field
A gypsy with a broken flag and a flashing ring
Said, “Son, this ain’t a dream no more, it’s the real thing”
Señor, señor, you know their hearts is as hard as leather
Well, give me a minute, let me get it together
I just gotta pick myself up off the floor
I’m ready when you are, señor
Señor, señor, let’s disconnect these cables
Overturn these tables
This place don’t make sense to me no more
Can you tell me what we’re waiting for, señor?
In one respect, the song for me is about a vagabond, a stranger in a strange land disillusioned by his surroundings and decides to find respite & mercy at the hands of another before an impending storm is about to strike.
In another way, when taking into account the subtitle, the song is about American colonialism in perhaps South America at the time and its affect on all who live there.
Regardless of the actual meaning, Bob provides some context. Toward the end of his 1978 tour and as this song began to really become a highlight, Bob began it with a story:
'I was traveling on a train one time to Mexico from ahh, deep in the heart of Chihuahua. Anyway I fell asleep for awhile and woke up and it was evening. And this family with about twelve or fifteen kids were getting off the train. And I was kind of sitting there in a daze. I wasn't nodding off, in the window it was like a mirror. So I was watching it all happen through the window. And ... saw an old man get on the train and walk up the aisle and take a seat next to me across the other side of the aisle. This old man he looked to be about 150 years old, he's wearing a blanket. So when I turned to look at him I could see he was looking at me, and both his eyes were burning. Smoke was coming out of his nostrils. I turned around quickly and looked back into the mirror. I figured that this was the man I wanted to talk to. I couldn't think of anything to say though.'
There you go.
Anyway, for me, Senor is not only the most extraordinary performances to come out of that wild year, it solidifies the song for me as one of Bob's greatest songs.
The performance from Seattle is just that and more. It gives me chills every time I hear it. Bob's performance here is nothing short of cathartic.
Seattle WA
November 10 1978
http://www.sendspace.com/file/qy37r3What's the consensus these days on Senor? Any haters? Somebody's got to have some live postings to offer as well.
Let us speak of the mysterious Senor...