Sunday Samples 146

So, as you might know if you’ve been following my Twitter feed (@DrMathochist) last Monday an old friend who’s also back in the area turned up with an extra ticket to see Lyle Lovett at the Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda.

Lyle Lovett and his Large Band

Click to embiggen so Lyle is slightly less of a smear. There was actually one more row behind us, so it could have been worse.

Anyway, Lyle plays all sorts of different music from country to bluegrass to blues, and he has an unaffected, quirky take on the world. So when he writes a country song to pay tribute to oater serial legends like the Lone Ranger, he comes up with “If I Had a Boat”.

If I had a boat
I’d go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I’d ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
Me upon my pony on my boat

If I were Roy Rogers
I’d sure enough be single
I couldn’t bring myself to marrying old Dale
It’d just be me and trigger
We’d go riding through them movies
Then we’d buy a boat
And on the sea we’d sail

And if I had a boat
I’d go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I’d ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
Me upon my pony on my boat

The mystery masked man was smart
He got himself a Tonto
‘Cause Tonto did the dirty work for free
But Tonto he was smarter
And one day said “Kemo Sabe,
Kiss my ass, I bought a boat
I’m going out to sea”

And if I had a boat
I’d go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I’d ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
Me upon my pony on my boat

And if I were like lightning
I wouldn’t need no sneakers
I’d come and go whenever I would please
And I’d scare ‘em by the shade tree
And scare ‘em by the light pole
But I would not scare my pony
On my boat out on the sea

And if I had a boat
I’d go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I’d ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
Me upon my pony on my boat

Me upon my pony on my boat