John Hiatt — Drive South
Album: Slow TurningAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 573
Length: 3:43
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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I didn't say we wouldn't hurt anymore
That's how you learn, you just get burned
But we don't have to feel like dirt anymore
Though love's not earned, Baby it's our turn
We were always looking for true north
With our heads in the clouds, just a little off course
I left the motor running, now if you're feeling down and out
Come on Baby drive south, with the one you love
Come on Baby drive south, with the one you love
I'm not talkin' 'bout retreatin' little girl
Gonna take our stand, in this Chevy van
Windows open on the rest of the world
Holdin' hands, all the way to Dixieland
We've been tryin' to turn our lives around
Since we were little kids, it's been wearin' us down
Don't turn away now Darlin' lets fire it up and wind it out
Come on Baby drive south, with the one you love
Come on Baby drive south, with the one you love
I heard your mama callin', I think she was just stallin'
Don't know who she was talkin' to, baby me and you
We could go down with a smile on, don't bother to pack your nylons
Just keep them pretty legs showin', it gets hot down where we're goin'
We were always looking for true north
With our heads in the clouds, just a little off course
I left the motor running, now if you're feeling down and out
Come on baby drive, come on baby drive south, come on baby drive south
Come on Baby drive south, with the one you love
Come on Baby drive south, with the one you love
That's how you learn, you just get burned
But we don't have to feel like dirt anymore
Though love's not earned, Baby it's our turn
We were always looking for true north
With our heads in the clouds, just a little off course
I left the motor running, now if you're feeling down and out
Come on Baby drive south, with the one you love
Come on Baby drive south, with the one you love
I'm not talkin' 'bout retreatin' little girl
Gonna take our stand, in this Chevy van
Windows open on the rest of the world
Holdin' hands, all the way to Dixieland
We've been tryin' to turn our lives around
Since we were little kids, it's been wearin' us down
Don't turn away now Darlin' lets fire it up and wind it out
Come on Baby drive south, with the one you love
Come on Baby drive south, with the one you love
I heard your mama callin', I think she was just stallin'
Don't know who she was talkin' to, baby me and you
We could go down with a smile on, don't bother to pack your nylons
Just keep them pretty legs showin', it gets hot down where we're goin'
We were always looking for true north
With our heads in the clouds, just a little off course
I left the motor running, now if you're feeling down and out
Come on baby drive, come on baby drive south, come on baby drive south
Come on Baby drive south, with the one you love
Come on Baby drive south, with the one you love
Comments (83)add comment
kcar wrote:
Everybody sounds better than Blues Traveler. I kept praying that John Popper's harmonica would fight back and choke him while he was "playing" it.
Amen!
Everybody sounds better than Blues Traveler. I kept praying that John Popper's harmonica would fight back and choke him while he was "playing" it.
Amen!
coyote620 wrote:
Then stop working!
While working, I find this song a distraction and annoying.
Then stop working!
While working, I find this song a distraction and annoying.
hschlossberg wrote:
That's why I have it a '2'. "Marginal" seems to describe it much better. I guess that's slightly below "half-decent".
Did you notice the whoosh?
That's why I have it a '2'. "Marginal" seems to describe it much better. I guess that's slightly below "half-decent".
Did you notice the whoosh?
MirageRF wrote:
That's why I have it a '2'. "Marginal" seems to describe it much better. I guess that's slightly below "half-decent".
I'll give it a "5" but somehow the word "decent" doesn't describe this Hiatt tune.
That's why I have it a '2'. "Marginal" seems to describe it much better. I guess that's slightly below "half-decent".
dkwalika wrote:
Everybody sounds better than Blues Traveler. I kept praying that John Popper's harmonica would fight back and choke him while he was "playing" it.
He kind of sounds like Blues Traveler, but better.
Everybody sounds better than Blues Traveler. I kept praying that John Popper's harmonica would fight back and choke him while he was "playing" it.
I'll give it a "5" but somehow the word "decent" doesn't describe this Hiatt tune.
bmccaul wrote:
That's a little harsh. Only a little though.
Sometimes I seem to like songs despite the vocals...for whatever reason I just can't get past his vocals on this one.
Poor John, he has many competitors for worst voice, but I have to rate this a one for being the worst vocals of any song I've heard on RP...
That's a little harsh. Only a little though.
Sometimes I seem to like songs despite the vocals...for whatever reason I just can't get past his vocals on this one.
Cynaera wrote:
Ohhh - I have that on vinyl!! I don't have a turntable available (it's packed in a box in the garage), but I swear, I'ma dig through all that crap stacked on top of my boxes and find it, set it up (hooked to my Heathkit stereo receiver that I built in 1973) and a pair of speakers that my dad built and which are housed in enclosures that my now-ex-brother-in-law built from mahogany. I think Hiatt is worthy of this. And while I'm listening, I'll trot out "Late For The Sky" by Jackson Browne and "Souvenirs" by Dan Fogelberg. Might make for a lovely afternoon of good music - complete with the pops and crackles...
miss you so much, Cynaera...
love this song...
Ohhh - I have that on vinyl!! I don't have a turntable available (it's packed in a box in the garage), but I swear, I'ma dig through all that crap stacked on top of my boxes and find it, set it up (hooked to my Heathkit stereo receiver that I built in 1973) and a pair of speakers that my dad built and which are housed in enclosures that my now-ex-brother-in-law built from mahogany. I think Hiatt is worthy of this. And while I'm listening, I'll trot out "Late For The Sky" by Jackson Browne and "Souvenirs" by Dan Fogelberg. Might make for a lovely afternoon of good music - complete with the pops and crackles...
miss you so much, Cynaera...
love this song...
Poor John, he has many competitors for worst voice, but I have to rate this a one for being the worst vocals of any song I've heard on RP...
On a cold, cold day in the northeast. This is sage advice from a sage of a songwriter. Thanks, Bill. Too bad the roads are too icy to actually do it right now.
Great album...not my favorite off this album though...Do like the line...'don't bother to pack your nylons...just keep those pretty legs showin......it gets "hot" down where were goin'."
The way it was meant to be played (Hiatt on SNL?!?!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jMh9AAEqeM
...and a great modern take on the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECwZfTuF3Fw
...and a great modern take on the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECwZfTuF3Fw
He kind of sounds like Blues Traveler, but better.
Saw John Hiatt as Roskilde Festival July 1988, just a month before he released this gem of an album. It was an awesome intense and intimate performance.
Great song...but nearly all of them on Slow Turning are...terrific album.
Saw him during the Perfectly Good Guitar tour...@ the Blue Note (Columbia, MO)
Great, dynamic musician!!
Saw him during the Perfectly Good Guitar tour...@ the Blue Note (Columbia, MO)
Great, dynamic musician!!
Great songwriter and very good in concert. See him if he plays somewhere near you.
Love this song, love this album (Slow Turning, that is, not the Greatest Hits)
Great set this afternoon Bill
Holy crap. Were the brothers from KOL listening to this track as they were writing 'Back Down South'? Weird. Some chord progressions similar, the chorus ... creepy.
This is NOT the version of the song on Slow Turning. If you like the Slow Turning version, you will not like this one as much. Go to the album for the real thing.
So I just heard this song on RP and thought, let's see what other John Hiatt songs RP has played. When I went to see if my favorite John Hiatt song was played... I was downright dismayed! RP needs to air Feels Like Rain. Bill, please check it out.
Cynaera wrote:
If you go to AllMusic and pull up this song, you can click on the little icon that looks like a speaker and play samples of the song. The sample from Slow Turning does sound like what RP plays, but there's a Capitol records anthology that has a different recording, as far as I can tell. John was on A&M mostly, but must have hopped to Capitol at some point. Often an artist who does that will re-record songs for a best-of set (Johnny Cash notably). Maybe that's what happened. Of course this would mean you are getting your albums mixed up...
I love this song. I've got the CD - it was one of the first ones I and ex-hub bought after he spent $800.00 on a stereo unit (which he got in the divorce, as well as all the CDs except for this and a couple of Stevie Nicks CDs.) In spite of the negative situation, I have wonderful memories of this song.
But - this is NOT the version I have on my CD of John Hiatt's "Slow Turning." Guessing it was remixed (mixed up) and doctored. Man, there are times when I HATE technology, because I know what I know, and I can't prove it to the masses.
Still, I love "Slow Turning." If you can get a pure, unadulterated, unscrewed-with copy, there are some really great songs on it.
But - this is NOT the version I have on my CD of John Hiatt's "Slow Turning." Guessing it was remixed (mixed up) and doctored. Man, there are times when I HATE technology, because I know what I know, and I can't prove it to the masses.
Still, I love "Slow Turning." If you can get a pure, unadulterated, unscrewed-with copy, there are some really great songs on it.
If you go to AllMusic and pull up this song, you can click on the little icon that looks like a speaker and play samples of the song. The sample from Slow Turning does sound like what RP plays, but there's a Capitol records anthology that has a different recording, as far as I can tell. John was on A&M mostly, but must have hopped to Capitol at some point. Often an artist who does that will re-record songs for a best-of set (Johnny Cash notably). Maybe that's what happened. Of course this would mean you are getting your albums mixed up...
I love this song. I've got the CD - it was one of the first ones I and ex-hub bought after he spent $800.00 on a stereo unit (which he got in the divorce, as well as all the CDs except for this and a couple of Stevie Nicks CDs.) In spite of the negative situation, I have wonderful memories of this song.
But - this is NOT the version I have on my CD of John Hiatt's "Slow Turning." Guessing it was remixed (mixed up) and doctored. Man, there are times when I HATE technology, because I know what I know, and I can't prove it to the masses.
Still, I love "Slow Turning." If you can get a pure, unadulterated, unscrewed-with copy, there are some really great songs on it.
But - this is NOT the version I have on my CD of John Hiatt's "Slow Turning." Guessing it was remixed (mixed up) and doctored. Man, there are times when I HATE technology, because I know what I know, and I can't prove it to the masses.
Still, I love "Slow Turning." If you can get a pure, unadulterated, unscrewed-with copy, there are some really great songs on it.
Ug. From "Middle Cyclone" to this? A pothole in RP's normally amazing song-sequencing.
Daveinbawlmer wrote:
Slow Turning is really good, but Bring the Family is a classic. Find it on vinyl for outstanding sound as well as music that celebrates joy in redemption and the every day.
Ohhh - I have that on vinyl!! I don't have a turntable available (it's packed in a box in the garage), but I swear, I'ma dig through all that crap stacked on top of my boxes and find it, set it up (hooked to my Heathkit stereo receiver that I built in 1973) and a pair of speakers that my dad built and which are housed in enclosures that my now-ex-brother-in-law built from mahogany. I think Hiatt is worthy of this. And while I'm listening, I'll trot out "Late For The Sky" by Jackson Browne and "Souvenirs" by Dan Fogelberg. Might make for a lovely afternoon of good music - complete with the pops and crackles...
Slow Turning is really good, but Bring the Family is a classic. Find it on vinyl for outstanding sound as well as music that celebrates joy in redemption and the every day.
Ohhh - I have that on vinyl!! I don't have a turntable available (it's packed in a box in the garage), but I swear, I'ma dig through all that crap stacked on top of my boxes and find it, set it up (hooked to my Heathkit stereo receiver that I built in 1973) and a pair of speakers that my dad built and which are housed in enclosures that my now-ex-brother-in-law built from mahogany. I think Hiatt is worthy of this. And while I'm listening, I'll trot out "Late For The Sky" by Jackson Browne and "Souvenirs" by Dan Fogelberg. Might make for a lovely afternoon of good music - complete with the pops and crackles...
Pharlap wrote:
I like singers with what some call "bad" voices (Young, Cohen, old Dylan) as much as the next guy, because their songs are right . His songs are pretty good, as well, but I still can't get past his delivery.
You just need to get past that gruff exterior. Or beneath it.
I like singers with what some call "bad" voices (Young, Cohen, old Dylan) as much as the next guy, because their songs are right . His songs are pretty good, as well, but I still can't get past his delivery.
You just need to get past that gruff exterior. Or beneath it.
I used to love John Hiatt. I guess I'm over it. 8 —-> 5
FlatCat wrote:
Satire? Caricature? He couldn't have been serious when he sang this.
Tim_in_N_FL wrote:
John Popper-esque, eh?
dolfan wrote:
All of the above? Glad to hear it, carry on.
Satire? Caricature? He couldn't have been serious when he sang this.
Tim_in_N_FL wrote:
John Popper-esque, eh?
dolfan wrote:
Just for a second I thought this was Blues Traveller.
Is it time for another installment of Music History Theater? Is RP attracting younger listeners? Am I just getting old? All of the above? Glad to hear it, carry on.
John's a great artist. I usually like the original more than the cover version, and that's true in this case. Suzy Boggus' version can't hold a candle to this. This album has a lot of gems on it, especially 'Into Your Icy Blue Heart". How about spinning that one up some time Bill?
"She came onto him like a slow movin' cold front. His beer was warmer than the look in her eyes..." - what an opening line!
"She came onto him like a slow movin' cold front. His beer was warmer than the look in her eyes..." - what an opening line!
the_om wrote:
Well, the lyrics certainly are more interesting if heard that way!
Is this song about what I think it's about? Or do I just have a dirty mind? 
Well, the lyrics certainly are more interesting if heard that way!
Tim_in_N_FL wrote:
Just for a second I thought this was Blues Traveller.
John Popper-esque, eh?
Just for a second I thought this was Blues Traveller.
John Popper-esque, eh?
Satire? Caricature? He couldn't have been serious when he sang this.
Excelsior wrote:
I like singers with what some call "bad" voices (Young, Cohen, old Dylan) as much as the next guy, because their songs are right . His songs are pretty good, as well, but I still can't get past his delivery.
Worst singer ever?
It's possible. At least in the top ten.
It's possible. At least in the top ten.
I like singers with what some call "bad" voices (Young, Cohen, old Dylan) as much as the next guy, because their songs are right . His songs are pretty good, as well, but I still can't get past his delivery.
Excelsior wrote:
That's being generous.
Worst singer ever?
It's possible. At least in the top ten.
It's possible. At least in the top ten.
That's being generous.
peter_james_bond wrote:
Most definitely.
I prefer the Suzy Bogguss cover of this song.
Most definitely.
morgsy67 wrote:
Yeah, but nylons do stretch!
I like this song alot, but....
rhyming "smile-on" with "nylon" is a stretch
rhyming "smile-on" with "nylon" is a stretch
Yeah, but nylons do stretch!
I prefer the Suzy Bogguss cover of this song.
I almost always start a long trip with this on the speakers, cranked up. Especially in summer.
Excelsior wrote:
Greatest songwriter ever? At least in the top ten.
Worst singer ever?
It's possible. At least in the top ten.
It's possible. At least in the top ten.
Greatest songwriter ever? At least in the top ten.
Way over-rated!
Worst singer ever?
It's possible. At least in the top ten.
It's possible. At least in the top ten.
I'm pretty sure you'd be happier deaf. 
Excelsior wrote:
Excelsior wrote:
Only if you're deaf. 
iTuner wrote:
John Hiatt is just so good to listen to.
Only if you're deaf.
Really going dixie with this set. Um, could you play some Black Sabbath or something?
C'mon, Baby, drive south...
Sorry, John.
"Ain't going to pack my nylons
Just leave these legs showing"
Sounds a little better coming from Suzy Bogguss (IMHO).
John Hiatt is just so good to listen to.
Gotta love a line like "Bangin' on the drums like Charlie Watts"(from Slow Turning).
even hank williams? throw woodie guthrie in their too? pitifulwally42 wrote:
Bottom Line.......Your an automatic 1.
puke
morgsy67 wrote:
I like this song alot, but....
rhyming "smile-on" with "nylon" is a stretch
Yeah, but ya' gotta love his passion!
I like this song alot, but....
rhyming "smile-on" with "nylon" is a stretch
physicsgenius wrote:
All country music is an automatic 1.
Bottom Line.......Your an automatic 1.
passsion8 wrote:
I have a personally favorite cover of this one by Suzy Bogguss. Give it a try!! Great energy & fabulous voice.
yes yes!!! Saw her perform at my gawd county fair when i was in high school.... LOVED it!!
DarkStar wrote:
Physicsgenius must have always been the last one picked for dodgeball.
He WAS the dodgeball.
physicsgenius wrote:
All country music is an automatic 1.
Physicsgenius must have always been the last one picked for dodgeball.
physicsgenius wrote:
All country music is an automatic 1.
I shudder to think what a physics moron would be like.
I have a personally favorite cover of this one by Suzy Bogguss. Give it a try!! Great energy & fabulous voice.
physicsgenius wrote:
All country music is an automatic 1.
Your ignorance is palpable. You probably lump this with Big and Rich, huh?
He does a wonderful song called "Like Your Dad Did," and one of the lines in it, which refers to the youngest child saying grace at the table: "Help the starving people to get well... But let my brother's hamster burn in hell."
"You love your wife and kids...
..Just like your Dad did.
The absolute best song on Bring the Family.
physicsgenius wrote:
All country music is an automatic 1.
At least you're open minded about it.
Pouncing on this one. Gawd, I LOVE John Hiatt!!!!! This song just makes me wanna pack up the '73 Satellite, rev the engine, and head for New Mexico.
I saw John Hiatt in Salem, Oregon at the L.B. Day Amphitheater, and he was on a triple-bill with Robert Cray Band and the late Stevie Ray Vaughn. It was just him and his guitar for the first coupla songs, but oh, lordy - he had the audience on its feet. Most of them, I'd bet, had never heard of him before, but when he launched into this song, they connected.
He does a wonderful song called "Like Your Dad Did," and one of the lines in it, which refers to the youngest child saying grace at the table: "Help the starving people to get well... But let my brother's hamster burn in hell."
How can you not love a guy who writes lyrics like that?
Slow Turning is really good, but Bring the Family is a classic. Find it on vinyl for outstanding sound as well as music that celebrates joy in redemption and the every day.
physicsgenius wrote:
All country music is an automatic 1.
I'd definitely take this genius' opinion with a grain of salt - he's (she's?) given Peter Gabriel, Thelonious Monk, and Solomon Burke all 1.
It would be amusing if it weren't so pathetic.
physicsgenius wrote:
All country music is an automatic 1.
I know, and all physics genius types are lonely, socially inept nerds with pocket protectors and casio calculator watches.
physicsgenius wrote:
All country music is an automatic 1.
Well "genius" that would be your loss, wouldn't it?
This ain't country. No mention of coon dogs, no bars -- just good music.
physicsgenius wrote:
All country music is an automatic 1.
All country music is an automatic 1.
This guy can really write hooks.
\\:D/
YES!!!!!!!!!! Thank you John Hiatt for writing this and Bill Goldsmith for playing it!
FYI - though a John Hiatt album, the lineup of musicians on Bring the Family is the same as Little Village- JH, with Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner (the ultimate session drummer!). Unfortunately, Little Village didn't measure up to Bring the Family.
I guess I never got the hidden agenda in his lyrics - to me, "drive south" always just meant hop in the car and head to a warmer climate where the highways are empty and the sun never stops shining... ::sigh::
I love John Hiatt's music...
Woo hoo!
Hiatt!
*sigh*
J
Hiatt!
*sigh*
JOriginally Posted by the_om:
Is this song about what I think it's about? Or do I just have a dirty mind?
Clearly ... you have a very dirty mind!
Fun, isn't it?
Is this song about what I think it\'s about? Or do I just have a dirty mind?
I really like the live version of this song too. :D
Ah, I can still see my 8 year old son dancing in the back seat to this one, sticking up out of the sun-roof. (Don\'t worry, we were parked at the time.) Great tune.
It gets hot down where we\'re goin\'.... Thanks for the John Hiatt!
...and a great modern take on the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECwZfTuF3Fw
SNL was blocked so here he is doing it (with the Goners), when it was new, on the Arsenio Hall show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7ruuydWOY4
Most excellent. Complain about the voice all you want h8rs, that's what the real Hiatt fans LOVE about him. The way he belts out "Baby, me and you" on this song is pure power.
Slow Turning, when new, on Letterman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep3HbeNAW4g