you better let somebody love you, before it's too late...

[ceebeegee]

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow

Don' you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet

...

Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

...

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before it's too late

I received a Virgin Records gift certificate from Adam for $100. Last Monday I went there and got a Peggy Lee CD, the Annotated A Christmas Carol (by Michael Patrick Hearn, who also annotated The Wizard of Oz, an excellent book) and an Eagles double CD of their all-time greatest hits. I've been listening to the latter quite a bit this week. Katie at work asked me what was my favorite song and at first I said "Life in the Fast Lane." And then this popped into my head--it's...such a great song. I can't even put it into words how this song touches me. It makes me want to cry. It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you/You better let somebody love you, before it's too late... Perfect economy of lyrics, perfect melody, to express this simple, sad truth.

Comments

[minstrel70.livejournal.com]

I commented on your later, lyrics-only post before I even got to this one. You may now ignore the "context" comment therein and just keep the sentiment part :) The Eagles have always been one of my favorite bands, and "Desperado" one of my favorite songs. I'm not familiar with the album containing both "Desperado" and "Life in the Fast Lane," though. Must be new-ish, and I should probably buy it. "Take it Easy" has been a long-time favorite, and "The Last Resort" ranks up there with Harry Chapin's "Taxi" and Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" in my top ballads of all time list. Music is magic.