Back in 1996, I vividly remember a conversation with a friend. In my understanding of the conversation, she was telling me about a woman singer-songwriter who sang a song from the perspective of the woman in Winslow, AZ in the Eagles' song Take It Easy. I spent years trying to track down this song, both in the days before internet search engines and in the days when they existed. This summer I gave up searching and decided to write the song. When I told my friend about this, she laughed and said I’d misunderstood her 28 years ago – the song didn’t exist, but she thought it would be cool if it did. So this song is dedicated to Jen!: Thanks for the writing prompt;
it only took me 28 years to figure it out.
I've |got an F1|50 with an |aftermarket |flatbed
The |brakes could use new |rotors and the |carburetor's |half dead
But |once you get her |started she moves |nice when you're not |slowing |down. | | |
I'm |wearing new red |lipstick and I |think I like it |unless
There's |slightly too much |contrast with the |colors in my |sundress
I've |got eight long |gorgeous |nails but two are |short and| round | | |
The |sheep out on my |ranch are doing |fine; one just birthed |twins, so
I'm |driving into |town to pick up |medicine in |Winslow
My |family's raised |sheep on this |land for nearly |60 |years | | |
Keep|ing this old truck |going is my |thing but I've been |lazy
Some |bearing in the |rear left wheel makes |sound that makes me |crazy
This |truck's a sort of |lifeline; if it |breaks down I’ll be |left in |tears. | | |
I |fit in and I |don't; this place is |home but still it's |shitty
What |social life I |have requires |trips to the big |city
But |when I'm there I |somehow seem to |miss this |desert |air | | |
The |local dating |scene is sparse on |queers; we can't be |purists
But |never did I |think I'd fall for |Mother Road-type |tourists
Still, |as I rolled |into |town, guess what |I saw |there? | | |
I've |not been the pos|sessive type, but |damn, I want to |own her
She's |standing on a |corner there in |Winslow Ari|zona
As |if she were a |line that came right |out of someone |else's |song | | |
I |can't parse her re|action when she |noticed that I'd |seen her
I |kinda like my |odds; her belt has |got a cara|biner
As I |looked her over |not a single |thing about her |could be |wrong. | | |
This |guy steps in front |of her like he |thinks he's the pro|tag’nist
There's |no way that this ends |well for him; he's |going on my |blacklist
This |extra factor |makes my hopes of |meeting with her |start to |dim. | | |
So this |jackass tries to |cat call when he |sees me driving |real slow
He |tells me "don't say |maybe"; does he |realize he's a |hard "no"?
I'm |slowing down to |check out |her; I'm not |into |him. | | |
He |moves out in the |street like he might |climb up into |my truck
She |rolls her eyes and |walks away. I |think I’ve run out |of luck
My |brakes need my at|tention as I’m trying not to |hit this |guy | | |
I |give a thumbs down |and I pass him; |he gives me a |dumb stare.
I |pull around the |corner and she’s |waiting for me |right there
I’m |hopeful this might |happen by the |way she looks me |in the |eye. | | |
We may lose, and we may win.
Either way I’ll be back here again.
I open up and she climbs in.
We take it easy…
