Desperado, the Eagles second album, had a western theme, but many of the lyrics drew parallels between the life of an outlaw and the life of a rock star.
Fifty years after the record’s 1973 release, the album and its theme have parallels for a showdown taking place in court between former President Donald Trump and the federal prosecutors investigating the January 6 insurrection.
Lyrics from the Desperado album paint a picture that could very well have appeared in court today:
Well, the stage was set, the sun was sinkin’ low down
As they came to town to face another showdown
The lawmen cleared the people from the street
“All you bloodthirsty bystanders, will you try to find your seats?”
“Doolin-Dalton” and “Desperado” are separate songs in the LP, but they are joined together in the final track, “Doolin-Dalton / Desperado Reprise.” All three songs are ripe with lyrics that provide food for thought today.
While it was not their intention, the band wrote words that capture today’s cut-throat politics — what it takes to succeed and what the consequences are of losing:
If you’re fast, and if you’re lucky,
You will never see that hangin’ tree.
As part of our “Sharp Notes, Sharp Thoughts” music and social media project, we share a song every Monday to start your week.
View previous Sharp Notes Monday selections.
Categories: Jandoli Institute, Music and Social Justice, Sharp Notes Monday, Sharp Notes Sharp Thoughts
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