"The Grand Tour"- George Jones

[enigmatic]

I don't care what anybody says, George Jones is arguably the greatest singer of the the last 50 years. On par w/ Sinatra, and this song is absolutely devastating, especially w/ a bottle of beer in your hand and a tear in your eye..

The Grand Tour

Step right up, come on in
If you'd like to take the grand tour
Of the lonely house that once was home sweet home
I have nothing here to sell you
Just some things that I will tell you
Some things I know will chill you to the bone

Over there, sits the chair
Where she'd bring the paper to me sit down on my knee and whisper
"Oh, I love you"
But now she's gone forever
And this old house will never
Be the same without the love that we once knew

Straight ahead, that's the bed, where we'd lie in love together
And Lord knows we had a good thing going here
See her picture on the table, don't it look like she'd be able
Just to touch me and say "good morning dear"
There's her ring, all her things, and her clothes are in the closet
Where she left them when she tore my world apart
As you leave you see the nursery, oh she left me without mercy
Taking nothing but our baby and my heart

Step right up, come on in, come on in....

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

1. Saw The Possum at The Circle Star Theater in San Carlos CA...

...in 1985, on a double bill with Merle Haggard. This was right before the release of "First Time Live," which contained the same set of songs:

1. No Show Jones
2. Race Is On
3. Fox on the Run
4. Tennessee Whiskey
5. I'm Not Ready Yet
6. Who's Gonna Chop My Baby's Kindlin'
7. Medley: I'll Share My World With You/The Window Up Above/The Grand Tour
8. You Better Treat Your Man Right
9. He Stopped Loving Her Today
10. She's My Rock



So I can tell you first-hand that the voice is real. He went through his drinking years and the "No Show Jones" bit, but on that night in 1985, he showed up and effing SANG.

:toast:

[enigmatic]

2. He's amazing...

I first heard this song while I was playing in a hardcore punk band; a friend got it out of his Dad's record collection and put it on as a joke at a party.

I can still remember how blown away by I was by his voice; hearing the emotion in the grain of voice, the lyrics ("step right up, come on in..."), and the almost operatic climax by the end of the song. I became a not only a George Jones worshiper that night, but a country music fan, too...