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Joe Lyrics
Burning up your hometown streets could set a fire for the world to catch
Burn it up, no need to reconcile
Come and see me, I'm your west end perfect stranger, in America
Lady on that state's so full of style
Stand up, turn around, beat it out
You gotta sound, Joe
Swing low and now I know
It's hard to let a brother go, Joe
The many boots that you have laced could tell a story, comin' night and day (?)
No one said that you would need a crowd
The many lands that you have graced could make a case that there is no better make
And now I only see your face in clouds
Stand up, turn around, beat it out
You gotta sound, Joe
Swing low and now I know
It's hard to let a brother go, Joe
Stand up, turn around, beat it out
You gotta sound, Joe
Swing low and now I know
It's hard to let a brother go, Joe
Tell me so (?)
Do you know
Does it show
When I'm low
And then again, when I feel your love from far away, I think of yesterday
I see a family we know how to smile
There comes a time when you must rock another world and we will get along
There comes a time when we will walk that mile
Stand up, turn around, beat it out
You gotta sound, Joe
Swing low and now I know
It's hard to let a brother go, Joe
Stand up, turn around, beat it out
You gotta sound, Joe
Swing low and now I know
It's hard to let a brother go, Joe
Burn it up, no need to reconcile
Lady on that state's so full of style
You gotta sound, Joe
Swing low and now I know
It's hard to let a brother go, Joe
No one said that you would need a crowd
And now I only see your face in clouds
You gotta sound, Joe
Swing low and now I know
It's hard to let a brother go, Joe
You gotta sound, Joe
Swing low and now I know
It's hard to let a brother go, Joe
Do you know
Does it show
When I'm low
I see a family we know how to smile
There comes a time when we will walk that mile
You gotta sound, Joe
Swing low and now I know
It's hard to let a brother go, Joe
You gotta sound, Joe
Swing low and now I know
It's hard to let a brother go, Joe
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reggae b-side from Desecration smile. I loved it.
this sucks itunes wont let me buy it b/c i don't live in the UK
I am almost sure that this is about Joe Walters, one of AK's best friends when he was a teenager. He talks about him in Scar Tissue.
thia is about Joe from "the Clash" if anyone watched the CHilis on more4 on "live at abbey road", Flea was talking about how much of an influence he is on the band. "Swing low and now I know It's hard to let a brother go, Joe"
I think this could be a brief reference to Hillel Slovak, and a grief the band and Joe share.
Surely, the first line ("Burning up your hometown streets could set a fire for the world to catch") must be a tribute to Bob Marley & the Wailers. Their album "Catch a Fire" was their international breakthrough, after all.
I don't know about Joe Strummer from the Clash, but given this song's reggae style, I'd say all of it is a tribute to Bob Marley & the Wailers. Strummer passed away in late 2002, though—after the Peppers had already recorded By the Way—so I'm thinking this song could be a tribute both to him and to Bob Marley & The Wailers.
No matter what, it's an awesome tune! :)
I would say its about Joe Strummer. Reggae heavily influenced The Clash, anyways. It sounds like a tribute to his passing. Even if By The Way came out after Joe's death this could of been written about that time, but Anthony didn't think it was right for the album.
"Come and see me, I'm your west end perfect stranger, in America"
It sounds like a reference that Joe is from England while Anthony, America. (England being West of America of course.)
"The many boots that you have laced could tell a story, comin' night and day (?) No one said that you would need a crowd"
That entire segment alone reminds me of the whole "Punk" style of life Joe lived.