The song seems to me to be autobiographical... The 1st verse is the tip off...
Living on the road my friend
Was gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron
Your breath's as hard as kerosene
You weren't your mama's only boy
But her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye
And sank into your dreams
Later he sings
Lefty he can't sing the blues
All night long like he used to
Which I'm pretty sure is self referential
And later still he sings
Lefty's livin' in a cheap hotel
Which is where he spent most of his time.
Who Pancho is I'm not 100% sure. Could be someone he was involved with professionally who screwed him over or it could be, as has been suggested by some, the other side of his manic depressive personality.
In this last case he is whole in the first verse but then splits into two distinct personalities (after being out on the road so long) for the rest of the song.
Perhaps he felt he'd sold himself out (of a better/easier life) by choosing the life of a wandering troubadour?
The song seems to me to be autobiographical... The 1st verse is the tip off...
Later he sings
Which I'm pretty sure is self referential
And later still he sings
Which is where he spent most of his time.
Who Pancho is I'm not 100% sure. Could be someone he was involved with professionally who screwed him over or it could be, as has been suggested by some, the other side of his manic depressive personality.
In this last case he is whole in the first verse but then splits into two distinct personalities (after being out on the road so long) for the rest of the song.
Perhaps he felt he'd sold himself out (of a better/easier life) by choosing the life of a wandering troubadour?