Caramba!-Wordography

19 Hang Me Out To Dry

(Gillan, West) from the Ian Gillan album 'Toolbox'

I'd always admired the sound Leslie West got from his guitar; witness 'Mississippi Queen' by Mountain. So I invited him over to stay with me and do some work. This was the result. Another bout of lyrical introspection; however I feel comfortable with the words, even though I can't remember exactly what inspired them (and it would be unfair to guess).

We recorded the tracks in London before Leslie had to go home. For some reason (technical if I remember rightly) there was a problem with the solo. Consequently it was replaced by a Steve Morris solo, and everyone was happy with the result. Everybody except Leslie that is, who went bonkers when I next saw him in Sweden and accidentally made my nose bleed when he gave me a friendly hug whilst screaming at the top of his voice….'what happened to my f…..g solo?'

It's still a cool track in my book.

Hang me out to Dry

(Gillan/West)

I can't lose
Don't want to change my situation
I can't lose
Got this strange infatuation
When my seeds were sown
Then the cold wind blowing in my face
My life was just confusion
And when I roll my eyes they say
I've lost my sense of reason
And one day my woman said to me
You're almost human
Hang me out to dry

I can't lose
When I travel down my own road
I can't lose
You don't know the things that I know
And when the rain comes down
I see the lights in town gently calling
But I have to keep on walking
And when the dogs are howling
At the full moon
I start falling
And my head that's almost human
Reaches out and keeps me talking
Hang me out to dry

I can't lose
When it's ripped down to the bone
I can't lose
A better time I've never known
When my seeds were sown
Then the cold wind
Blowing in my face
My life was just confusion
And when I rolled my eyes
They said I lost my sense of reason
And one day my woman said to me
You're almost human
Hang me out to dry

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