Song of the Day #5,132: ‘Dress of Laces’ – Lyle Lovett

On the heels of my recent post about Lyle Lovett’s first new album of original material in 15 years comes a Random Weekend selection from Lovett’s 2012 collection Release Me.

This album was recorded to fulfill a contractual obligation (hence the cheeky title and the cover art of Lovett tied up with a lariat) and featured only two originals among its 14 tracks.

‘Dress of Laces’ isn’t one of them, but it’s a nice enough track. Performed with Sara Watkins on backing vocals, it tells the tragic tale of a young woman having a hard time in a harbor town.

And she has a dress of laces
It’s worn in many places
The shoulder hangs upon her by a thread

And she has a need for sharin’
With someone warm and carin’
And no one sees a heart that’s underfed

Young girl in love, young girl in tears
She hasn’t seen the man she loves in years

And her mother is a waitress
At the harbor bar, good graces
Where the seamen come from fishin’ with their lines

And it was one of them that caught her
And left her with a daughter
Who lives with hate and loving him in mind

Young girl in love, young girl in tears
She hasn’t seen the man she loves in years

So the young girl goes to the water
And she calls out for her father
But she ain’t seen the old man in some time

Yes, and he was always boastin’
Just a drinkin’ and a toastin’
And one day he left his family far behind

Young girl in love, young girl in tears
She hasn’t seen the man she loves in years

So her mother comes home a drinkin’
With some sailor who’s a thinkin’ out loud
That he might stay with them awhile

So she loads her mother’s pistol
And she shoots him as he whistles
A song about a sailor’s life in style

Young girl in love, young girl in tears
She kills the only man she’s loved in years
And with him dies her hopes, her dreams, her fears

And she has a dress of laces
It’s worn in many places
The shoulder hangs upon her by a thread

And she has a need for sharin’
With someone warm and carin’
But no one sees a heart that’s underfed
No one sees a heart that’s underfed

One thought on “Song of the Day #5,132: ‘Dress of Laces’ – Lyle Lovett

  1. Dana Gallup says:

    Not sure I ever made it through this entire album, but I agree this is a nice song.

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