The Sensory Dispensary

The world turned it to a lot shittier place than it has been when Todd Snider passed away yesterday. If you have been reading me for a while, or know me at all, you’ll know just how deeply I respected Todd’s talent as a singer, songwriter and storyteller – and how much joy his music brought to my life. It was significant, and immeasurable.

This is a tremendous loss, not just for his family, friends and fans but for everyone. The world needs artists like Todd Snider who are true to themselves, who love what they do, who work hard doing it, and who are just so damn good at their craft. Artists create the light that we need when the rest of the world can feel so dark and to lose one as bright as Todd is just soul crushing.

Todd would make you laugh with one song, and then cry with the next. Only he could write something as poignant as “I Spoke As A Child” and the comical “Beer Run” – as well as hitting all the points in between.

And then there are the intros and the stories. He would claim to make them up on the spot so the story behind a song might be completely different the next time you saw him. Different, but always so interesting.

Todd was at his best live and I am sorry that I never got the chance to see him perform. His live albums are essential listening for me and there is pure gold on his YouTube channel.

I had trouble choosing just one song but this one is about as pure Todd Snider as I could think of. He starts with a story about being a troubadour and then he goes in to “The Ballad of the Devil’s Backbone Tavern” which itself is the story of Old Miss Virgy, and why he does what he does.

These lyrics vary slightly in this live version but you get the gist…

Old Miss Virgy tended bar at this shack out in the hills
It never made her no money boys but paid of all her bills
Now she must have been 80 years old but her heart was warm and her beer was cold
She gave away more than she ever sold, she’s smiling all the time

I used to sing off in the corner every Friday night
To a loud crowd of cowboys, bikers and bar room fights
They were drinking beer, carrying on, not a one of them listening to one of my songs
But old Miss Virgy sang along, she said she knew ’em all by heart

And then one night after closing she poured me a beer
She said: ‘Come on over and sit down you little shit, I got something you need to hear’
She said: ‘Life ain’t easy getting through everybody’s gonna make things tough on you’
‘But I can tell you right now if you dig what you do, they will never get you down’

She said life’s too short to worry, life’s too long to wait
Too short not to love everybody, life’s too long to hate
I meet a lot of men who haggle and finagle all the time
Trying to save a nickel or make a dime
Not me, no sireee, I ain’t got the time

Now I ain’t seen Ol’ Virgy in must have been about ten years
I’ve been bumming around this country singing songs for tips and beers
Now the nights are long, the driving’s tough
Hotels stink and the pay sucks
But I can’t dig what I do enough, so it never gets me down

I say life’s too short to worry, life’s too long to wait
Too short not to love everybody, life’s too long to hate
I meet a lot of men who haggle and finagle all the time
Trying to save a nickel or make a dime
Not me, no sireee, I ain’t got the time

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I don’t usually put more than one video in a post but fuck it, it’s my blog and I can do what I want – and what I want is to also share the intro to this same song, the story he told that preceded it on his Near Truths and Hotel Rooms album. Follow Todd and Trogg and their attempt to get to Luckenbach…

Rest easy my friend, your light in this world will be sorely missed.