Chestnut Mare
The Byrds
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Always alone Never with a herd Prettiest mare I've ever seen You'll have to take my word I'm going to catch that horse if I can And when I do I'll give her my brand Well I was up on Stony Ridge After this chestnut mare, been chasing her for weeks Oh I'd catch a glimpse of her every once in a while Taking her meal, bathing, fine lady This one day I happen to be real close to her And I saw her standing over there So I snuck up on her nice and easy Got my rope out And I flung it in the air! I'm going to catch that horse if I can And when I do I'll give her my brand And we'll be friends for life She'll be just like a wife I'm going to catch that horse if I can And I got her and I'm pulling on her And she's pulling back like this mule going up a ladder And I take a choice and I jump right up on her Damned if I don't land right on top of her And she takes off, running up onto the ridge Higher than I've ever been before She's running along just fine 'Til she stops and something spooked her It's a sidewinder, all coiled and ready to strike She doesn't know what to do for a second But then, she jumps off the edge, me holding on Above the hills, higher than eagles were gliding Suspended in the sky Over the hill Straight for the sun we were riding My eyes were filled with light Behind those black walls Below was a bottomless canyon Floating with no sound Ghosts far below Seemed to be suddenly rising Exploding all around I'm going to catch that horse if I can And when I do I'll give her my brand And we'll be friends for life She'll be just like a wife I'm going to catch that horse if I can We were falling Down this crevice About about a mile down it seem And I looked down And I see this red thing below us coming up real fast And it's our reflection that's This little pool of water about six feet wide and one foot deep And we're falling down right through it We hit, we splashed it dry That's when I lost my hold And she got away But I'm gonna try and get her again some day I'm going to catch that horse if I can And when I do I'll give her my brand And we'll be friends for life She'll be just like a wife I'm going to catch that horse, I'm going to catch that horse, I'm going to catch that horse, if I can
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Written by: Jacques Levy, Roger Mcguinn
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Origins"Chestnut Mare" is a song by the American rock band The Byrds, composed by band member Roger McGuinn and lyricist Jacques Levy. It was first released on the album "Untitled" in 1970.
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Intended UseThe song was actually intended for a Broadway musical that Roger McGuinn was planning to produce with his songwriting partner Jacques Levy. The musical, titled "Gene Tryp" was never developed, but several of the songs meant for it ended up on several Byrds' albums.
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Concept AlbumThe Byrds' original plan with "Chestnut Mare" was to develop a whole concept album around it, which was going to tell the story of a man named 'Gene Tryp' (spelled backwards is 'Jim Perty', Hippie slang for "pretty trippy").
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Single Release"Chestnut Mare" was also released as a single by Columbia Records in the U.S. and reached number 121 on the Billboard charts.
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Chart Success in UKWhile it didn't achieve a high position in the U.S charts, "Chestnut Mare" experienced more success in the UK, where it peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart.
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Song InspirationThe song was inspired by the story of 'Moby Dick' by Herman Melville. Roger McGuinn and Jacques Levy wanted to explore a similar relationship between man and beast, and so "Chestnut Mare" became a song about a man trying to catch a horse.
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Recurring Feature"Chestnut Mare" remained a constant feature in Roger McGuinn’s live concerts, even after his departure from The Byrds.
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Use in AdvertisementThe song famously was featured in a television commercial for the Ford Motor Company's 'Mustang' car in the UK during the 1970s.
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Positive Reviews"Chestnut Mare" generally received positive reviews. It has been described as "one of the most cinematically vivid songs the band ever recorded" by Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald.
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Influence on Other ArtistsThe song's catchy tune and narrative lyrics have reportedly influenced artists like Tom Petty and inspired the sound of modern country rock bands.
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Citation
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"Chestnut Mare Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/22132472/The+Byrds/Chestnut+Mare>.
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