“London Homesick Blues” is an outlaw country song conceived through collaboration efforts between Gary P. Nunn and Jerry Jeff Walker in their time performing together in the Lost Gonzo Band. This band was the result of Walker recruiting the backing band of Michael Martin Murphey to play with him, which included Nunn. Walker sought out in the early 70s to record the group’s live performances for an album release. This recording of “London Homesick Blues” is from one of these performances, and it went on to become one of the band’s most well-known songs upon its release on Jerry Jeff Walker’s ¡Viva Terlingua! LP. A common misconception many make is that Walker is the vocalist on this song, but it’s actually Nunn, who also wrote it.
“London Homesick Blues” is all about the sadness and longing of a country musician that only wants to return home to Texas. It’s clear based on the title and context in the lyrics that this artist is in England (UK), presumably on an international music tour. The song’s chorus describes a Texas that is fundamentally made up of friendly people, good country music, and “the prettiest women you even seen”. The chorus also uses the phrase “the armadillo”, which referred less to the animal directly, but rather eluded to an Austin music club in the 1970s called the Armadillo World Headquarters. This small reference had huge implications on Southern culture, as the armadillo went on to become a recognizable symbol of the outlaw South.
Neither Nunn nor Walker are originally from Texas: Nunn was born in Oklahoma, and Walker in New York. Yet, their Texan pride is extremely apparent throughout the entirety of “London Homesick Blues”. Gary P. Nunn moved to the Lone Star state in his teen years, and studied at both Texas Tech and the University of Texas. Jerry Jeff Walker’s relation to Texas is more rooted in outlaw culture, as he only decided to move down to Austin after going AWOL from the National Guard and changing his legal name from Ronald Clyde Crosby to his well-known stage name. The culture clash taking place within “London Homesick Blues” is clear, as the lyrics do not express the same level respect and adoration of towards the English atmosphere, commenting on the bland sense of humor and terribly cold weather present there. However, the song is not entirely negative towards England, as it demonstrates how an adventurous individual can make the best out of a boring atmosphere through the country artist “taking his chances”.
“London Homesick Blues” is, at its core, an anthem for Texas’ outlaw culture, dedicated to cementing the belief that there’s no other place like Texas in the entire world. As most other artists making their career in Texas, Jerry Jeff Walker and Gary P. Nunn have a certain way they feel about the Lone Star state’s unique cultural background and Southern hospitality, but “London Homesick Blues” seems to be more of a reminiscing ballad than an upbeat “happy-go-lucky” tune.
Lyrics:
Well, when you’re down on your luck
and you ain’t got a buck,
in London you’re a goner.
Even London Bridge has fallen down
and moved to Arizona;
now I know why.
And I’ll substantiate the rumor
that the English sense of humor
is drier than the Texas sand.
You can put up your dukes,
and you can bet your boots,
that I’m leavin’ just as fast as I can.
I want to go home with the armadillo.
Good country music from Amarillo and Abilene.
The friendliest people and the prettiest women
you’ve ever seen.
Well it’s cold over here and I swear,
I wish they’d turn the heat on.
And where in the world is that English girl,
I promised I would meet on the third floor?
And of the whole damn lot, the only friend I got,
is a smoke and a cheap guitar.
My mind keeps roamin’, my heart keeps longin’
to be home in a Texas bar.
I want to go home with the armadillo.
Good country music from Amarillo and Abilene.
The friendliest people and the prettiest women
you’ve ever seen.
Well, I decided that I’d get my cowboy hat
and go down to Marble Arch Station.
‘Cause when a Texan fancies
he’ll take his chances,
chances will be taken – that’s for sure.
And them Limey eyes, they were eyein’ the prize
that some people call manly footwear.
They said you’re from down South,
and when you open your mouth,
you always seem to put your foot there.
Sources:
Friskics-Warren, Bill. “Jerry Jeff Walker, Who Wrote and Sang ‘Mr. BOJANGLES,’ Dies at 78.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Oct. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/arts/music/jerry-jeff-walker-dead.html.
Gage, Jeff. “How Songwriter Gary P. NUNN Influenced Outlaw Country and the Austin Music Scene.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2020, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/how-songwriter-gary-p-nunn-influenced-outlaw-country-and-the-austin-music-scene-627763/.
“Gary P Nunn.” Frontier Times Museum, Frontier Times Museum, www.frontiertimesmuseum.org/gary-p-nunn.html.
“Jerry Jeff Walker – London Homesick Blues.” Genius, genius.com/Jerry-jeff-walker-london-homesick-blues-lyrics.
Gage, Jeff. “Jerry Jeff Walker’s ‘Viva Terlingua’: Inside the Fringe Country Album.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2020, www.rollingstone.com/feature/viva-terlingua-jerry-jeff-walker-outlaw-country-772406/.
