Song Review – Ray Wylie Hubbard’s “Stone Blind Horses”
There comes a time in every songwriter’s career where the fire begins to subside from the belly, and they fail to find the same potency of words that marked their once high-flying careers. It’s an inevitable reality of life for all of us that the skills and talents that once used to be so readily available at out fingertips will begin to fade away. That day looms large in the future for every soul, but for one songwriter, his ability to stave of complacency and a cessation of his skills has been remarkable. Maybe because his career was never marked by the sweet taste of mainstream success. Maybe it’s the mark of good genes. But Ray Wylie Hubbard keeps delivering songs most 20-somethings wish they could compose, and along with the impact of the songs themselves, the effortlessness of Hubbard’s delivery seems almost ethereal.
A songwriting guru and surviving member of the original Austin crew that lit a fire under the ass of country music in the 70’s and put it back on its righteous path— Ray Wylie Hubbard released a new album earlier this year called The Ruffian’s Misfortune. Whether it was the crush of news and other priorities that allowed a review from Saving Country Music to be forgone, or because I’ve spilled so much ink for this man over the years that new words were hard to find, it never happened. But I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t stop down and at least talk about this one particular song, “Stone Blind Horses.”
To be honest, there were a few songs on The Ruffian’s Misfortune that had me fearing that Hubbard was slipping into a predictable groove. His most recent output has been favoring a country-flavored version of the blues, which is fine. But his propensity to write songs whose chorus repeats three times before resolving had me worried he was becoming comfortable with a particular style. In fairness, The Ruffian’s Misfortune is apparently part of a trilogy that includes his previous album The Grifter’s Hymnal, so the similarity in content makes a little more sense in that context.
At the same time, The Ruffian’s Misfortune had some spellbinding folk songs that cut through everything else to arguably become career-level contributions from an already highly accomplished songwriter. The first is “Too Young Ripe, Too Young Rotten.” It catches you completely off guard—something that usually doesn’t happen from an artist who is in such a late era of his career. The other was “Stone Blind Horses.”
This song is so good—whether it’s the album version, just Hubbard with his guitar, or with a four-piece band like he played it on Conan—at first I truly believed it had to be a cover of a hit from a previous era that had been forgotten about. The song feels so classic, yet remains fiercely original, it’s a wonder how it was never written before. Ray Wylie Hubbard is not especially known for his singing, and he will be the first to tell you that. But “Stone Blind Horses” is the perfect forum for his raspy groans to find their sweet spot of emotional expression.
About someone coming to religion after a life of sin (or whatever you wish it to mean), “Stone Blind Horses” is something most any listener can relate to, and find deep resonance with. It’s one of the best songs of Hubbard’s already formidable career, and one of the best so far in 2015.
Two Guns Up.
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June 27, 2015 @ 11:32 am
I like most of his music, wonder what Ray thinks of modern country ?
June 27, 2015 @ 12:37 pm
I’ve loved him ever since I first heard his Conversation with the Devil song.
June 27, 2015 @ 12:39 pm
Just curious Trigger, unless you plan a future review, what would you have given “The Ruffian’s Misfortune”? This was by far my favorite song off there, and I agree that he seemed to fall into a predictable groove with the album.
June 27, 2015 @ 12:55 pm
I’d probably give it 1 3/4 Guns Up. Some of the blues songs are a little tedious like I said above, but overall I found it very strong. Sometimes there’s albums you really like, but you just can’t find the words for a review.
June 27, 2015 @ 12:44 pm
Yes, sir. My favorite song off the album and one of my favorites so far this year.
June 27, 2015 @ 1:05 pm
He’s a great Kristoffersonian songwriter. He’ll never make it in country music unless he can round up four or five co-writers.
June 27, 2015 @ 3:52 pm
If you’re on the Facebook thing and haven’t “liked” Ray’s page, be sure and so so. His posts go from gut-busting to poignant – sometimes in the matter of a few sentences. He also throws some barbs in about modern country.
Love this song!
June 27, 2015 @ 5:54 pm
I have always liked everything RWH does, love the raspy groans.
June 27, 2015 @ 6:25 pm
Lucinda Williams , Neil Young , Kris Kristofferson , Rosanne Cash ,Mr Dylan , Burt Bacharach , Waits , Ray Wylie Hubbard and a handful of other songwriter / singers who are quasi household names amongst REAL music fans , I would suspect , have always been very difficult for me , personally ,to digest . As a songwriter , I can listen with THOSE ears and appreciate the gifts . As a lover of ‘the package ” ..writing , singing , performing , not so much . I can’t get past the vocal and or musical deficiencies of so many good writers that I , invariably , end up in the dark about much of their work . I watched the White House Honours celebrating Burt and Hal David recently . I love their music and place it on the highest rung when it comes to reaching the highest level of writing music and lyric . But I’m SOOO thankful that some amazing interpreters of those gems recorded them over the years and enabled me to listen again and again and again and discover something new in each song with each successive listen . I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to do that with the writers mentioned at the outset of my post here for the reasons I explained. No disrespect whatsoever to their genius , their hard work , passion and dedication to the craft . I’m just very happy that there are folks with the vocal gifts to make me want to drink it in time and time again . In fact , I’d almost prefer to think of many of the writers as poets.
June 28, 2015 @ 6:45 am
Three great mid-July RWH gigs coming up in Bloomington, Rockford and Chicago IL. Can’t wait.
June 28, 2015 @ 11:23 am
Obviously a very talented guy, the real deal, but I’m with Albert on the vocals, although this is still better than anything on the radio.
My problem with this song, is it’s premise. Lyrically, it’s well crafted I suppose, but it’s attempt at being “deep” falls short. It doesn’t make sense to me to write a song about going to Heaven, from a completely ignorant perspective on how to get there. I have to assume he’s writing about the God and Heaven of the Bible, and since that Bible tells how to get to the Heaven it speaks of, why not just read it and write the song from an accurate perspective?
June 28, 2015 @ 4:01 pm
I’m guessing because that’s been done for hundreds of years and there’s an entire genre dedicated to doing that – several of them, actually. What’s wrong with a personal, creative perspective? That’s what songwriters are supposed to do, at least I thought.
Oh, except the fill in the blank laundry list writers of mainstream country, that is.
February 19, 2021 @ 11:03 pm
I find it very realistic and pointed. Hits home with many. In a Dylan sort of way. Riding Stone Blind Horses, never seeing a reason to believe. That pretty much sums up the whole point. Say a prayer for Wild young cowboys, old drunks, paramores’ and thieves is all of us at points in life not expecting death, hoping there is hope for me. Someone gone ahead, praying for our forgiveness. I feel it anyway.
June 28, 2015 @ 7:57 pm
Crazy. I put this album on a few times, but must have never made it to the last song. It’s epic.
June 29, 2015 @ 10:19 pm
My favorite song of his is Dallas after midnight. He has the line “the judge asked me, why did you rob that liquor store, I said your honor, what else do you do when you’re white trash and poor?” i love that line.
July 1, 2015 @ 8:19 am
Absolutely love it! Thanks for the recommendation