Far Away Eyes

"Far Away Eyes" is the sixth track from rock and roll band the Rolling Stones' 1978 album Some Girls. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards collaborated extensively on writing the song and was recorded in late 1977 and a DEMO version was called "You Win Again". A bootleg version with Keith singing exists. The Stones, longtime country music fans, incorporated many aspects of Bakersfield-style country music into this song. These included in particular Ron Wood's use of a pedal steel guitar for a solo and highlights, an instrument used on other songs from the album like "Shattered" and "When the Whip Comes Down". Also of note is the plodding rhythm of Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman. Richards performed acoustic and electric guitars as well as sharing duties on the piano with Jagger. The verses of the song are half sung, half spoken, with Jagger using a parodic Southern American English accent In a 1978 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Jagger said, "You know, when you drive through Bakersfield on a Sunday morning or Sunday evening - I did that about six months ago - all the country music radio stations start broadcasting black gospel services live from L.A. And that's what the song refers to. But the song's really about driving alone, listening to the radio." On influences, Jagger stated "I wouldn't say this song was influenced specifically by Gram (Parsons). That idea of country music played slightly tongue in cheek - Gram had that in 'Drugstore Truck Drivin' Man', and we have that sardonic quality, too." Asked by the interviewer if the girl in the song was a real one, Jagger replied, "Yeah, she's real, she's a real girl."

[Verse 1] I was driving home early Sunday morning through Bakersfield Listening to gospel music on the colored radio station And the preacher said, "You know, you always have the Lord by your side" And I was so pleased to be informed of this That I ran twenty red lights in his honor Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord I had an arrangement to meet a girl, and I was kind of late And I thought by the time I got there she'd be be off She'd be off with the nearest truck driver she could find Much to my surprise, there she was sitting in the corner A little bleary, worse for wear and tear Was a girl with far away eyes But I'll tell you [Chorus] So if you're down on your luck And you can't harmonize Find a girl with far away eyes And if you're downright disgusted And life ain't worth a dime Get a girl with far away eyes Well [Verse 2] Well the preacher kept right on saying that all I had to do was send Ten dollars to the Church of the Sacred Bleeding Heart of Jesus Located somewhere in Los Angeles, California And next week they'd say my prayer on the radio And all my dreams would come true So I did, the next week, I got a prayer for the girl Well, you know what kind of eyes she got But I'll tell you [Chorus] So if you're down on your luck I know you all sympathize Find a girl with far away eyes And if you're downright disgusted And life ain't worth a dime Get a girl with far away eyes So if you're down on your luck I know you all sympathize Get a girl with far away eyes