Funny How Time Slips Away (1985)

Fred Foster produced this second LP from the 2004 Koch Records re-release CD. The studio remains the same—Pedernales—but the lineup is considerably different. Emmons on steel and Gimble on fiddle are the only carryovers from Old Friends. This version of Willie’s “Three Days” will not make my top three of his recordings of this song, but it is good to hear another mentor of Willie sing his songs, especially since Faron Young basically made Willie’s career by taking his first hits to #1 (“Hello Walls”). Willie’s vocals and Gimble’s fiddle are as good as they get, but the song is dominated by Faron Young’s vocals. “Touch Me” opens with a starker more acoustic setting. You can hear on this track how Faron wrung the tears out of Willie’s mournful early songs. Faron Young has a bit of George Jones in him. Willie’s “Congratulations” is new to me. “If you started out to make a fool of me, congratulations to you, dear, you’re doin’ fine…You should be commended for the sorrow you caused me. How does it feel to be the queen of misery.” The wry tone of “commended” reminds me of “ain’t it funny how time slips away” and “would you mind too much if I don’t understand.” That subtle understatement that says so much. Willie seems to respect someone who can cause him pain. He dishes it out, so he respects someone who can dish it back. He’s a man of the blues, a connoisseur of hurting and pain and tears. An aficionado of affliction, if you will. This may actually be one of the better versions of “Half a Man,” which is one of my all-time favorite Willie songs. This one could make your roof leak it’s so sad. This band is small and stays in the background so the vocals can stay front and center. Gimble’s fiddle steals the show in the middle of this song. I once had a heart, but now I have a fiddle, or some steel. Faron Shows a little Elvis in this version of “Hello Walls.” It’s not one of my favorite versions, but you have to listen to it to appreciate the distinctions between Willie’s and Faron’s vocal styles. “She’s Not for You” starts out stark with just guitar and Willie’s voice. This could be one of the best versions of this song. Not sure where Faron Young is on this one. It’s more of a duet between Gimble’s fiddle and Willie’s voice. Joe Allison’s up-tempo romp “Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young” describes Faron Young’s philosophy, which Willie obviously adopted. The idea is to “Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young…And leave a beautiful memory.” This is a far cry from “Brand on My Heart.” What kind of “beautiful memory” can you leave when you have shotgun, hit-and-run romances on the road with countless women? In what sense are these memories “beautiful” or “indelible.” Surely not the “Brands” that get burned into Willie’s heart on his previous song. Nevertheless, Faron maintains that he wants to “leave a lot of happy women thinking well of me…don’t ever think you’re gonna tie me down…I’m gonna stay footloose and fancy free.” Not sure how “fancy free” and memory relates. He seems to want to leave a wake of memories, traces of permanence, like the jet wash green glow of the light at the end of Daisy’s dock. D. Gibson’s “Sweet Dreams” should not be confused with “Sweet Memories,” though the content is similar. “Why can’t I forget the past, start lovin’ someone new, instead of havin’ sweet dreams about you.” Faron sounds a bit like Roy Orbison, too. Willie’s either trying to restore or erase the past, and this is a standard “can’t-forget-the-past-no-matter-how-hard-I-try” song. Jerry Chestnut’s “Four in the Morning” “Just woke up the wanting in me.” Faron sings this one without Willie. Harlan Howard’s “Life Made Her That Way” is one of those “too true for Nashville” songs Willie and his crew were famous for. “She’s been walked on and stepped on so many times, and I hate to admit it, but that last footprint’s mine. She was crying when I met her. She cries harder today.” Ouch. Willie knows about karma. He doesn’t blame people. He knows what it’s like. He’s been on both sides so many times. “Going Steady” is a fun Faron Young-penned song. “All you rambler’s leave her alone, don’t even date her on the phone.” Faron and Willie singing about going steady seems like the ultimate irony. There is nothing steady about the road. The road is the embodiment of unsteadiness. And yet the desire for steadiness rears its head from time to time. Faron put “Funny How Time Slips Away” on the map, but there are now so many better versions of this song. Elvis, Dave Matthews, you name it. It’s still good to hear Faron do it. He puts everything he has into this one. I never get tired of this song. If I have to pick one Willie song, this is probably it. Willie does some funny things with the phrasing on this version that make it worth re-visiting. This is a very solid album, and the two-LP CD is well worth the investment.