Eddie Money – Gimme Some Water

I’ve never been a big Eddie Money fan but this is one of his songs I like. He had a nice career and I did like songs such as Take Me Home Tonight with Ronnie Spector.

This one has an old-west theme and I like the guitar. It has more of a rock sound than Money usually has. The song is off of his album Life for the Taking released in 1978. The album peaked at #17 on the Billboard 100 and #13 in Canada in 1978. The album charted higher than his debut album which featured Two Tickets To Paradise and Baby Hold On which both made it into the top 20.

It doesn’t sound like his big hits…a little rawer and more rock. To my surprise, it wasn’t released as a single but once in a while, I’ll hear it on a classic rock station. Eddie Money had 10 top 40 hits and seven of those were top 20.

The riff is not all that original but it serves its purpose. The song reminds me of Bad Company’s Shooting Star but one I haven’t heard a million times. Eddie Money wrote this song.

Eddie Money: “I had a song called ‘Give Me Some Water,’ and when I was told that Johnny Cash put it in his set — I was on Cloud Nine, I mean this is the guy who ‘Walked the Line!’”

Here is a cover version by Claudia Hoyser who apparently knew Eddie Money. She does a great low-key version here.

Gimme Some Water

Mama never understood what it’s like for a losing man
When her number one son goes bad playing cards with the Devil’s Hand
Daddy got real sick so quick – four walls never understand
I was the one who got good with the gun – took the money from the rich man’s land

Give me some water ’cause I shot a man on the Mexican border
Cool, cool water
Give me some water
I need a little water

Jimmy grew up so fast and he met me at the pass one day
Said, “You’re a wanted man. Take your brother’s hand – I’ll be running with you, anyway.”
So we rode late in the night like fires on the desert sand
’til one day the posse caught us ’cause the sheriff always gets his man

Give me some water ’cause I killed a man on the Mexican border
Cool, cool water
I need a little water

Oh, geeze, if I just get loose my hands
I’d run just as fast as my legs can
But, Lord, I’ve got no room to run
Shouldn’t have done what I did without that gun

Give me some water ’cause I killed a man on the Mexican border
Cool, cool water

Can’t you see that long, white rope hanging from the hangman’s tree
Take the restless horse; tie may hands, of course; tell my mother that I’m finally free
Let me die like a man – no one understands; let me pray that a poor man pray
Smack that horse in the ass; with my last dying gasp my brother could hear me say

Give me some water ’cause I shot a man on the Mexican border
Cool, cool water
Give me some water

Give me some water ’cause I shot a man on the Mexican border
Cool, cool water
Give me some water

Give me some water ’cause I shot a man on the Mexican border
Cool, cool water
Give me some water

Give me some water ’cause I killed a man on the Mexican border
Cool, sweet water
Give me some water