Whiskeytown – 16 Days

I got sixteen days / One for every time I’ve gone away
One for every time I should have stayed

I was playing with a drummer in the late 90s, and he asked me if I had ever heard of Whiskeytown. I hadn’t and never really looked for them because it was the 90s and not as easy as it is now. I started to listen to them recently, and I can see why he was a fan. It’s great alt-country/Americana, which fits me fine. 

Whiskeytown had one member that you might know. They were an alternative country band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They were active from 1994 to 2000. The band was led by Ryan Adams who played a role in popularizing the alt-country genre in the 1990s. He blended traditional country with rock and indie influences. They fit in well with The Jayhawks and Wilco in that era. 

This song is one of their best-known songs. It was from the album Strangers Almanac, released in 1997. Ryan Adams wrote this song and gave a very good vocal performance as well. During this period, the band was plagued by conflicts and multiple lineup changes. Ryan Adams and Caitlin Cary remained the only consistent members.

Adams has also produced albums for Willie Nelson and collaborated with the Counting Crows, Weezer, Norah Jones, America, Minnie Driver, Cowboy Junkies, and Toots & the Maytals. He has written a book of poems, Infinity Blues, and Hello Sunshine, a collection of poems and short stories. 

16 Days

I got sixteen daysOne for every time I’ve gone awayOne for every time I should have stayedYou should have worn my wedding ringI got sixteen daysFifteen of those are nightsCan’t sleep when the bed sheet fightsIts way back to your side

The ghost has got me runningThe ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away from you.

The ghost has got me runningThe ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away from you.

I got sixteen daysGot a bible and a rosaryGod, I wish that you were close to meGuess I owe you an apology

I got sixteen daysFifteen of those are nightsCan’t sleep when the bed sheet fightsIts way back to your side

The ghost has got me runningYeah, the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away from you.

The ghost has got me runningYeah, the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away

Old tin cups, little paper dollsAll wrapped up, in ribbons, bowed with heartsOld tin cups, and little paper dollsAll wrapped up, in the ribbons of your heart

The ghost has got me runningYeah, the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away from you.

The ghost has got me runningYeah, the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away from you.

Sixteen daysI got sixteen daysIt’s like before I hang

…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

33 thoughts on “Whiskeytown – 16 Days”

  2. Pingback: Whiskeytown – 16 Days – MobsterTiger

  4. Oh ya’…I can dig that. That reminds me that I miss my Scotch & Whiskey these days (migraine diet & no alcohol). I just remembered from that YouTube show about drum machines that machine that the Steely Dan engineer invented was called ‘Wendell II’ in ’79-’80. Then came those clap machines that you hate…lol.

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    1. Yes…now I liked the claps at first…until you heard it everywhere but hey…they worked well in Bette Davis Eyes…really well.

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  7. While I was aware of Ryan Adams and have covered him previously, I didn’t know or recall his connection to Whiskeytown. “16 Days” is the type of alternative country/Americana I’ve really come to dig. I may even have heard that song before somewhere. The chorus did seem to ring a distant bell.

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      1. Some of those songs are still stuck in my head. Great lyrics and the music fits that “Americana mood. I always had my finger on this kind of music going way back. If I traced it back to Parsons, I would have a whole whack of great tunes.

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      4. Some people really liked the hell out of them…which makes me happy. When I didn’t know about them 2 weeks ago.

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  9. Strangers Almanac is a great album. He has made some great solo records too. Try Easy Tiger or Ashes & Fire, especially the song Lucky Now off the second of those. A favourite of mine 👍

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    1. Yea I’ve been in an alt-country or Americana (pick your poison) mood lately… music that sets a mood and like you said…it’s hard to not like.

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    1. Thanks Pam…these guys are really good. Another band like them if you want to check them out…is a Canadian band I just found called The Blue Shadows…Billy Cowsill was the singer…yea from that 60s group.

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  12. that sounds quite good. I have heard of them, but didn’t know Ryan Adams was involved. What little I have heard by him, hasn’t really grabbed me but maybe I haven’t given him a fair shake

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  13. Pingback: Whiskeytown – 16 Days – the secret about how life

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