Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues

Good times come and they goEven a good man’ll breakHe’ll let his troubles bury him wholeEven though he knows what’s at stake

I’m just starting to explore Justin’s music lately. I’m going over some of his catalog, and I really love what I’ve been hearing. It’s pure music at its finest with a great marriage of music and lyrics. Around a month ago, I was cruising around YouTube and I found him singing this song on The David Letterman song around 2020…I kept listening to it over and over. 

When I heard this song, I stopped what I was doing just to listen. This sounds corny, but I did get lost in the moment and listened carefully. I don’t usually do that with songs on the first listen…but this I did. I love its gospel, blues, rock,  and overall feeling. It’s a very somber song, but he packages it with an upbeat music attack. He was born in 1982 to Carol Ann Hunter Earle, and his father was singer/songwriter Steve Earle. He was born in Nashville and named in honor of his father’s mentor, Townes Van Zant. 

When he got older, he started to help out his dad touring, and he was in a couple of bands in Nashville. A rock band called The Distributors and a bluegrass band called the Swindlers, and he continued to play in The Dukes, his father’s backup band. He had his own style, and I admired him for that. 

In 2007, he released his first EP called Yuma, and then he released his first album, The Good Life, in 2008. Harlem River Blues came off the album of the same name in 2010. It was his highest charting album in the US. It peaked at #47 on the Billboard Album Charts, #18 on the Billboard Rock Album Charts, #9 on the Billboard Indie Charts, and #3 on the Billboard Folk Charts. 

The song received acclaim and earned Earle the Song of the Year award at the 2011 Americana Music Honors & Awards. Justin Townes Earl passed away in 2020 at 38 years old. 

I had to include three versions…all of them have something to offer. 

Harlem River Blues

Lord, I’m goin’ uptown to the Harlem River to drownDirty water gonna cover me overAnd I’m not gonna make a sound

I’m on a roll, mama, I gotta goGotta get there while I still canTroubled days are behind me nowAnd I know they’re gonna let me inWhen you see me walkin’ up the FDRJust a-singin’ and a-clappin’ my handsTell my mama I love her, tell my father I triedGive my money to my baby to spend

‘Cause Lord, I’m goin’ uptown to the Harlem River to drownDirty water gonna cover me overAnd I’m not gonna make a sound

Good times come and they goEven a good man’ll breakHe’ll let his troubles bury him wholeEven though he knows what’s at stakeSo I’m taking no chancesCarrying over while I’m still good in His graceSayin’ I’m no fool, mamaI know the difference between tempting and choosing my fate

So Lord, I’m goin’ uptown to the Harlem River to drownDirty water gonna cover me overAnd I’m not gonna make a sound

Lord, I’m goin’ uptown to the Harlem River to drownDirty water gonna cover me overAnd I’m not gonna make a sound

Lord, I’m goin’ uptown to the Harlem River to drownDirty water gonna cover me overAnd I’m not gonna make a sound

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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.

23 thoughts on “Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues”

  1. Pingback: Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues – MobsterTiger

  2. I like the percussive accents on nylon string on the solo version. When he goes live and has to cut through a band he switches to steel strings but lets others carry the percussive sound. n the album version is it only Jason Isbell without a second guitar? I agree each version adds a little something. With his names he has a lot to live up to.

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    1. Yea with his name he sure did. That can be such a curse to some. I think Dylan’s son Jacob did the best thing and that was to be in a band without his name attached out front.

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    1. That is the song I knew the most by him. It took me a while to start listening…I gave it a little time because of what you just said. I totally agree.

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  7. Great song and a good reminder for me to actually do what I had planned to do four years ago: explore Justin Townes Earle after Steve Earle had a released a tribute album to his son, “J.T.”

    Justin’s untimely death is another sad story about an individual who struggled with drug addiction and despite multiple rehab attempts ultimately lost the battle. What makes it even more heart-breaking is that Justin had a difficult relationship with his dad who left him and his mom when Justin was 3 years old and was out of his life for the next 12 years. Steve was dealing with his own drug issues and incarceration!

    Eventually, the two men reconnected and had an on and off relationship. Apparently, by the time Justin died from an an accidental overdose of fentanyl-laced cocaine, he was in touch again with his dad. I suppose at least they made up before he passed.

    I reviewed the “J.T.” album shortly after it had come out in January 2021. The post also includes the sad background story. I’m including the link below in case anyone is interested.

    Steve Earle’s New Album J.T. is Warm Tribute to His Late Son Justin Townes Earle

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    1. It IS a great song! I read your post and commented. I want to listen first to Justin’s versions and then I will hit the J.T. album. Just so sad.
      I’m glad they were ok at the end. Justin was a talent on his own…much better than I would have thought Christian. I’m sometimes skeptical about sons or daughters of famous people…but Justin lived up to it.

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  8. I didn’t know Steve had a professional musician son. He’s sounding pretty good on Letterman, sure didn’t look the part of a country rebel (unlike his dad) but he seems to have real talent. Quite a shame he already passed away though

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    1. Yea it was terrible Christian…at 38 years old with cocaine laced with fentanyl. I didn’t bother putting in the post because it’s so damn depressing. It is a great song though. He did live up to the family name in his songs…they are really good.

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  9. I got to see him when he opened for Wilco here in 2010. I went with my daughter and her partner, they were both quite taken with his style as well. Another talent who had that damned monkey on his back.

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    1. That is great that you got to see him…yes I agree. I didn’t even bother to mention how… it was so damn depressing. I’m really liking his music.

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    1. It’s incredibly sad isn’t it? Well this was 10 years before but…
      I love the song but I’ve hesitated listening to him because of what happened…I’m listening to him now and he has some great music. Steve did a cover of this one as well.

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  11. I may have heard something of his on a sampler or something, but don’t really know his music. Good song. Like the organ on the last two versions, but all in all I prefer the solo one. I think it’s easier to judge him independently because he sounds nothing like Steve, to my ears. Terrible way to die.

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