Ballad of Sugarcane Jane

Album: Dirt Road's End (2015)
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Songfacts®:

  • This autobiographical song written by Sugarcane Jane's singer and guitarist, Anthony Crawford, tells the story of how he met his bandmate and wife Savana Lee Crawford in Nashville, Tennessee. Anthony lived in the Music City for almost three decades and became recognized in the scene for being a sideman to artists such as Neil Young, Steve Winwood, and Dwight Yoakam. Savana Lee moved to Nashville in 1999 and played at renowned places such as the Bluebird Cafe, Broken Spoke, and Douglas Corner Cafe. The two met when Anthony was recording at Savana Lee's highly regarded vintage analog studio, Deepfield Studio. Anthony asked her to sing on a couple of demos for his solo songs igniting what would later become a creative partnership and romantic relationship. The two decided to return to their roots and relocated to the Gulf Coast of Alabama together.
  • In our interview with Anthony Crawford, he revealed the influence his wife has had on his songwriting. "Being with Savana, I'm more lyrically inspired," he said. "She brings out my ability to describe a little bit of the fantasy that I live with her because she's one of the sweetest people that I've ever met."

    He went on to remember the actual process of writing the tune. "I think the story, it's worth people hearing," he said. "I was just recalling my little journey. I don't really have that good fortune everyday that I pick my guitar up, but I did that particular day, and those words just came out of me like making coffee. It just poured out into my cup."
  • The title of their fourth album Dirt's Road End comes from a lyric in this song:

    I followed my dream to the path of a crow
    All the way to the Music Row
    Fell in love when I heard her sing
    So I packed my bag and my old six string
    Headed south in an all out run
    To the arms of my woman
    Had a daughter and a son
    Built us a house at the dirt road's end
    That's just how this story begins
  • Crawford explained to us how the lyrical content of the song captures his mythical life. "The life that I live with Savana, it's a little bit of a fairy tale," he said. "Our love affair with each other, our music, and our kids - the house at the dirt road's end is just where we reside, and that's where all the little episodes of our fairy tale transpire."

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