Story Behind The Song

Woke up one morning with the urge to write a country song. As it is, the song I came up with is a mix between country and folk, well that's what I think anyway.

Song Description

Travelling gypsy arrives at a farm and takes up seasonal work cutting rye. Elle Mae, the inexperienced and trusting Farmers daughter falls in love with the gypsy but the gypsy is just stringing her along and though he arranges to meet her in Santa Fe, has no intention of doing so. Against her parents wishes Elle Mae travels to Santa Fe and on discovering that Billy Rae hasn't turned up she falls in to the clutches of an evil sleaze ball.

Lyrics

The Ballad of Elle-Mae

Elle Mae was young and sweet
Hair of gold and so petit
She lived her life on daddy's farm
There was no one there to cause her harm
One day a Gypsy passing by
He took a summer job cuttin' rye
He said his name was Billy Ray
Then stole her heart the Gypsy way

When the summer ended for Billy Rae
He bought a one-way ticket to Santa Fe
Then made love like she never knew
Said he'd wed her in a month or two
Won't you spare a thought for Elle-Mae
A country girl got led astray
A country girl, never see home again
A country girl, never see home again

Her daddy tried to make her see
This wasn't the way it was meant to be
He tried in vain....then spit in the eye
O, that Gypsy boy came cuttin' rye
Then eight weeks on or so they say
Her train of dreams it pulled away
She waved her folk's a sad goodbye
Hey mamma please don't cry

But Billy never made the show
Instead she met a friendly Joe
She trusted him that.... naive kid
They should a' hung Joe.... for what he did
Twelve weeks her body suffered there
In a back room just behind a stair
When the Po-lice finally came for Joe
They found poor Elle and let her go

Salvation comes in many ways
To help a body through the days
When her mind it couldn't take the strain
A needle full a' junk would end the pain
Now she sits in a room all alone
Trapped in a mind that never left home
She's back with the ones that really care
Pickin' apples for the harvest fair

Won't you spare a thought for Elle-Mae
Country girl got led astray
Country girl never see home again
Country girl never see home again

Won't you spare a thought for Elle-Mae
Country girl got led astray
Country girl never see home again
Country girl never see home again