A Bowl of Red
Riding from Hell to Heaven: A Culinary Tale in Tom Russell's 'A Bowl of Red'
Lyrics
You don't put beans in chilli
You should not include beans in chili.
You never water good whiskey down
Don't dilute good whiskey with water.
And never play poker with a man named 'Doc'
Avoid playing poker with a man named 'Doc' in the Spanish side of town.
On the Spanish side of town
The location of the poker game is specified as the Spanish side of town.
And if you want to go peekin' at the doctor's daughter
To pursue the doctor's daughter romantically, pay her father first.
You better pay the old man his bread
Paying the father is a necessary step before pursuing the doctor's daughter.
Then it's a short, short ride from hell to heaven
A short journey from a negative situation to a positive one, symbolized by hell and heaven.
Ridin' on a bowl of red
Riding on a bowl of red signifies a positive transformation or experience.
I'm talkin' about sweet Lorene, the chilli queen
Lorene, known as the chili queen, resides at number nine Pecos Street.
Down at number nine Pecos Street
Describing the location of sweet Lorene, the chili queen.
She's got bull meat hangin' up above her head
There are bull meat and chili peppers in Lorene's place.
And chilli peppers down at her feet
Symbolic description of the ingredients at Lorene's place.
She's got an iron pot smokin' on a woodsmoke stove
Lorene is cooking chili in an iron pot on a woodsmoke stove.
Near an antique feather bed
Additional details about Lorene's cooking setup.
Where it's a short, short ride from hell to heaven
Similar to line 8, emphasizing the transformative journey from hell to heaven.
Ridin' on a bowl of red
Reiterating the positive experience riding on a bowl of red.
Here's the recipe,
Introducing the recipe for chili.
Bull meat, crab meat, pig's feet, chicken feet
Listing various meats and spices used in Lorene's chili.
I've even seen her use a rabbit's head
Highlighting the eclectic mix of ingredients in the chili.
Cemino, oregano, celanto, let it go
Listing additional spices in the chili recipe.
Then sop it up with sourdough bread
Instructions to let the chili simmer and then serve it with sourdough bread.
Let it boil one day, you'll be rollin' in the hay
Allowing the chili to boil for a day results in a satisfying experience.
Lorene keeps a man well fed
Lorene ensures that her man is well-fed with her cooking.
Just walk on down to number nine
Inviting others to Lorene's place for a bowl of red.
Say, "Gimme a little bowl of red"
Requesting a serving of chili from Lorene.
Peter Piper picked a bunch of chilli peppers
Referencing the famous tongue twister involving Peter Piper and chili peppers.
Tell me how many packs did Peter Piper pick
Posing a question about the number of chili pepper packs Peter Piper picked.
Then he took 'em on down to sweet Lorene
Peter Piper brings the chili peppers to Lorene and requests a bowl of red.
Said, "I need a bowl of red real quick"
Peter Piper urgently wants a bowl of red from Lorene.
She put Peter Piper's peppers in a pot on the stove
Lorene incorporates Peter Piper's peppers into her chili.
She put Peter Piper in her feather bed
Lorene and Peter Piper share intimate moments in her feather bed.
And now Peter Piper's pickin' peppers all day
Peter Piper is now busy picking peppers all day to get his daily bowl of red.
Just to get his daily bowl of red
Describing the ongoing consequence for Peter Piper.
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