Eagles – Desperado

About The Song

“Desperado” is a soft rock ballad by the American rock band the Eagles. The track was written by Glenn Frey and Don Henley, and appeared on the 1973 album Desperado as well as numerous compilation albums. Although it was never released as a single, it became one of Eagles’ best-known songs. It ranked No. 494 on Rolling Stone‘s 2004 list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

According to Henley, “Desperado” was based on a song he started in 1968, written in the style of old songs by Stephen Foster. ^{The song was originally about a friend named Leo and with the opening line “Leo, my God, why don’t you come to your senses…” In 1972, after they had recorded their first album, Eagles, in London, Glenn Frey and Henley decided that they should write songs together, and within a day or two after returning from London they wrote “Desperado”. They also wrote “Tequila Sunrise” in the first week of their collaboration.}

In their first songwriting session at Henley’s home in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, Henley played Frey the unfinished version of the song, and said: “When I play it and sing it, I think of Ray Charles and Stephen Foster. It’s really a Southern Gothic thing, but we can easily make it more Western.” ^{According to Henley, Frey “leapt right on it – filled in the blanks and brought structure”, and the song became “Desperado”. Henley added: “And that was the beginning of our songwriting partnership … that’s when we became a team.”}

This song was the last one which the band performed live. They played it as the closing number of their last concert during “History of the Eagles” tour. The show took place in Bossier City, Louisiana, on the 29th of July 2015. Glenn Frey died six months later.

Video

Lyric

Let’s sing along with the lyrics!

Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
You’ve been out ridin’ fences for so long now
Oh, you’re a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin’ you
Can hurt you somehow

Don’t you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She’ll beat you if she’s able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can’t get

Desperado, oh, you ain’t gettin’ no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they’re drivin’ you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that’s just some people talkin’
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine
It’s hard to tell the night time from the day
You’re losin’ all your highs and lows
Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes away?

Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you
(Let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you before it’s too late