The Civil War and the Wild West was the subject of three songs on the record. Saint co-written by guitarist James Mastro, explores Hunter's interest in the American Wild Wild West. It is an up-tempo rocker along the lines of Twisted Steel. There were all kinds of malcontents following the American Civil War and people were not prepared for the brutality of the American fight to end slavery; in this song, it is about a one-legged man who lost a leg in the war and could not join Jesse James and his gang. Indicative of how people were not prepared for the horror of war are the lines about
Lords 'n' ladies, sittin by the hillside
Makin' their bets on who is gonna winThis is a reference to the first battle of Bull Run, Virginia on July 21, 1861 when spectators, thinking the conflict would be short and relatively bloodless, came out to the battlefield as picnickers only to discover that they had to high tail it back to safety when the Union armies faced a rout.
The rebel in the song would have run with Jesse and Frank James, Confederate bushwhackers who after the war became outlaws, bank and train robbers, and guerrillas in Missouri. Unfortunately for this rebel who is not a saint, he couldn't join the James' since he had lost a leg and would be no help in a bank robbery. As indicative of the bloodbath that was the Civil War Ian had a vision of the Battle of Pig Point upon which he based the song. This was an early naval battle also in Virginia in 1861. Hunter identifies the appalling nature of war in general and in particular the horrific American Civil Way which is by far the bloodiest and most costly conflict in American history. He writes:
It ain't the same without the music There's no music on battlefields.
Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me
The Battle of Pig Point, Virginia was an early naval battle of the American Civil War, after Lincoln had extended the Union blockade to include Virginia. On June 5, 1861, the Union gunboat USRC Harriet Lane under Captain John Faunce was ordered to attack Pig Point, but due to shallow water, the shots fell short, and the Union suffered five men wounded before withdrawing.
Bull Run on July 21, 1861, was going to be remembered as the first gory conflict in a long and bloody war.
Bull Run, the first land battle of the Civil War, was fought at a time when many Americans believed the conflict would be short and relatively bloodless, writes the Senate Historical Office. That's part of the reason why civilians did go out to watch it. And yes, many did bring food. But though the juxtaposition of picnic food and battlefields might seem strange in hindsight, many of the picnickers were there because they had to be.
Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847 – April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained strong Southern sympathies. He and his brother Frank Jamesjoined pro-Confederate guerrillas known as "bushwhackers" operating in Missouri and Kansas during the American Civil War. As followers of William Quantrill and "Bloody Bill" Anderson, they were accused of committing atrocities against Union soldiers and civilian abolitionists, including the Centralia Massacre in 1864.
Saint
(Ian Hunter/James Mastro)
I got one leg 'n' a tin
I got one leg 'n' a tin
I got one leg 'n' a tin
Lords 'n' ladies, sittin by the hillside
Makin' their bets on who is gonna win
I'd be with Jesse 'n' Frank
I'd be with Jesse 'n' Frank
I'd be with Jesse 'n' Frank
But there ain't no way no one-legged hero could help 'em rob a bank
I ain't no saint, no
I ain't no saint, no
I ain't no saint, no
That would never do
I ain't no saint, no
I ain't no saint no
I ain't no saint, no
But I could never be you
I got one leg 'n' a tin
I got one leg 'n' a tin
I got one leg 'n' a tin;
Horror, horror, can't believe the horror
Flashbacks, deathtraps, morphine kicking in
I ain't no saint, no
I ain't no saint, no
I ain't no saint, no
I ain't no hayseed
I ain't no saint, no
I ain't no saint, no
I ain't no saint, but you can never buy me
It ain't the same without the music
It ain't the same without the music
It ain't the same without the music
It ain't the same without the music
(two, three, four)
I got one leg 'n' a tin
I got one leg 'n' a tin
I got one leg 'n' a tin
I took one for the team, one for the dream
One for the slaves, one for freedom
Put a penny in
I ain't no saint, no
I ain't no saint, no
I ain't no saint, no
That would never do
I ain't no saint, no
I ain't no saint, no
I ain't no saint, no
But I could never be you
(Yes!)
Saint is another up-tempo rocker, this time it reminds me at times of Twisted Steel.
| Saint | 3:35 | Originally issued on When I'm President. |
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