Ramblin’ Jack Elliott’s “South Coast”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D0LE_eN2xo
Set all over Monterey County, from Monterey down to Jolon but focusing its action in on Big Sur, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott’s “South Coast” deserves to be known as one of the nation’s great story songs alongside other greats like Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue,” Bob Dylan’s “Isis,” and Marty Robbins’ “El Paso.” The title track from the 1995 Grammy-winning album matches the lyrics of Big Sur novelist Lillian Bos Ross with Elliott’s acoustic guitar playing, which flows by as pleasantly as a Big Sur stream. Over the music, the folk music legend alternately recites, spits, croaks, and belts out this story about a woman won in a card game who is later taken by a force colder and more unforgiving than any human card dealer. For the eight minutes of this song, Elliott nails the beauty and brutality of Big Sur’s wildest places.