Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Released: April 13, 1999

Songwriter: Tom Petty

Producer: Rick Rubin Tom Petty Mike W. Campbell

Well, I heard you in the back room
Your friends had a laugh on me
Passed my name through the cantina
Yeah, your face was hard to read
Something in your demeanor
Should have given you away
But I was desperate for a friend
I was getting used to making mistakes

Well, I went down hard
Like Billy the Kid
Yeah, I went down hard
Yeah, but I got up again

I remember you, my baby
I remember you so well
And your house out in the suburbs
You had your wishing well
They say be careful who you believe
Be careful who you trust
Did you smile when you pulled the trigger
That dropped me in the dust?

Well, I went down hard
Like Billy the Kid
Yeah, I went down hard
Yeah, but I got up again

Well, you caught me in the bedroom
Cotton fever in a sweat
I was fighting for recovery
But I wasn't giving up yet
You offered no assistance
Yeah, you looked at me and you lied
Yeah, though it really stunned me
When you went to the other side

Well, I went down hard
Like Billy the Kid
Yeah, I went down hard
Oh, but I got up again
I went down hard
Like Billy the Kid
I went down hard
Oh, but I got up again
I went down hard
Like Billy the Kid
I went down hard
Yeah, I got up again

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – an L.A.-based gang of sharp-dressed garage-rock refugees from Gainsville, Florida – released their debut LP in November 1976, featuring two tracks which are now part of their long list of hits, “Breakdown” and “American Girl.”

Since that first LP in ‘76, the band’s style has epitomized and largely defined the American “heartland rock” movement – a vintage-guitar twang, hard lyric truth, and searing vocal attitude.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have been nominated for 17 Grammy awards and sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making them one of the world’s best-selling bands of all-time.

more tracks from the album

Echo

From the album

Echo (1999)

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Billy the KidTom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Echo