Thorn Tree in the Garden 2025 Re-mix Duane's Dobro up & Jim Gordon – triangle

Loo Wood ツ Guitarist
Thorn Tree In The Garden - Derek And The Dominos
2025 Re-mix The Dobro and the triangle were getting lost. I had to go back in...
Written by Bobby Whitlock
Performed and produced by: Loo Wood ツ guitar
Eric Clapton – guitars
Bobby Whitlock – vocals, acoustic guitar
Carl Radle – bass
Jim Gordon – triangle
Duane Allman – Dobro guitar
Loo Wood - guitars
Produced by ~ Tom Dowd

Visit Bobby and Coco Carmel:   / @bw-cc  
https://www.bobbywhitlockandcococarme...

There's a thorn tree in the garden if you know just what I mean,
And I hate to hurt your feelings but it's not the way it seems,
'Cause I miss her.

She's the only girl I've cared for, the only one I've known.
And no one ever shared more love than we've known.
And I miss her.

But it all seems so strange to see
That she'd ever turn her back on me
And leave without a last goodbye.
And if she winds up walking the streets,
Loving every other man she meets
Who'll be the one to answer why?
Lord, I hope it's not me, it's not me.

And if I never see her face again, I never hold her hand.
And if she's in somebody's arms, I know I'll understand
But I miss that girl. I still miss that girl.

Maybe someday soon, somewhere.

Eric Clapton was already a legendary guitarist when this was released, but in this group, he was simply another member and did his best to remain anonymous. The other members were outstanding session musicians. The band formed after working on George Harrison's album All Things Must Pass.

This was written by Bobby Whitlock, who also sang lead. He wrote many songs on the album and although he is known for his keyboard work, he played a variety of instruments with the group. He recorded with Delaney And Bonnie before forming Derek and the Dominos with Clapton, Jim Gordon, and Carl Radle. Duane Allman also came to the sessions and played on some of the songs, including this one.

Whitlock: "I was living at The Plantation in the valley - you remember the shootout at The Plantation in the Leon Russell song. I was living there with Indian Edward Davis and Chuck Blackwell and Jimmy Constantine - there were about 13 of us in this house in Sherman Oaks in the valley. I had a little dog and a little cat.

One guy told me to get rid of my dog and cat because there wasn't room. I took my cat out to Delaney's house in Hawthorn, and when I got back my little dog was gone. This one guy in the house had taken my dog and done away with it. That was my only friend - this was the first time I had been anywhere outside of Macon, Georgia, or the Memphis area. All of this was new to me, and I have an animal thing. I wanted to punch him out, and I thought, 'No, you can't do that,' so I went to my bedroom and sat down.
I was thinking about a snake in the grass and some other ideas and I thought, 'He's the thorn tree in my garden.' I had this beautiful garden built in my consciousness where I was safe and secure with my little dog and my cat, and there's this thorn tree - that would be the guy who had my little dog put away.
I wrote the song and it just came out of me. I hadn't even put it on paper, and I went out of my bedroom and knocked on his door. I said, 'Come here, I want to play you something.' We sat down at the table in the kitchen and I played him that song.
He said, 'Wow, Bobby, that's beautiful.' I said, 'You're the thorn tree. There's going to come a day when I have the opportunity to record this song, and the whole world will know about it. You'll know what you did to me for the rest of your life.'

I didn't realize it was going to go on the end of one of the biggest-selling records of all time. That was the furthest thing from my mind."

Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs is a double album. It was already mixed when they went back to tag the piano part on the end of the song "Layla." As they were listening back, the producer, Tom Dowd, realized they had room for one more song. Clapton suggested this, so we recorded it and used it as the last song on the album.

Whitlock told Songfacts: "Eric and Duane and Jim and Carl and myself all got around one microphone. Tom Dowd came out and placed us just so; everybody was a certain distance in and out, and we did it just like that.

I was sitting on a barstool - Eric was to my left, Duane was directly across from me, Carl was to my right and Jim was between Duane and Eric with a little bell. Carl was playing a pedal bass, Duane was on dobro and Eric was playing acoustic guitar with a pick next to me. I was picking with my fingers.” Tom Dowd called this "The Perfect Stereo Recording.”

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