Lucy Dacus Covers ‘Clay Pigeons’ for Blaze Foley Tribute Album

Lucy Dacus has released a serene acoustic cover of “Clay Pigeons” for the forthcoming Blaze Foley tribute album, Sittin’ With Blaze. 

Set for release Friday, August 7, the compilation album of the late Texan outlaw country songwriter’s songs includes covers from Phosphorescent, Lucinda Williams, Willie Watson, Cactus Lee, Dylan Earl, Uncle Lucius, Riley Downing, and more. 

Speaking with Apple Music 1 host Matt Wilkinson on Monday, Dacus said she grew to love the simplistic folk tune, which also has been covered by John Prine and Michael Cera, after a friend showed her the track. It immediately made “a huge impression on me,” she said.  

“On first listen I was like, ‘This is one of the best songs ever written,’” Dacus added. “I have turned around and showed it to many people who said ‘How have I not heard this yet?’ … Something I like about it is you can’t tell if he’s giving up and running away from a life or if he’s trying really hard to find a new life … I hope anyone that hears my version will end up going back to the source material.” 

Foley, who was born in Arkansas but would later call Austin home in the 1970s, is considered among one of the great Texas songwriters, penning hits like “If I Could Only Fly,” “Big Cheeseburgers & Good French Fries,” and “I Should Have Been Home.”

In 1989, a 39-year-old Foley was fatally shot while visiting a friend’s house. In 2018, Ethan Hawke directed the biopic Blaze about the gruff and mysterious songwriter, starring actor Ben Dickey.