Waiting 'round to die - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTGKzWDakK8
Kathleen - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIi4cAK1vik
St John The Gambler - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaoLj7pzBVI
Marie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk-zKjfO2E8
Our mother, the mountain - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW4XgQvcDsQ
For the sake of song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BW0J1-u0KE
Lungs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtExSE2oOZs
Pancho and lefty - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SjwO17gsqU
Highway kind - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dupY3Z_LPLo
Second lovers' song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuyP_yP-Rbo
Quicksilver daydreams of maria - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZh1RyyXuls
Nothin' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF_3w_gXing
Tecumseh valley - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWoVnvl9aYc
I'll be here in the morning - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjGOxo0KDMs

usually take my singer-songwriter/americana in small doses cos it's nice and cheerful outside now, but goddamn it if townes van zandt isn't close to the best american songwriter of all fucking time.

pick yr faves

mine:

st john the gambler
waiting 'round to die
kathleen
marie
nothin'

would have been nice if you included audio clips rather than video, since they take a long time to load round here. either ways, i really liked the 2nd song, so its given me incentive to go through the rest. the 1st one was good as well, but i liked the second a heck lot more.
edit: i see some audio clips now, thank you for that...
edit 2: ok, this is WAY too depressing. I'll come back to this some day when i dont want to feel suicidal. out of the 1st 3 songs i listened to, St John the gambler by a very large margin. its one of the best songs ive heard in recent times i think.

I'm very grateful to discover this man, thanks a lot for sharing his legacy. I really dig his singing and all the storytelling elements, I'm actually surprised he isn't more popular.

That being said, I think you have most of the best picks near the top of the poll. I listened to all of the picks (and some more), and "St. John the Gambler" turns out to be the best song of the poll: VERY good. "Kathleen", "Marie", "Our Mother, the Mountain" and "Waiting 'Round to Die" are my other choices. A honourable mention for "Lungs", methinks...

St John the Gambler is terrible terrible stuff in the best way possible....

ive checked him out a bit after i saw you post something in general section out of curiosity, i must admit i wouldn't have picked him to be your style, but then again you do listen to many types of music. he seems like an intense songwriter kind of dark and personal, i rather like heartworn highway, its not on here but i like the lyrics and it reminds me of a song im not sure what it is though.

formerly our mother the mountain but nowadays kathleen.