Lippy Jones Character Analysis in Lonesome Dove

Lippy Jones is a resident of Lonesome Dove and the piano player for the Dry Bean saloon. Formerly an able cowhand, Lippy has a wound in his stomach from a gunshot that won’t properly heal. This caused him to change careers and for many years, he plays piano in Xavier Wanz’s saloon. When he volunteers to join the cattle drive, Call puts him in charge of the remuda, but after Sean’s death, he develops such a fear of snakes that he rarely comes down from his spot in the wagon. He makes it all the way to Montana.

Lippy Jones Character Timeline in Lonesome Dove

The timeline below shows where the character Lippy Jones appears in Lonesome Dove. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...Colt pistol to his leg and strolls down to the Dry Bean. When he arrives, Lippy Jones is playing his favorite song—“My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”—at full volume. Dishwater Boggett,... (full context)

...of the saloon. He has no idea who Lorena is with. And neither Xavier nor Lippy is around to ask. In consternation, Dish walks down to the river, where he sits... (full context)

...in his hand, she sees no animosity in his eyes—at least not toward her. When Lippy tries to strike up a conversation, Jake grabs the bottle and heads for the stairs.... (full context)

When Augustus gets back to the waiting wagon, he finds Lippy Jones inside it with a packed bag at his feet. He insists on joining the... (full context)

...the trip. Pea Eye sharpens his knife yet again, and Deets mends his pants. When Lippy arrives at camp, Call immediately puts him in charge of the remuda; he was a... (full context)

Everyone else—including Bolivar and Lippy in the wagon—make it across without incident, and the cowhands circle up the cattle that... (full context)

...near San Antonio, something spooks the mules and they take off with the wagon and Lippy, whose coat is caught in a crack on the seat. Jim Rainey tries to stop... (full context)

When he’s recovered, Lippy reports that he heard a shotgun shot just before the mules spooked. He speculates that... (full context)

...plate, and rides over to the tent. She receives him as coldly as ever. Afterwards, Lippy finds him and tells him about the time Gus’s bet $50 and sex on a... (full context)

Lorena rides near the wagon, pointedly ignoring Lippy. She knows that Gus can take care of himself, but also that he’s a human... (full context)

...a woman before they enter hostile territory. Still worried about the price, they look for Lippy and ask for advice. He says it depends—he once saw Gus pay Lorena $50 for... (full context)

...whom Blue Duck killed, and whose graves he so long ago abandoned. The men, especially Lippy and Jasper, are worried about running into Indigenous people this deep into Indian Territory, but... (full context)

...a man he’d so recently had a friendly conversation with is now dead. Call lets Lippy help dig the grave; Gus wraps Deets’s body in a sheet. After they bury him,... (full context)

The men—especially Jasper—get more nervous about crossing the Yellowstone the closer they get to it. Lippy longs for a town, and the rest of the hands start to ponder their futures.... (full context)