| Tom Petty – Ankle Deep Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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This is probably my favourite track on the 'Highway Companion' album. Though I'm quite sure it's open to numerous interpretations, here's my take: This is a narrative about a single father's love for his child and his struggle to make the right decisions on balancing discipline with being a loving father. The first verse sets the scene of where the action takes place: in the rural mid-west where a 'God-fearing' faith and strict discipline are prevalent and highly valued aspects of the society. In the second verse we learn of the circumstances which lead up to an accident where the father's daughter suffers a heavy fall from a horse she'd evidently stolen to take on a little 'joy ride'. She has taken a bad knock to the head and is concussed and unable to speak for several days. In the final verse we see the father's struggle to balance the punishment with the 'ankle deep' love he has for his child. Ultimately, he feels, probably due to the constraints of his culture, that he must give the girl a spanking. In the final line we hear the girl express to her father, 'Daddy, you've been a mother to me.' This suggests that the single parent has had to perform both parental roles himself. I would be very interested in reading other interpretations. |
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