In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Was painted red, the stripe was white
It was eighteen feet from the bow to the stern light
Second hand from a dealer in Atlanta
I rode up with daddy when he went there to get her
Put on a shine, put on a motor
Built out of love and made for the water
Ran her for years, 'til the transom got rotten
A piece of my childhood it'll never be forgotten
It was just an old plywood boat
With a '75 Johnson with electric choke
A young boy, two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it make me feel
And I would turn her sharp
And I'd make it whine
He'd say, "You can't beat the way an old wood boat rides"
Just a little lake 'cross the Alabama line
But I was king of the ocean
When daddy let me drive
Just an old half ton, short bed Ford
My uncle bought new in '64
And daddy got it right 'cause the engine was smoking
Couple of burned valves and he had it going
He'd let me drive her, we'd haul off a load
Down a dirt strip where we'd dump trash off of Thigpen Road
I'd sit up in the seat and stretch my feet out to the pedals
Smiling like a hero that just received his medal
It was just an old hand me down Ford
With three speed on the column and a dent in the door
A young boy, two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it made me feel
And I would press that clutch
And I'd keep it right
He'd say, "A little slower son, you're doing just fine"
Just a dirt road with trash on each side
But I was Mario Andretti
When daddy let me drive
I'm grown up now, three daughters of my own
I let 'em drive my old Jeep 'cross the pasture at our home
Maybe one day they'll reach back in their file
And pull out that old memory
And think of me and smile, and say
It was just an old worn out Jeep
Rusty old floorboards, hot on my feet
A young girl, two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it made me feel
And he'd say, "Turn it left and steer it right
Straighten up girl, now you're doing just fine"
Just a little valley by the river where we'd ride
But I was high on a mountain
When daddy let me drive
When daddy let me drive
Oh, he let me drive
She's just an old plywood boat
With a '75 Johnson with electric choke
It was eighteen feet from the bow to the stern light
Second hand from a dealer in Atlanta
I rode up with daddy when he went there to get her
Put on a shine, put on a motor
Built out of love and made for the water
Ran her for years, 'til the transom got rotten
A piece of my childhood it'll never be forgotten
It was just an old plywood boat
With a '75 Johnson with electric choke
A young boy, two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it make me feel
And I would turn her sharp
And I'd make it whine
He'd say, "You can't beat the way an old wood boat rides"
Just a little lake 'cross the Alabama line
But I was king of the ocean
When daddy let me drive
Just an old half ton, short bed Ford
My uncle bought new in '64
And daddy got it right 'cause the engine was smoking
Couple of burned valves and he had it going
He'd let me drive her, we'd haul off a load
Down a dirt strip where we'd dump trash off of Thigpen Road
I'd sit up in the seat and stretch my feet out to the pedals
Smiling like a hero that just received his medal
It was just an old hand me down Ford
With three speed on the column and a dent in the door
A young boy, two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it made me feel
And I would press that clutch
And I'd keep it right
He'd say, "A little slower son, you're doing just fine"
Just a dirt road with trash on each side
But I was Mario Andretti
When daddy let me drive
I'm grown up now, three daughters of my own
I let 'em drive my old Jeep 'cross the pasture at our home
Maybe one day they'll reach back in their file
And pull out that old memory
And think of me and smile, and say
It was just an old worn out Jeep
Rusty old floorboards, hot on my feet
A young girl, two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it made me feel
And he'd say, "Turn it left and steer it right
Straighten up girl, now you're doing just fine"
Just a little valley by the river where we'd ride
But I was high on a mountain
When daddy let me drive
When daddy let me drive
Oh, he let me drive
She's just an old plywood boat
With a '75 Johnson with electric choke
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it has a sorta special meaning to me for various reasons....but i love the song regardless....