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.
She was not the girl next door
But the girl from 'round the corner
It was at the tail end of grade four
When she came to school one morning
And all eyes were upon her as she took her seat
Her name was Amanda with pretty eyes of green
And hair of blonde, strawberry blonde
Springtime and dandelions
And summer 'round the corner
Was at the tail end of age nine
With a million dreams before her
She lived with her mother in an old decrepit house
If there was trouble she kept it to herself
All summer long, the strawberry blonde
And by her face there was no way to tell
It seemed like all was well in her world
But the neighbours said
Her mother had lost her will
To gin and sleeping pills
It was no life for a little girl
Still I see her face framed in blue sky
At the top of a slide coming down
And when the sirens wailed
(her mother had failed to rise)
All the neighbors stood outside
As Amanda just stared at the ground
Time flies and years are piled
I'd forgotten all about her
When I saw her down the aisle
Of a streetcar with her daughter
Then I heard Amanda say as she got up
"See'mon Samantha, girl, this is our stop"
And they were gone
Two strawberry blondes
But the girl from 'round the corner
It was at the tail end of grade four
When she came to school one morning
And all eyes were upon her as she took her seat
Her name was Amanda with pretty eyes of green
And hair of blonde, strawberry blonde
Springtime and dandelions
And summer 'round the corner
Was at the tail end of age nine
With a million dreams before her
She lived with her mother in an old decrepit house
If there was trouble she kept it to herself
All summer long, the strawberry blonde
And by her face there was no way to tell
It seemed like all was well in her world
But the neighbours said
Her mother had lost her will
To gin and sleeping pills
It was no life for a little girl
Still I see her face framed in blue sky
At the top of a slide coming down
And when the sirens wailed
(her mother had failed to rise)
All the neighbors stood outside
As Amanda just stared at the ground
Time flies and years are piled
I'd forgotten all about her
When I saw her down the aisle
Of a streetcar with her daughter
Then I heard Amanda say as she got up
"See'mon Samantha, girl, this is our stop"
And they were gone
Two strawberry blondes
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
I'm old enough to have been searching for "And The Band Played On" when I found this heart-wrenching song. I immediately loved the tone and then was touched by the story. It reminded me of my aging father saying (with his great grand daughter on his lap): life goes on ....
My best blond best friend took care of his blond little brother while going deeper and deeper into addiction. One day, when I was out of the country, I got a call from little TC, heavily into pills himself, that his big brother took an overdose and was in hospital. He sounded too quiet on the phone. When I got back, my best friend was in a mental institution he'll never leave and TC was waiting for me sedately on the stairs. He was shipped off to his cold father soon afterwards. This song, to me, is about them, and how secrets stay in the family until it's torn apart.
I am absolutely dumb-founded why there are hardly any Ron Sexsmith comments for any of his songs. Many are heart-wrenching and put you in perhaps the greyest of moods, but the songs are beautiful (this song meanwhile has an upbeat tempo but somber subject matter). "Strawberry Blonde" takes me back to every time I go back to my hometown. Invariably, I'll recognize a past girlfriend or infatuation as a grocery store clerk, or a bartender, and so on and I wonder "What would have happened if..." This song to me is a 4-minute musical tale of a memory lasting for about 10 seconds, because the mind just races so fast and all of a sudden... the moment is gone.