Well I found a bunch of letters
That were written for the fellow who broke your momma's heart
And the envelope folds smelled of her ancient perfume
I'll bet she didn't know
How to respond before the blankets of snow
Caught him out wandering alone
With no place to go

There were stars in the sky
There were houses on the hill
And there bottles of pills that were easy to buy
To keep her warm from the oncoming storm

Well I found them in the northwest corner of the attic in a box
Labeled tinsel and lights
Didn't know what I was I looking for
Maybe just a blanket or artifacts
Eisenhower sent him to war
He kept her picture in his pocket that was closest to his heart
And when he hit shore
Must have been a target for the gunman

There were stars in the sky
There were bunkers on the hill and there were caskets to fill
Where he will lie
Shrouded in the red white and blue with the stripes

There were stars in the sky
There were houses on the hill
And there were bottles of pills that were easy to buy
To keep her warm from the oncoming storm


Lyrics submitted by rosyquill

Houses on the Hill Lyrics as written by Ryan Adams Caitlin Cary

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Houses On The Hill song meanings
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    Song Meaning

    People use the word "sad" a lot when referring to this song but I see it as one of the most realistic songs he's ever written.

    He used his imagination and put himself in the shoes of this woman who he said had all these letters from her beloved husband, a soldier of WWII, and just the agony and pain she went through when she lost him fighting for his country. What she went through and what she felt... How it happened...

    "...there were bottles of pills...to keep her from the oncoming storm." - how more real can you possibly get. Such a powerful line. "Oncoming storm" is yet another classic description of exactly what this woman was headed towards time and time and time again. Over and over and over repeatedly.

    Out of the countless number of songs Ryan has written or been a part of, this is in my Top 3. It's short, sweet, and above all - powerful. This is a song when he got done writing it, I can see him saying, "yessssssss."

    My cover: youtube.com/watch

    watkins11on November 21, 2012   Link

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