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.
I was just out of the service thumbing through the classifieds
When an ad that said, "old Chevy"
Somehow caught my eye
The lady didn't know the year or even if it ran
But I had that thousand dollars in my hand
It was way back in the corner of this old ramshackle barn
With thirty years of dust and dirt on that green Army tarp
And when I pulled the cover off
It took away my breath
What she'd called a Chevy was a sixty-six Corvette
And I felt a little guilty as I counted out the bills
What a thrill I got when I sat behind the wheel
I opened up the glove box and that's when I found the note
The date was nineteen sixty-six and this is what he wrote
He said, "My name is Private Andrew Malone
And if you're reading this, then I didn't make it home
But for every dream that's shattered, another one comes true
This car was once a dream of mine, now it belongs to you
And though you may take her and make her your own
You'll always be riding with Private Malone"
Well, it didn't take me long at all, I had her running good
I love to hear those horses thunder underneath her hood
I had her shining like a diamond and I'd put the rag top down
All the pretty girls would stop and stare as I drove her through town
The buttons on the radio didn't seem to work quite right
But it picked up that oldie show, especially late at night
I'd get the feeling sometimes if I turned real quick, I'd see
A soldier riding shotgun in the seat right next to me
It was a young man named Private Andrew Malone
Who fought for his country and never made it home
But for every dream that's shattered, another one comes true
This car was once a dream of his, back when it was new
And he told me to take her and make her my own
And I was proud to be riding with Private Malone
Well, one night it was raining hard, I took the curve too fast
I still don't remember much about that fiery crash
Someone said they thought they saw a soldier pull me out
They didn't get his name, but I know without a doubt
It was a young man named Private Andrew Malone
Who fought for his country and never made it home
But for every dream that's shattered, another one comes true
This car was once a dream of his, back when it was new
And I know I wouldn't be here if he hadn't tagged along
Yeah, that night, I was riding with Private Malone
Oh, thank God, I was riding with Private Malone
Private Malone
When an ad that said, "old Chevy"
Somehow caught my eye
The lady didn't know the year or even if it ran
But I had that thousand dollars in my hand
It was way back in the corner of this old ramshackle barn
With thirty years of dust and dirt on that green Army tarp
And when I pulled the cover off
It took away my breath
What she'd called a Chevy was a sixty-six Corvette
And I felt a little guilty as I counted out the bills
What a thrill I got when I sat behind the wheel
I opened up the glove box and that's when I found the note
The date was nineteen sixty-six and this is what he wrote
He said, "My name is Private Andrew Malone
And if you're reading this, then I didn't make it home
But for every dream that's shattered, another one comes true
This car was once a dream of mine, now it belongs to you
And though you may take her and make her your own
You'll always be riding with Private Malone"
Well, it didn't take me long at all, I had her running good
I love to hear those horses thunder underneath her hood
I had her shining like a diamond and I'd put the rag top down
All the pretty girls would stop and stare as I drove her through town
The buttons on the radio didn't seem to work quite right
But it picked up that oldie show, especially late at night
I'd get the feeling sometimes if I turned real quick, I'd see
A soldier riding shotgun in the seat right next to me
It was a young man named Private Andrew Malone
Who fought for his country and never made it home
But for every dream that's shattered, another one comes true
This car was once a dream of his, back when it was new
And he told me to take her and make her my own
And I was proud to be riding with Private Malone
Well, one night it was raining hard, I took the curve too fast
I still don't remember much about that fiery crash
Someone said they thought they saw a soldier pull me out
They didn't get his name, but I know without a doubt
It was a young man named Private Andrew Malone
Who fought for his country and never made it home
But for every dream that's shattered, another one comes true
This car was once a dream of his, back when it was new
And I know I wouldn't be here if he hadn't tagged along
Yeah, that night, I was riding with Private Malone
Oh, thank God, I was riding with Private Malone
Private Malone
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Great version of a great song,
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One of the few country songs I actually like...
Just a really moving, cool song
TT-TT Why don't you people talk more about the actual meaning of this and the other songs out there......people just say that they like it..... "Me Sighs" You people don't know a good song when you hear it....
But Anyways this is a very good song, It's basically about him finding the car and note..and everything else actually happened..the car crash and the lady seeing him being carried out the wreckage buy a solider..it actually mad news...and a few years later he made the song in honer of Malone for saving his life ^-^
The lyrics are pretty straightforward and not much in need of interpretation. I was thinking that the theme of the song seems like a very benevolent take on the central idea in the Stephen King novel "Christine" in that a new owner restores an old car that meant a whole lot to the deceased former owner, and finds himself accompanied by the spirit of that former owner. In the novel, the car radio even gets the oldies station better than any other, as in the song. Being a Stephen King story, the former owner has far more malignant intentions than Malone's ghost in the song.
I did think that Malone's ghost, after pulling the narrator out of the crashed car, ought to have slapped him around a bit for a) wrecking the car and b) taking advantage of Malone's naive relative (or whoever it was who sold the car) in the initial sale. ;)
i love this song. i think i've heard it on the radio once. they shouold play it more!
This is one of the few country songs I can listen to relentlessly. I agree they should play it more often on the radio, it's excellent.