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"
I'll keep pulling on the towpath.
You keep floating on the river.
Yeah, until the day is done.
Keep on keeping on the low road,
Chesapeake and Ohio.
Because on the higher ground you will find
Elephant Riders to the northwest bring news from father.
Looking like it's always closing,
The Salty Dog is always open.
Here, I got an I.O.U.
Clickity clack clack, clickity clack clack,
Baltimore and Ohio,
Clickity clack clack, clickity clack clack,
Roll on, roll on.
On our way to Washington where work is done by men with gavels,
I heard a sound that just about Removed me from my filly's saddle.
Just outside of Antietam, where once there was a mighty battle,
I heard the rhythm of the hammers Beating the rail lines together.
Elephant Riders to the northwest bring news from father.
Don't be eating all the hard tack.
Between we two there's half a small sack.
Still, we got miles to.
Giddy up pony, Giddy up pony,
Camptown Race is five miles long.
Giddy up pony, Giddy up pony,
Ride on, ride on.
On our way to Washington where work is done by men with gavels,
I heard a sound that just about removed me from my filly's saddle.
Just outside of Antietam, where once there was a mighty battle,
I heard the rhythm of the hammers beating the rail lines together.
Elephant Riders to the northwest bring news from father.
Elephant Riders to the northwest bring news of battle.
You keep floating on the river.
Yeah, until the day is done.
Keep on keeping on the low road,
Chesapeake and Ohio.
Because on the higher ground you will find
Elephant Riders to the northwest bring news from father.
Looking like it's always closing,
The Salty Dog is always open.
Here, I got an I.O.U.
Clickity clack clack, clickity clack clack,
Baltimore and Ohio,
Clickity clack clack, clickity clack clack,
Roll on, roll on.
On our way to Washington where work is done by men with gavels,
I heard a sound that just about Removed me from my filly's saddle.
Just outside of Antietam, where once there was a mighty battle,
I heard the rhythm of the hammers Beating the rail lines together.
Elephant Riders to the northwest bring news from father.
Don't be eating all the hard tack.
Between we two there's half a small sack.
Still, we got miles to.
Giddy up pony, Giddy up pony,
Camptown Race is five miles long.
Giddy up pony, Giddy up pony,
Ride on, ride on.
On our way to Washington where work is done by men with gavels,
I heard a sound that just about removed me from my filly's saddle.
Just outside of Antietam, where once there was a mighty battle,
I heard the rhythm of the hammers beating the rail lines together.
Elephant Riders to the northwest bring news from father.
Elephant Riders to the northwest bring news of battle.
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this song mostly references antebellum america in the early 19th century. this was a period of economic expansion for the US. lets explicate a few lines:
"I'll keep pulling on the towpath. You keep floating on the river."
here he is talking about the barges pulled down canals by horses on a towpath that goes beside the canal. it was a VERY common (and might i say effective and cheap) method of transporting large amounts of supplies before steamboats were widespread.
"Clickity clack clack, clickity clack clack, Baltimore and Ohio,"
this refers to the Baltimore to Ohio railroad built just before the civil war. often called the B&O.
yes, hardtack is a breadlike food for soldiers, but this song does not seem to be about soldiers at all. it was common for travelers to use this as well.
these facts seems to lead me to believe this song is about a traveling merchant who is witnessing the changes going on during the 1820s and 30s. he seems to be distraught about the fact that railroads are being built and might put him out of a job.
elephants referring to republicans doesnt really make any sense because there wasn't a republican party during this time. there actually wasnt really much of a party system at all until much later. i think that by elephants he means the large train engines.
clutch fucking rules.