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.
Freak of nature, with jaw dropping skill
From the low rhythmic bass lines to the harmonic fills
New Age Funk on acoustic guitar
Always wanted to be like him, Except for that day in the car
With the old beat up Martin
He would spank like a hound
Not even God knew what he turned to he had his own sound
[Chorus]
He was "Live on a Double Planet"
He was "Watching his Life go By"
All the "Aerial Boundaries"
Lifted me so I could fly
He had "Breakfast in the Field" with the "Taproot"
And the "Tourched" theories would burn
"The Oracle" of his own existence
Is now on "The Road to Return"
Sometimes the louden or the Impossible Harp thing
Playing drum on a bouncing ball, I loved to hear him sing
Spike dog collar that hung his rabies tag
Dramatic interpretation his shows would never drag
[Chorus]
The Flood Zone or Wolf Trap
Or way up to Telluride
Or that day in High Sierra
Where we definitely locked eyes.
From the low rhythmic bass lines to the harmonic fills
New Age Funk on acoustic guitar
Always wanted to be like him, Except for that day in the car
With the old beat up Martin
He would spank like a hound
Not even God knew what he turned to he had his own sound
[Chorus]
He was "Live on a Double Planet"
He was "Watching his Life go By"
All the "Aerial Boundaries"
Lifted me so I could fly
He had "Breakfast in the Field" with the "Taproot"
And the "Tourched" theories would burn
"The Oracle" of his own existence
Is now on "The Road to Return"
Sometimes the louden or the Impossible Harp thing
Playing drum on a bouncing ball, I loved to hear him sing
Spike dog collar that hung his rabies tag
Dramatic interpretation his shows would never drag
[Chorus]
The Flood Zone or Wolf Trap
Or way up to Telluride
Or that day in High Sierra
Where we definitely locked eyes.
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Without a question this song is a Tribute to the Late Michael Hedges. Wonder were i got my login id??
Keller Williams has said that Michael was one of his biggest influences. The influence of Michael's slap happy guitar style and strong use of not only open tuned guitars but "harmonic fills" are very evident in Kellers own style.
I've often described a Michael Hedges concert as a room full, half with guitarist, and almost all of them with their jaws sitting in their lap.
Hedges was on the Windham Hill label that is mainly a New Age label. But Michael was so different from the rest of the lot because he added a lot of "funk", rock, boogie to his style while also adding a "new age" melodic solo "acoustic guitar" style to his playing.
When Keller says he "always wanted to be like him" (personally i think he is very close with a lot of hippieness in breed in him) "except for that day in the car" which is a reference to how Michael died in a one vehicle car accident in which his BMW swirved off a Northern California mountain road.
Michael's favorite guitar was an old "Martin".
"Live on the Double Planet". "Watching my Life go By", "Aerial Boundaries", "Breakfast in the Field", "Taproot", "Tourched", "Oracle" and "The Road to Return" are all Michael Hedges releases. Personally i highly recommend "Live on the Double Planet" and "Taproot" for all those who might be curious.
"The Impossible Harp thing" is a refernece to several Harp Guitars that Michael owned and played on CD and Concert. The Harp guitar is guitar that looks like a distored two neck guitar on steroids. The top part is plucked and not fretted, like a harp. The lower part is a six string acoustic guitar. They were midly popular in the 1800s in one man bands.
The "drum on a bouncing ball" is Keller reference this gigantic ball that Michael would occasionall sit (bounce) on his last few years while playing guitar. There is a video of him doing this while playing a slow version of Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone".
I'm not sure what Keller is referring to with the "Spike Collar/Rabies Tag". These are things i never noticed in any of the Michael Hedges shows I atteneded which was probably around 15 of them (1989-1997).
I think the last stanza is a reference to a time when Keller might have met Michael but i'm not sure. i thought i read somewhere that Keller did meet him but not sure, just a guess. The last line could be a Keller joke on a frequent comment made by Deadheads about Jerry Garcia. Some would freak out that "Jerry looked up and we definately were looking at each other". My guess is Keller either experianced the same thing with Michael or he is using Michael to replace Garcia in the joke.
Personal Note: Michael Hedges was the most charismatic performer, and (i love ya keller but i think you'd understand) by far the most amazing guitarist i ever saw or heard. Nothing can explain Michael more then this paraphrased William Ackerman quote: "My skull just got ripped apart as I watched the guitar get reinvented".
"No angel ever flew me throught this Heaven" -- Michael Hedges
I've heard this song many times. Just recently I was convinced this song was about indigo children or an indigo child. You know? lots of metaphors... That's the wonder of music, it can be interpreted any way. The other comment about this song being about Michael Hedges makes a lot of sense too, and thanks to that I now found a new artist to listen to!