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"
Walking down Main Street
Getting to know the concrete
Looking for a purpose
From a neon sign
I would meet you anywhere
The western sun meets the air
We'll hit the road
Never looking behind
Can you deny
There's nothing greater
Nothing more
Than the traveling hands of time?
St. Genevieve can hold back the water
Saints don't bother
With the tear-stained eye
Seeing traces
Of the stars that came before
Hitting the pavement
Still asking for more
When the hours don't move along
Worn-out wood and familiar songs
To hear your voice is not enough
It's more than a shame
Can you deny
There's nothing greater
Nothing more
Than the traveling hands of time
St. Genevieve can hold back the water
Saints don't bother
With the-tear stained eye
Like a man said
Rode hard and put away wet
Throw away the bad news
Put it to rest
If learning is living
And the truth is a state of mind
You'll find it's better
At the end of the line
Can you deny
There's nothing greater
Nothing more
Than the traveling hands of time?
St. Genevieve can hold back the water
Saints don't bother
With the tear stained eye
St. Genevieve can hold back the water
Saints don't bother
With the tear stained eye
Getting to know the concrete
Looking for a purpose
From a neon sign
I would meet you anywhere
The western sun meets the air
We'll hit the road
Never looking behind
Can you deny
There's nothing greater
Nothing more
Than the traveling hands of time?
St. Genevieve can hold back the water
Saints don't bother
With the tear-stained eye
Seeing traces
Of the stars that came before
Hitting the pavement
Still asking for more
When the hours don't move along
Worn-out wood and familiar songs
To hear your voice is not enough
It's more than a shame
Can you deny
There's nothing greater
Nothing more
Than the traveling hands of time
St. Genevieve can hold back the water
Saints don't bother
With the-tear stained eye
Like a man said
Rode hard and put away wet
Throw away the bad news
Put it to rest
If learning is living
And the truth is a state of mind
You'll find it's better
At the end of the line
Can you deny
There's nothing greater
Nothing more
Than the traveling hands of time?
St. Genevieve can hold back the water
Saints don't bother
With the tear stained eye
St. Genevieve can hold back the water
Saints don't bother
With the tear stained eye
Lyrics submitted by punchyk, edited by Petrockies
Tear Stained Eye [DVD] Lyrics as written by Jay Farrar
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The Night We Met
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Holiday
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
No Surprises
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Just A Little Lovin'
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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/
American Town
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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.
Definitely a song about moving on in life but it is related to a specific event: the Mississippi floods of 1993 and the town of St. Genevieve, MO. It's a small town about 50 miles south of St. Louis, right on the Mississippi River. It was originally settled around 1735, making it one of the oldest European settlements west of the Mississippi. During the massive flood in the summer of 1993, the town's historic district was threatened, and people came from miles around to help build an enormous stone, earth, and sandbag levee to "hold back the water." It was a close call, but they ended up being successful, at least in the downtown area. The story got quite a bit of national attention at the time, Jay Farrar said he heard about it on CNN.
You are 100% correct. I was traveling to Michigan that summer of 93. It was an awful mess. When the record came out it was just so obvious.
@EnviroAg96 Thanks so much. I appreciate your taking the time to share the details of this experience.
@EnviroAg96 Exactly correct. I was living in Davenport, Iowa in '93, and the entire downtown area was flooded. Plus Farrar is from Belleville, Illinois which is not far from Ste. Genevieve.
i think it's about a guy who's sad because he misses some girl and wants nothing more than to meet up with her, he'd meet her anywhere. he misses her so much he would drop everything, leave the life he knows and not look back, all for her. that there is nothing more definite than time moving. and he's just moping around this old familiar place where everything reminds him of her. and he's trying to get over her but he can't. you live and you learn from it. i'm not sure who's at fault but he's just feeling bad and thinks time will be the only solid thing to help.
Probably some of my favorite songwriting ever. It's fairly pure and simple imagery but, like a lot of Farrar's writing, the meaning is always vague.
I agree that it's about the July 1993 floods in Missouri, and that's what Ste. Genevieve (a town in SE Missouri) refers to here.
But I also think it's interesting that the historical woman Genevieve (patron saint of Paris) urged the Parisians not to evacuate when Attila the Hun was on his way to attack them. She told the people that they should fast and pray for God to protect them. The Huns never showed up in Paris -- they went to Orleans instead because they got word that the Romans were staging a counterattack.
If you've ever watched coverage of natural disasters, particularly in the Bible belt of the midwestern U.S. (where there are often floods and tornadoes), the residents often cite their faith in God as a reason why they won't evacuate, even against common sense. So I think the confluence (no pun intended) of those two elements (the person Saint Genevieve and the town Ste. Genevieve) adds an interesting dimension to the meaning of this song.
It's a beautiful song, and my very favorite by Son Volt.
I'm not exactly sure what this song is about. To me it seems to having something to do with just moving on in life "We'll hit the road, never looking behind" and "throw away the bad news, just put it to rest". I just think it's a beautiful melancholy song and I love the symbolism in it. Jay Farrar's voice is perfect. The whole album that this song is from is awesome- great for driving the open road in the desert somewhere.
I don't think this is a song about the Missouri floods at all as other commenters have mentioned, I believe that's just a reference which I will explain shortly. I think this is a song about Jay Farrar, by now a seasoned touring musician, reflecting on his time with his previous band and specifically his writing partner- Jeff Tweedy. Jay left the band, they were younger then, maybe now he's reflecting on the good times they had ( 7 years/ 3 Albums ) and how they couldn't work out their differences. He's "walkin' down main st. Lookin for a purpose from a neon sign" wondering what does all this touring from city to city really mean if two friends couldn't just get along doing what they loved. They forged a path together once " Seeing traces of stars that came before/hitting the pavement still asking for more". Now it's kinda wearing on him, he's older and thus, wiser, more reflective, more emotionally mature "Worn out wood and familiar songs" He thinks about Jeff a lot now probably when he hears Wilco on the radio and just wonders what might have been - "To hear your voice is not enough/it's more than a shame" We grow a few years older and some of us, if we do it right , we admit that maybe we were wrong and we were the ones who could have made some better decisions "Throw away the bad news/put it to rest" i.e. End the feuding/bitterness. "If learning is living and the truth is a state of mind...ther's something better..." I really think this is a song about a guy who's a little older now and kind of regrets things playing out the way they did and at the same time owning up to his part of how things transpired. It's a deeply sad and melancholic tune and hence St. Genevieve can hold back flood waters but Saints 'don't bother with tear-stained eyes . Irony ; Flood ( HUGE pool of water) and then the Tears of regret. ......Genius song writing
@Boychild I agree to an extent. I always thought this song was about the end of Uncle Tupelo and Jay's relationship with Tweedy. Jay was probably sick of touring with a band that wasn't really his anymore and playing the same old songs. In my view, it is also about trying to move on in a more general sense. It must be recognized, however, that this was written well before Wilco had any success, so I think you might be reading too much into some of the maturity, wisdom and reflection. It will always be my favorite Son Volt song.
@Boychild @Boychild to the poster who replied to boychild, how are you defining success? Jeff Tweedy was definitely enjoying a certain amount of success even before Wilco took off. I think you're implying a measure of intimacy with both Jay and Jeff that obviously does not exist.
@Southsider I was just logging in to say something similar. This album was recorded before Wilco's first album came out. Which means it was written well before Wilco's first album came out. Both of these albums came out in 1995 very quickly after the end of the farewell. So the breakup was still very fresh and neither splinter group had any radio or MTV success at the time. Hell I'd even hazard a guess that Jay started writing this song even before the break-up was official.
@Boychild I think you nailed this song meaning!
“Can you deny There's nothing greater Nothing more Than the traveling hands of time?”
He’s explaining that he doesn’t have power over time he can’t go back and time marches on, it waits for no one.
“St. Genevieve can hold back the water Saints don't bother With the tear-stained eye.”
The town St. Genevieve built dams and levees to hold back the water after it’s flood - but nothing can help him, he cries and nothing can “hold back the water” the “Saints don’t bother” to give him peace.
A song about lost love, lost youth, and cruel truth about time.
100% Mr. Farrar.
Thanks for that info, enviro. Thats what i love about this site, learning more about songs i love.
I think this is one of those beautifully abstract songs that can mean so many htings to people, depending on their circumstances. I take it as living life the best you can, getting the most out of it as you can, experiencing as much as you can, because time moves on regardless, and our time on this earth islimited, even if what we can experience is not.