The Tragically Hip – Goodnight Josephine

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I remember a girl on her cellphone
surrounded by her friends
eyes flickering she's trying
to smother a smile in her hands
Is it someone for us
someone more worry-free
someone who can say,
'leave the worrying about him to me Josephine'?

I remember you there in the last rays
of light at diplomacy's end
eyes flickering you're crying,
'but, isn't this when the crimes begin?'
when the people you want to don't
and the people who do
you don't believe
do you Josephine?

I remember you there at the table
surrounded by all the days plans
eyes flickering you're trying
to let a coffee cup warm your hands
Maybe we're born lost
born to persevere
but honey I'd walk into your painting
until I reappeared
as a speck of comet-tail dust
a blue-green northern light
flickering just
in your eyes' deepest ravines
goodnight goodnight Josephine.


Lyrics submitted by Bofug

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4 Comments

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  • 0
    General CommentCamon folks, this is a wicked track. I know nobody knows me, or my taste in music, but go out on a larf and download this tune.
    I believe it alludes to Napoleon's relationship with Josephine as a metaphor for every guy's relationship with his girlfriend. To every guy, in his own mind, he sees himself as his woman's conquering hero, and if it is true love, he would do anything for her. Hence the line about walking into his girl's painting. Like Josephine, Gord feels his girl deserves her own painting
    Nick Chopperon February 04, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Commentthis song has some personal meaning to me, but not really due to the words of the song. my old boyfriend used to put this up as his away msg when he was thinking about me.

    basically, its about a man's feelings towards a woman that he loves or had loved at one point in time.
    rachie128on August 16, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Commenta song about a relationship that has long since been over (most of the song is just memories from the narrator), but the guy is just coming to terms with it now. a lot of what he remebers is the end of the relationship, when feelings have changed, and interactions have changed, and at a point where something has been lost that cannot be recovered
    vanceastro2on April 13, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My InterpretationI've always thought that this song, like Throwing Off Glass, and The Last Recluse is about Gord's feelings about a daughter growing up and the changing of the parent/child relationship. "When the people you want to don't, and the people who do, you don't believe" seems like what every teen goes through, when their peer's opinions start to take precedent over their parents, and all you want is the love and affirmation of your friends, and you kinda forget that your family already loves and accepts you.
    The last verse of the song always breaks my heart, as it seems to me he's saying "I know that you're growing up and away from me, and needing me less in your life, but I'm not giving up (we're born to persevere), I'm sticking around until you need me in your life again (Honey, I'd walk into your painting until I reappear)--and the most heart-breaking part, where his desperation shows through and he admits that he'll take anything at all as long as he's in her life somewhere (In a speck of comet-tail dust, or a blue-green Northern Light, flickering just in your eye's deepest ravine).
    To me, if this song is just about some ex-girlfriend, it loses some of what makes it so emotionally charged. You get over ex-gf's; how do you get over the little people you created growing up and basically leaving your life?
    I don't know any other songwriter that can wring as much emotion out of a song as Gord can, without the lyrics ever becoming trite or hokey.
    CajunBobon October 18, 2012   Link

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