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.
Picture they took of you in your cowboy hat
Makes you look like you are one of the boys
Out on a Saturday night, meanwhile on the outskirts of the dance hall
I'm a joke that you'd probably enjoy
On the outside of Memphis all the building look big
And the white picket fences all dare to charge around the lawn
And hold their heads up high when my headlights find them out
They'll be the first to put their hands in the air with my radio on
Singing a country song soft and low
Oh when I've got a worried mind I know
I hear the ghost of Patsy Cline
On the Grand Old Opry Show
Living on the edge of the city limit line
This is where the boundary finally ends
And I swear that we're the last living souls in a populated ghost town
All the billboards are our best friends
Which way did our last chance go and can we
Get out if we go right now?
It seems that with the malls and the mega-church stadiums
We would get out if we knew just how with the radio on
Standing in line to get my self-help book signed off
On by the reverend who shouts to the converted
Have mercy on this boy he did it all by the book
But still kind of has his doubts
Oh you look pretty good in that jonquil dress
But your smile is a wooden nickel's pride
and I know that it ain't worth much but I feels good to touch
And I think that I could dance if I tried with your radio on
Oh when I've got a worried mind I know
I hear the ghost of Patsy Cline
On the Grand Old Opry Show
Makes you look like you are one of the boys
Out on a Saturday night, meanwhile on the outskirts of the dance hall
I'm a joke that you'd probably enjoy
On the outside of Memphis all the building look big
And the white picket fences all dare to charge around the lawn
And hold their heads up high when my headlights find them out
They'll be the first to put their hands in the air with my radio on
Singing a country song soft and low
Oh when I've got a worried mind I know
I hear the ghost of Patsy Cline
On the Grand Old Opry Show
Living on the edge of the city limit line
This is where the boundary finally ends
And I swear that we're the last living souls in a populated ghost town
All the billboards are our best friends
Which way did our last chance go and can we
Get out if we go right now?
It seems that with the malls and the mega-church stadiums
We would get out if we knew just how with the radio on
Standing in line to get my self-help book signed off
On by the reverend who shouts to the converted
Have mercy on this boy he did it all by the book
But still kind of has his doubts
Oh you look pretty good in that jonquil dress
But your smile is a wooden nickel's pride
and I know that it ain't worth much but I feels good to touch
And I think that I could dance if I tried with your radio on
Oh when I've got a worried mind I know
I hear the ghost of Patsy Cline
On the Grand Old Opry Show
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Jonquils are flowers. As to the song, it's awesome. It's got so many mixed emotions in it, everyone will interpret it differently. Just like a lot of Josh's songs.