Reality, it burns
The way we're living is worse
The pillars of inspiration are all falling down
The clean-up won't work while the fallout goes on.
And it's now or never, too close to the latter
We're all living proof that nothing lasts.

Standing in the neutral zone
Living on sleep deprivation
The rural route sleeps while the city bleeds all over itself
Over the falls in a barrel is where the answers have gone
And it's now or never, too close to the latter
We're all living proof that nothing lasts
And it's here for now, transient tomorrow
We're all living proof that nothing lasts.

Another road remains, but it provides no more
It can only take us away
Southbound, you can taste the weather
It feels like home
And it's now or never
Too close to the latter
We're all living proof that nothing lasts
And it's here for now, transient tomorrow
We're all living proof that nothing lasts.


Lyrics submitted by Beazer, edited by bugo

Route Lyrics as written by Jay Farrar

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Route song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

4 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    Life's a winding road and nothing lasts. Go after what you really want while you can.

    left the porchon August 03, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song I think has a lot to do with the final days of Uncle Tupelo

    aic22on August 07, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    And the award for most mystifying Son Volt lyric I present to:

    The rural route sleeps while the city bleeds, all over itself, Over the falls in a barrel is where the answers have gone.

    I suspect theres an autobiographical element to this, maybe it does have something to do with Uncle Tupelo's breakup.

    mgizmo2005on April 24, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    The actual lyric is "Mother road remains/It provides no more/It can only take us away". Most if not all online lyric sites get this wrong. The mother road is of course US Highway 66 ("Route" 66). It is no longer an important route that we rely on, it is only useful for recreational purposes like vacations or holidays. This is a brilliant lyric that ties into the title of the song and makes much more sense than "Another road remains..."

    bugoon September 23, 2020   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
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.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.