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.
Why do I have to stay,
And why does she get to go
Oh, why, do I have to stay here,
And why, does she get to go?
Oh why, do I have to stay here,
Why does she get to go?
Down came Bill Jocko
From the heart of Hooterville
Take down your Christmas tree
But I know that you never will
Riding lover was his lady,
And she did not know his mind
When Billy took the Datsun
To the top for the last time
And that’s when they were
Drunk on wine coolers
That they stole from her mother
Drunk on the Summer
And drunk on each other
You better take a right at the graveyard
And a left over at the ghetto
Climb up to where it’s dark
And gonna take all of our clothes off
Lucinda had her head down,
Braiding her hair so she could not see,
That William had his eyes closed,
Headin’ straight for a tree,
And that’s when they were
Drunk on wine coolers
That they stole from her mother
Drunk on the Summer
And drunk on each other
One, or two, or three hundred feet down to the ground
Let’s do it now when there ain't no park ranger hangin' ‘round
He cut the wheel on banana peels,
We’re goin’ straight into a skid
Shut off the motor, and gone straight off of the ridge
They hit hard, like a broken wand,
And Lucinda she was dead
He climbed back up to the top,
And this is what he said,
He said
Why do I have to stay here, and why does she get to go?
Why do I have to stay here, and why does she get to go?
Why do I have to stay here, and why does she get to go?
Why does she?
Why does she?
Why does she?
Why does she?
And why does she get to go
Oh, why, do I have to stay here,
And why, does she get to go?
Oh why, do I have to stay here,
Why does she get to go?
Down came Bill Jocko
From the heart of Hooterville
Take down your Christmas tree
But I know that you never will
Riding lover was his lady,
And she did not know his mind
When Billy took the Datsun
To the top for the last time
And that’s when they were
Drunk on wine coolers
That they stole from her mother
Drunk on the Summer
And drunk on each other
You better take a right at the graveyard
And a left over at the ghetto
Climb up to where it’s dark
And gonna take all of our clothes off
Lucinda had her head down,
Braiding her hair so she could not see,
That William had his eyes closed,
Headin’ straight for a tree,
And that’s when they were
Drunk on wine coolers
That they stole from her mother
Drunk on the Summer
And drunk on each other
One, or two, or three hundred feet down to the ground
Let’s do it now when there ain't no park ranger hangin' ‘round
He cut the wheel on banana peels,
We’re goin’ straight into a skid
Shut off the motor, and gone straight off of the ridge
They hit hard, like a broken wand,
And Lucinda she was dead
He climbed back up to the top,
And this is what he said,
He said
Why do I have to stay here, and why does she get to go?
Why do I have to stay here, and why does she get to go?
Why do I have to stay here, and why does she get to go?
Why does she?
Why does she?
Why does she?
Why does she?
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