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.
"Downstream" by The Rainmakers from _The_Rainmakers_
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Well, me and Mark Twain were having us a ball
Telling each other lies, floating down from Hannibal
With a bottle and a worm and a cane pole
We were fishing for secrets where the catfish crawl
And the Mississippi River's flowing downstream
Meet the Gulf of Mexico somewhere downstream
Meet the Atlantic Ocean somewhere downstream
Gonna meet you in the water somewhere downstream
Well, we picked up Harry Truman floating down from Independence
We said "What about the war?", he said "Good riddance"
We said "What about the Bomb, are you sorry that you did it?"
He said "Pass me that bottle, and mind your own business"
And the Mississippi River's flowing downstream
Meet the Gulf of Mexico somewhere downstream
Meet the Atlantic Ocean somewhere downstream
Gonna meet you in the water somewhere downstream
Well, we're rounding St. Louis and heading for the coast
When we pick up Chuck Berry in a little rowboat
With one oar in the water and one in the air
A lightning rod for a white guitar
And lightning struck once, and lightning struck twice
And I said "If there's a God, He sure ain't nice"
And Chuck said "God is an Indian giver
I don't trust nothing but the Mississippi River"
And the Mississippi River's flowing downstream
Meet the Gulf of Mexico somewhere downstream
Meet the Atlantic Ocean somewhere downstream
Gonna meet you in the water somewhere downstream
----------------------------------------------------
Well, me and Mark Twain were having us a ball
Telling each other lies, floating down from Hannibal
With a bottle and a worm and a cane pole
We were fishing for secrets where the catfish crawl
And the Mississippi River's flowing downstream
Meet the Gulf of Mexico somewhere downstream
Meet the Atlantic Ocean somewhere downstream
Gonna meet you in the water somewhere downstream
Well, we picked up Harry Truman floating down from Independence
We said "What about the war?", he said "Good riddance"
We said "What about the Bomb, are you sorry that you did it?"
He said "Pass me that bottle, and mind your own business"
And the Mississippi River's flowing downstream
Meet the Gulf of Mexico somewhere downstream
Meet the Atlantic Ocean somewhere downstream
Gonna meet you in the water somewhere downstream
Well, we're rounding St. Louis and heading for the coast
When we pick up Chuck Berry in a little rowboat
With one oar in the water and one in the air
A lightning rod for a white guitar
And lightning struck once, and lightning struck twice
And I said "If there's a God, He sure ain't nice"
And Chuck said "God is an Indian giver
I don't trust nothing but the Mississippi River"
And the Mississippi River's flowing downstream
Meet the Gulf of Mexico somewhere downstream
Meet the Atlantic Ocean somewhere downstream
Gonna meet you in the water somewhere downstream
Lyrics submitted by Dogplatter
Downstream Lyrics as written by Bob Walkenhorst
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The name says it all. "Downstream" means going with the flow, doing what is easiest, if not necessarily the best or right thing. Harry Truman detonated the nukes over Japan because it was the quickest, easiest way to win the war and minimize AMerican casualties. His comment, "..mind your own business." indicates that he knew he was commiting genocide, but he felt it the best way to conserve American forces.
"Lightning rod for a white guitar".. No idea. Can someone enlighten me as to that one?
I pretty much agree with you on the Harry Truman comment. Of course he was sorry he did it. I wouldn't call it genocide, but if he had not done it the Japanese would NEVER have surrendered, if they knew we only had 2 bombs , they would have kept fighting. Harry was saying he would take the heat , but a stiff drink dulls the bad feelings.
I think the Chuck Berry line is a lightning rod with a white guitar may refer to this situation described in wikipedia "Touring as Chuck Berry, the legend (1970s) In the 1970s Berry toured on the basis of his earlier successes. He was on the road for many years, carrying only his Gibson guitar, confident that he could hire a band that already knew his music no matter where he went. Allmusic has said that in this period his "live performances became increasingly erratic, [...] working with terrible backup bands and turning in sloppy, out-of-tune performances" which "tarnished his reputation with younger fans and oldtimers" alike. [2]
Among the many bandleaders performing this backup role were Bruce Springsteen and Steve Miller when each was just starting his career. Springsteen related in the video Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll that Berry did not even give the band a set list and just expected the musicians to follow his lead after each guitar intro. Berry neither spoke to nor thanked the band after the show. Nevertheless, Springsteen backed Berry again when he appeared at the concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995."