Ring on the bar
Clinging water mark
It hints at what I had
And calls up what I can’t

Wring you out of me
Shake the memory free
Can’t squelch them open-souled
Can’t chase away the hole

I have buried you
Every place I’ve been
You keep ending up
In my shaking hands

Ring, sound the alarm
The sting my broken heart
There’s a faintest violinist buried in my gut
There are chances and choices
Sometimes you just have to cut

I have buried you
Every place I’ve been
You keep ending up
In my shaking hands

I have buried you
In my shaking hands
You keep ending up
Every place I’ve been

I have buried you
Every place I’ve been
You keep ending up
In my shaking hands

You keep ending up
Every place I’ve been
In my shaking hands
Every place I am


A Song for a Lover of Long Ago song meanings
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11 Comments

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  • +4
    General Comment

    There is an error.. after this:

    Rain, sound the alarm The sting my broken arm The faintest violinist buried in my gut There are chances and choices sometimes you just have to cut

    I have buried you Every place I've been You keep ending up In my shaking hands

    goes this:

    I have buried you In my shaking hands You keep ending up Every place I've been

    You keep ending up Every place I've been In my shaking hands Every place I am

    illustrationson November 20, 2009   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    I think this song is just about someone whom he loved and they ended for whatever reason, but the memories of her have stayed with him and things remind him of her. He doesn't seem forlorn, seems he's moving on but he's just reminded of her by places and things.

    heathbarrrron November 11, 2011   Link
  • +2
    Song Meaning

    it's about not being able to let someone go.

    "I have buried you Every place I've been You keep ending up In my shaking hands"

    he attempts to bury her, everywhere he goes he tries to move on, tries to forget. but she keep ending up back in his hands, back from where he began. she is unburiable. like living, going through the same motions. in vain.

    some people just don't leave you.

    sheetghoston December 01, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    heres's what i'm hearing (there's also a version of this by DeYarmond Edison, which is great): Rain on the bar Clinging water mark And it hints at what I had Because of what I kept

    Rain you out of me shake a memory free can't squash the molten soul can't chase away the hole

    I have buried you Every place I've been You keep ending up In my shaking hands

    Rain, sound the alarm The stain, my broken heart The famous violinist buried in my gut There are chances and choices sometimes you just have to cut

    I have buried you Every place I've been You keep ending up In my shaking hands

    I have buried you Every place I've been You keep ending up Every place I am

    I have buried you Every place I've been You keep ending up In my shaking hands

    You keep ending up Every place I've been In my shaking hands Every place I am

    YouKnowStuffon August 18, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This one hits home for me, the girl from long ago that you cut loose for (probably) the right reasons, but can't ever truly get over. My favorite verse by far:

    Rain you out of me shake a memory free can't squash the molten soul can't chase away the hole

    Poetry.

    JonnyLon January 30, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Rain you out of me, shake the memory free. Can't squash them open sores can't chase away the hope

    10203040on October 24, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    been listening to this a lot lately, and i like the way he's used this idea that certain people just stay with you where ever you go in a lot of his songs. Wisconsin is another example.

    YouKnowStuffon July 09, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think it's:

    Rain on the bar Clinging water mark(s); it hints at what I had and calls up what I can't.

    Rain you out of me....

    ..can't chase away the hope....?

    10203040on October 23, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this really is powerful This is about forgetting the one you never wanted to forget, and the limbo between being with them and finding someone else, where you try in vain to 'bury' them, but a bad night will always bring you back to clutching something they once gave you, in your 'shaking hands'

    'every place I am'- you're burying them within you, they're under your skin.

    silkwordon May 06, 2014   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I listened closely to the Hazeltons version and changed the verses on here a bit. This is how I interpret the scene of the first verse:

    There's a wedding ring on the bar (he's taken it off), It's a figurative water mark (a leftover reminder like the water ring left from a glass on the bar)/ a literal watermark (a faint symbol). It reminds him of what he had (the relationship) and that he can't have it anymore.

    jcolson2on April 06, 2016   Link

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