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.
She's got houseplants,
To keep her company.
I bought her a goldfish
She named it after me.
We look at old photographs,
Of lovers come and gone
Ask her if it makes her sad
She says "son you've got so much to learn."
Juliette
The love of life that you have kept
Juliette
Smiling on her dying bed
Juliette
Got a grace about you yet.
Juliette
Smoking her last cigarette
Three is teatime,
She puts on patsy cline
Cuts the crusts of sandwiches
Mentions how she don't mind dyin'
Tells stories about pearl and earl
Best friends that she once had
We do the dishes,
Then she says its time for bed
Juliette
The love of life that you have kept
Juliette
Smiling on her dying bed
Juliette
Got a grace about you yet.
Juliette
Smoking her last cigarette
We ate ice cream
Last night before she slept
No plans for breakfast
Except to read the note she left
Gray and white skies
That day was a blur for me
She made me promise not to cry
So here's a drink I drink to thee.
Juliette
The love of life that you have kept
Juliette
Smiling on her dying bed
Juliette
Got a grace about you yet.
Juliette
Smoking her last cigarette
Juliette
Juliette
To keep her company.
I bought her a goldfish
She named it after me.
We look at old photographs,
Of lovers come and gone
Ask her if it makes her sad
She says "son you've got so much to learn."
Juliette
The love of life that you have kept
Juliette
Smiling on her dying bed
Juliette
Got a grace about you yet.
Juliette
Smoking her last cigarette
Three is teatime,
She puts on patsy cline
Cuts the crusts of sandwiches
Mentions how she don't mind dyin'
Tells stories about pearl and earl
Best friends that she once had
We do the dishes,
Then she says its time for bed
Juliette
The love of life that you have kept
Juliette
Smiling on her dying bed
Juliette
Got a grace about you yet.
Juliette
Smoking her last cigarette
We ate ice cream
Last night before she slept
No plans for breakfast
Except to read the note she left
Gray and white skies
That day was a blur for me
She made me promise not to cry
So here's a drink I drink to thee.
Juliette
The love of life that you have kept
Juliette
Smiling on her dying bed
Juliette
Got a grace about you yet.
Juliette
Smoking her last cigarette
Juliette
Juliette
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I'm fairly certain it's about an old lady (possibly his mother or grandmother, but more likely his friend / someone he takes care of, because he keeps referring to her first name instead of 'mom' or similar family terms) who has come to terms with dying and doesn't mind the idea of her life coming to an end. She had a lot of life experience ( "son, you have so much to learn"), they look at old photographs, she mentions friends with rather dated names; it's rather unlikely she isn't old. What interests me is if it is a true story dedicated to someone, or just a song
Taken from Hollerado's website
i think this song is about a memory. probably about a family figure i think it is his grandmother.
It's about this guy's girl (friend or girlfriend most likely) commiting suicide. Before she did, he would often notice how comfortable she was with the idea of death. So comfortable she could passively talk about it while cutting the crust off of bread.
I love how he gives the little Romeo and Juliette refference with 'I drink to thee' after seeing she was gone. Very classy stuff.
Pearl and earl: riches and friends Going to sleep: dying
Definitely one of my favorite songs that I found in Blalock's playlist :)
i like your analysis, but a few things in the song don't make sense if it was his girlfriend or friend. first, when they're talking about her lovers in the first verse, she says "son, you've got so much to learn". i don't think someone his age would call him that. also, i kind of doubt that anyone his age would listen to patsy cline. <br /> <br /> therefore, i really think that it was about his grandmother, who was an awesome grandmother, passing away from cancer or something where she would know she was about to die.
This song is actually about his aunt.
About either his mom or grand-ma being terminally ill. How somebody who knows they're about to die cam be so accepting of it.
I agree with Dylan. I think it's likely that the eponymous Juliette is actually some familial relation, he's simply gotten to know her more on a friend-to-friend level than mother-to-child or what have you. He goes to visit her for the last time, and they both know it. I think that's what's the most sad about the song - the loss of a loved one, even if they've come to peace with it, can sometimes be hard to bear.
I think that the story arc is, if taken literally, a person who frequently visits an elderly friend or possibly family member. The use of the first name suggests that it isn't family, although it could just be because it sounds better than 'grandma' or 'aunt Juliette'. In any case, they talk and share stories and enjoy each other's company but she has some sort of terminal illness or is simply ready to pass on and she eventually commits suicide, hence the note. The fact she fell 'asleep' suggests she poisoned herself in some way.