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.
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go down to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see 'em again till the fourth of July
I knew a lady who came from Duluth
She got bit by a dog with a rabid tooth
She went to her grave just a little too soon
Flew away howling on the yellow moon
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go down to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see 'em again till the fourth of July
The people cry and the people moan
Look for a dry place to call their home
Try to find some place to rest their bones
While the angels and the devils try to make their own
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go down to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see 'em again till the fourth of July
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go down to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see 'em again till the fourth of July
I knew a lady who came from Duluth
She got bit by a dog with a rabid tooth
She went to her grave just a little too soon
Flew away howling on the yellow moon
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go down to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see 'em again till the fourth of July
The people cry and the people moan
Look for a dry place to call their home
Try to find some place to rest their bones
While the angels and the devils try to make their own
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go down to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see 'em again till the fourth of July
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First of all, we do not see the world how it is, we see it how we are. But there are some ways of seeing the world which are just plain wrong, and this might be one of those times. I believe there is a big tongue placed firmly in the cheek. And yet the song describes a kind of suffering. It is the suffering of someone who does not suffer much at all, yet suffers the greatest kind of suffering, fear of being judged.
To believe that a person can be judged as "good" or "bad" seems to be implicitly challenged here. Am I good? Am I bad? Am I part of the good guys? Am I part of the bad guys? Will I come back if I go to hell? Can I be redeamed?
When a person is said to "cry and moan" are we really being asked to simpathize? I don't think so. Cry and moan, piss and moan, not much genuine suffering. Yellow is fear. Mooning is wishing in a certain way.
The whole song is a put-down of belief systems which are embraced by everyone to insulate them from their fear of death.
The real message is: there is no heaven or hell, there are no good people or bad people, and the belief systems that promote such beliefs are as spiritually empty as the Fourth of July.
@Bacfrumdudderside Good freakin answer.