I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Old James Dean Monroe
Hands out flowers at the Shop-N-Go
Hopes for money but all he gets is fear
And the wind blows up his coat
And this he scribbles on a perfume note
"If I'm not here, then you're not here"
And he says, "Call me Miscreation
I'm a walking celebration"
And it's hard to make a stand, yeah
And it's hard to make a stand, woo
Yeah, it's hard to make a stand
My friend, oh, Lordy
Went to take care of her own body
And she got shot down in the road
She looked up before she went
Said, "This isn't really what I meant"
And the daily news said, "Two with one stone"
And I say, "Hey there, Miscreation
Bring a flower, time is wasting"
And it's hard to make a stand
And it's hard to make a stand
Well, it's hard to make a stand
You know, it's hard to make a stand
Yes, it is
We got loud guitars and big suspicions
Great big guns and small ambitions
And we still argue over who is God
And I say, "Hey, there, Miscreation
Bring a flower, time is wasting
I say, "Hey, there, Miscreation
We all need a celebration"
And it's hard to make a stand, yeah
And it's hard to make a stand
Oh, it's hard to make a stand
Yeah, it's hard to make a stand, oh
I think it's hard to make a stand (okay)
Hands out flowers at the Shop-N-Go
Hopes for money but all he gets is fear
And the wind blows up his coat
And this he scribbles on a perfume note
"If I'm not here, then you're not here"
And he says, "Call me Miscreation
I'm a walking celebration"
And it's hard to make a stand, yeah
And it's hard to make a stand, woo
Yeah, it's hard to make a stand
My friend, oh, Lordy
Went to take care of her own body
And she got shot down in the road
She looked up before she went
Said, "This isn't really what I meant"
And the daily news said, "Two with one stone"
And I say, "Hey there, Miscreation
Bring a flower, time is wasting"
And it's hard to make a stand
And it's hard to make a stand
Well, it's hard to make a stand
You know, it's hard to make a stand
Yes, it is
We got loud guitars and big suspicions
Great big guns and small ambitions
And we still argue over who is God
And I say, "Hey, there, Miscreation
Bring a flower, time is wasting
I say, "Hey, there, Miscreation
We all need a celebration"
And it's hard to make a stand, yeah
And it's hard to make a stand
Oh, it's hard to make a stand
Yeah, it's hard to make a stand, oh
I think it's hard to make a stand (okay)
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
Hard to Make a Stand Lyrics as written by R S Bryan Bill Bottrell
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Sheryl has told this story many times.. Basically her studio was by a coffee shop in pasadena, and one time a man was handing flowers out to customers and got kicked out of the shop and the next when she went he was at the window with the sign that said If i'm not here then you're not here, and signed it Miss Creation.
I actually heard somewhere that this song is about a transvestite, hence the James Dean Monroe gender-bending name. "Miscreation" would fit this meaning because it could be taken both as Miss Creation and the sarcastic statement that he is a miscreation.
Plus, if it's about a crossdresser, that makes the image of the wind blowing up his coat reflect the famous image of the wind blowing up Marilyn Monroe's dress (especially since he's adopted part of her name) - and that's just awesome :)
This song rocks! In a hundred ways! My fav SC song!! Although, it is not just about abortion. It’s about how Americans see and relate to other cultures and beliefs and how difficult it can be to see the world through someone else’s eyes (abortion, gun control, gays (miscreation), religion, ect) and how we tend to ignore other points of view completely at times. It is a celebration of diversity and the beauty that comes from that diversity. Not to mention the great guitar solo and crescendo when it says 'we all need a celebration'… :)
Before she sings it live, she says, "This is a song about a cross dresser I once knew in Pasadena, CA."
It's hard to make people understand you.
I'm 100% sure this song is about abortion. Even though Crow is thoroughly pro-choice, the song is basically showing both sides of the issue. Either way, she's saying that it's such a touchy subject that it's "hard to make a stand."
Thanks for that MoogleDr. Wasnt sure what it was about but that all makes perfect sense.
Miscreation means something abnormal or anomalous. If you were birth wasn't planed then you could be called a Miscreation.
My friend, o lawdy, Went to take care of her own body, And she got shot down in the road She looked up before she went, Said, "This isn't really what I meant" And the daily news said,"Two with one stone"
I love this cos its kind of funny. I guess o lawdy was going to get an abortion but before she could make it to the hospital she got shot. Hence the "two hit one stone" for her and her baby.
Lilsista and Online: I think you're both right about this song but I also think the lyrics are more accusatory than you say.
MoogleDr: I think your interpretation is reasonable but is way too charitable to Ms. Crow.
I think she's saying this: There are two kinds of people in the world: the oppressed and the oppressors. James Dean Monroe and Crow's pregnant friend are among the oppressed, who find it "hard to make a stand". The rest of us, the oppressors, -- refuse to give money to bums at the supermarket because of our "big suspicions" and -- murder people at abortion clinics because of our "big guns and small ambitions" and -- waste effort "arguing over who is God" instead of making this earth a humanist paradise. Clearly we oppressors "all need a revelation".
So does Sheryl Crow think of herself as an oppressor or one of the oppressed? Is she finding it "hard to make a stand"?
Believe it or not, I love this song and think it shows off Crow's great talent. If, however, in some alternate universe, I had invented this song's music, the lyrics would be completely different.