| Patty Griffin – Nobody's Crying Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Patty has written a few songs that deal with death. I believe this is one of them. This song is from the point of view of a woman who has lost a man in her life, whether it's her husband or close friend, I'm not sure, but the "darlin" makes me assume it's a romantic type thing. "He jumps in the taxi, headed for the sky" - a man dies. I've pondered the "demon dragonfly" line. This may not be accurate, but maybe the "demon dragonfly" is depression, addiction, etc...that was finally to be conquered in this person by their death. I don't know, just my idea. Maybe even reffering to a disease like cancer. Maybe the cause of death is suicide, due to the pain the person was in, whether physically or mentally. "In an envelope....." As a child, I lost family members. At their services, people close to them would write notes or leave other mementos in the casket with the deceased loved one. I can see that in this case as well. Maybe the chain and a note, or maybe just the chain, and "the note" is simply symbolic for her emotions toward the man. I thought about a gold chain, but then I also thought of a real chain, and how heavy those can be, as if his departure takes away a heavy burden. "Around my throat" makes me think of something binding or choking in a way...("ball and CHAIN" just occured to me as well. lol.) "I love you, but I don't even know why." - they must've had alot of history...maybe she was there for him through it all, and sometimes it felt as if the pain wasn't worth it all. Or maybe he was abusive or unloving and indifferent. The chorus tells of her hoping for the best for this person, wherever they've gone.... "Wishing well" - people throw coins into a fountain or wishing well for good luck...in ancient times, people would throw coins, buttons, jewelry, or small tokens of some kind into the well to hope and wish for luck or healing. Some ancient people believed they were making an offering to a higher power. Maybe she is saying "wherever or whatever God is, I hope you find Him, or Heaven, or wherever there's healing/peace/happiness..." Either she wants the listener to think of their certain beliefs, or she is uncertain of where people go in the afterlife...(makes me think of her song "Goodbye." which I believe is about someone she knew well or had known well died, but didn't know them as well as the person this song is about.) Also, it just occured to me - this is a huge stretch - maybe in her imagination, he's taking the chain she wore around her throat to the wishing well to help her find peace and luck. "swinging off those gates of Hell..." - she is hoping he is in Heaven, or somewhere peaceful. "I can tell how hard you're trying" - still speaking to him as though he were alive, she knows he tried his best to either get over the illness, or to be a better person. Almost as if she could see the person he could be instead of who he was, and she could tell he was trying hard to be that person. Or, if she's speaking to him in death, maybe she is saying she knows he is a good person and that he deserves to be at peace because he made an effort to be a better man. "Still have this secret hope..." - this makes me think of when my maternal grandfather died at age 52. After his death, we would go to visit my grandma in the town they lived in 5 hours away. My Mom would say "it's so weird, I almost expect Daddy to be there at the table, drinking his cup of coffee, but he's not there...." The secret hope could possibly be wishing this person would, by impossible miracle, return. "Sometimes all I do is cope..." another way of saying "I'm getting through it, minute by minute, day by day..." "Somewhere on the steepest slope, is an endless rope, and nobody crying." - she will mourn this person until she dies. Or maybe somewhere, someday, she won't mourn them so deeply that she cries at their thought. "Long night turns into a couple long years." - like I just mentioned - coping day to day....this makes me also think of the song "Goodbye." "Loud voices of my own fear." - the thing she feared has happened - the person she loves died, now she's left behind to live it. "You never gave a damn for me or anything or anyone." - In the grieving process, people sometimes get angry at the person who left them behind. This could be the case, or the man was suicidal and some people view suicide as selfish. That or the other issues he had in life made her feel as though he didn't give a damn. "May you dream you are dreaming....." - death is the eternal sleep...she is hoping his eternal sleep is peaceful "May the voices inside you....." - she is hoping his internal battles are gone, and either hoping he's at peace, or in Heaven, or wherever he has gone off to. The last chorus uses "we" instead of "I" - I feel maybe it's refering to all of us, the human race...sometimes all we do is cope..... Maybe this is sort of accurate. It's just my take. It's a hauntingly beautiful song. Patty is the best. |
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| Patty Griffin – Nobody's Crying Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
Patty has written a few songs that deal with death. I believe this is one of them. This song is from the point of view of a woman who has lost a man in her life, whether it's her husband or close friend, I'm not sure, but the "darlin" makes me assume it's a romantic type thing. "He jumps in the taxi, headed for the sky" - a man dies. I've pondered the "demon dragonfly" line. This may not be accurate, but maybe the "demon dragonfly" is depression, addiction, etc...that was finally to be conquered in this person by their death. I don't know, just my idea. Maybe even reffering to a disease like cancer. Maybe the cause of death is suicide, due to the pain the person was in, whether physically or mentally. "In an envelope....." As a child, I lost family members. At their services, people close to them would write notes or leave other mementos in the casket with the deceased loved one. I can see that in this case as well. Maybe the chain and a note, or maybe just the chain, and "the note" is simply symbolic for her emotions toward the man. I thought about a gold chain, but then I also thought of a real chain, and how heavy those can be, as if his departure takes away a heavy burden. "Around my throat" makes me think of something binding or choking in a way...("ball and CHAIN" just occured to me as well. lol.) "I love you, but I don't even know why." - they must've had alot of history...maybe she was there for him through it all, and sometimes it felt as if the pain wasn't worth it all. Or maybe he was abusive or unloving and indifferent. The chorus tells of her hoping for the best for this person, wherever they've gone.... "Wishing well" - people throw coins into a fountain or wishing well for good luck...in ancient times, people would throw coins, buttons, jewelry, or small tokens of some kind into the well to hope and wish for luck or healing. Some ancient people believed they were making an offering to a higher power. Maybe she is saying "wherever or whatever God is, I hope you find Him, or Heaven, or wherever there's healing/peace/happiness..." Either she wants the listener to think of their certain beliefs, or she is uncertain of where people go in the afterlife...(makes me think of her song "Goodbye." which I believe is about someone she knew well or had known well died, but didn't know them as well as the person this song is about.) Also, it just occured to me - this is a huge stretch - maybe in her imagination, he's taking the chain she wore around her throat to the wishing well to help her find peace and luck. "swinging off those gates of Hell..." - she is hoping he is in Heaven, or somewhere peaceful. "I can tell how hard you're trying" - still speaking to him as though he were alive, she knows he tried his best to either get over the illness, or to be a better person. Almost as if she could see the person he could be instead of who he was, and she could tell he was trying hard to be that person. Or, if she's speaking to him in death, maybe she is saying she knows he is a good person and that he deserves to be at peace because he made an effort to be a better man. "Still have this secret hope..." - this makes me think of when my maternal grandfather died at age 52. After his death, we would go to visit my grandma in the town they lived in 5 hours away. My Mom would say "it's so weird, I almost expect Daddy to be there at the table, drinking his cup of coffee, but he's not there...." The secret hope could possibly be wishing this person would, by impossible miracle, return. "Sometimes all I do is cope..." another way of saying "I'm getting through it, minute by minute, day by day..." "Somewhere on the steepest slope, is an endless rope, and nobody crying." - she will mourn this person until she dies. Or maybe somewhere, someday, she won't mourn them so deeply that she cries at their thought. "Long night turns into a couple long years." - like I just mentioned - coping day to day....this makes me also think of the song "Goodbye." "Loud voices of my own fear." - the thing she feared has happened - the person she loves died, now she's left behind to live it. "You never gave a damn for me or anything or anyone." - In the grieving process, people sometimes get angry at the person who left them behind. This could be the case, or the man was suicidal and some people view suicide as selfish. That or the other issues he had in life made her feel as though he didn't give a damn. "May you dream you are dreaming....." - death is the eternal sleep...she is hoping his eternal sleep is peaceful "May the voices inside you....." - she is hoping his internal battles are gone, and either hoping he's at peace, or in Heaven, or wherever he has gone off to. The last chorus uses "we" instead of "I" - I feel maybe it's refering to all of us, the human race...sometimes all we do is cope..... Maybe this is sort of accurate. It's just my take. It's a hauntingly beautiful song. Patty is the best. |
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