| Gillian Welch – My First Lover Lyrics | 11 years ago |
|
I don't think this song is metaphorical at all -- it sounds autobiographical to me, like another of my favorite Welch songs, "Wrecking Ball" (not to be confused with the Miley Cyrus hit, lol). I think it's literally about her first lover. It's impressionistic, which is powerful in this context, because that's how adolescent memories look from adulthood: her strongest memories of him are his height, his long hair, and a Steve Miller song. Not necessarily a story of abuse or regret, just a rite of passage seen through the haze of the time that's passed since. Beautifully rendered. I love the hard-edged banjo in this one, and I love how she's able to use her adopted Appalachian vernacular to explore hard truths with honesty. |
|
| Jason Isbell – New South Wales Lyrics | 11 years ago |
|
Isbell writes a lot of songs about touring, so I think that this song is not actually *about* New South Wales, Australia, but rather about thoughts and experiences that he had while he was there on tour. About the Listerine line -- I think he just means that the tequila he was served there was so bad that even Listerine would have been more enjoyable as a drink. I'd also note that Isbell is a recovering addict, and some people with severe alcoholism do in fact drink Listerine if they can't get anything else. The tequila reference is just one of several references to substance abuse in this song. I think that Isbell wrote this either before he got clean, or was looking back on his pre-sobriety life. The refrain of "God bless the busted boat that brings us back" sounds to me like a longing for change and redemption, something that even those of us who aren't addicts can relate to. A very poignant song, from an album that is full of them! |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.