Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Take good care of what you've got
My father said to me
As he puffed his pipe and Baby B
He dandled on his knee
Don't fool with fools who'll turn away
Keep all good company
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Take care of those you call your own
And keep good company
Soon I grew and happy too
My very good friends and me
We'd play all day with Sally J
The girl from number four
Very soon, I begged her, won't you keep me company?
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Come marry me, forevermore, we'll be good company
Now marriage is an institution, sure
My wife and I, our needs, and nothing more
All my friends by a year
By and by, disappeared
But we're safe enough behind our door
I flourished in my humble trade
My reputation grew
The work devoured my waking hours
But when my time was through
Reward of all my efforts
My own limited company
I hardly noticed Sally as we parted company
All through the years, in the end, it appears
There was never really anyone but me
Now I'm old, I puff my pipe
But no one's there to see
I ponder on the lesson of my life's insanity
Take care of those you call your own
And keep good company
My father said to me
As he puffed his pipe and Baby B
He dandled on his knee
Don't fool with fools who'll turn away
Keep all good company
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Take care of those you call your own
And keep good company
Soon I grew and happy too
My very good friends and me
We'd play all day with Sally J
The girl from number four
Very soon, I begged her, won't you keep me company?
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Come marry me, forevermore, we'll be good company
Now marriage is an institution, sure
My wife and I, our needs, and nothing more
All my friends by a year
By and by, disappeared
But we're safe enough behind our door
I flourished in my humble trade
My reputation grew
The work devoured my waking hours
But when my time was through
Reward of all my efforts
My own limited company
I hardly noticed Sally as we parted company
All through the years, in the end, it appears
There was never really anyone but me
Now I'm old, I puff my pipe
But no one's there to see
I ponder on the lesson of my life's insanity
Take care of those you call your own
And keep good company
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
In response to the person who commented on "Sally J" being from "Number 4." It's deliberate. Do you really think the guy wrote an entire song in rhyme and suddenly hit his head in the middle of it for a momentary lapse then never noticed it during the entire recording and mixing session? And that nobody else noticed it either when it so obviously sticks out? This is referred to as a cheating rhyme, althought there's another term for it as well which I forget. Many poets use it, such as Emily Dickinson. What it does is put emphasis on the line so that you won't get bored of hearing he same old couplets over and oer again. It also relies heavily on your anticipating the coming rhyme. It's quite clever. I believe every time a poet does it they do it with a sly look in their eyes.