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.
Sunday night, its supper time, the hotel?s full and all is fine.
You can see that No Vacancy sign from the window of room 39
Monday morning at half past eight, everybody's gone, they left no trace.
I sit alone as the day grows late, wait to see your friendly face
Why you chose my hotel I'm not real qualified to tell,
It's just your face I remember well, when you asked if I had a room to sell
Maybe you liked just what you saw,
The cable TV and the indoor spa or maybe it was the low low price? twenty-seven bucks a night
Say the highway is for lovers, but he ain?t no friend of mine,
Because every time I find my heart, I lose it to that long yellow line
You checked in, I checked you out, you smiled from the corners of your mouth
I turned on the no-vacancy sign as you checked in to room 39
I saw the light from your TV, you were watching channel 23, the night was long, the dark was deep, I kinda cried myself to sleep
Say the highway is for lovers, but he ain?t no friend of mine, because every time I find my heart, I lose it to that long yellow line
Morning broke itself at last, you got your continental breakfast,
Dropped off the key and said goodbye, I think I thought I heard you sigh
I caught a glimpse of your license plate, you were drifting down the interstate
It said you were from Delaware, I said oh it must be gorgeous there
You can see that No Vacancy sign from the window of room 39
Monday morning at half past eight, everybody's gone, they left no trace.
I sit alone as the day grows late, wait to see your friendly face
Why you chose my hotel I'm not real qualified to tell,
It's just your face I remember well, when you asked if I had a room to sell
Maybe you liked just what you saw,
The cable TV and the indoor spa or maybe it was the low low price? twenty-seven bucks a night
Say the highway is for lovers, but he ain?t no friend of mine,
Because every time I find my heart, I lose it to that long yellow line
You checked in, I checked you out, you smiled from the corners of your mouth
I turned on the no-vacancy sign as you checked in to room 39
I saw the light from your TV, you were watching channel 23, the night was long, the dark was deep, I kinda cried myself to sleep
Say the highway is for lovers, but he ain?t no friend of mine, because every time I find my heart, I lose it to that long yellow line
Morning broke itself at last, you got your continental breakfast,
Dropped off the key and said goodbye, I think I thought I heard you sigh
I caught a glimpse of your license plate, you were drifting down the interstate
It said you were from Delaware, I said oh it must be gorgeous there
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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i think josh says this best himself. i saw him do this live, and this is what he said about the song:
"i wrote this song before i started touring for a living, and i was from idaho, and delaware and rhode island were like totally exotic places. the island, you know, is a total ripoff when you show up. they don't have any palm trees in and any of the dew. you've seen palm trees in like minnesota. they look sad, and they scream quietly. and that's how it is in rhode island too. the are no monkeys; there's nothing there. just a lot of temp work. so, this is for the romance or the east coast and..."
also, he randomly lost his place in the middle of the song and started talking about pathos.
This lyric matches the one on the official website exactly, but the album version is slightly different: the first stanza says "<i>neon</i> No Vacancy sign", and the chorus (the highway is for lovers) is repeated once again after the last verse, with an extra "Oh, that long yellow line" thrown onto the final cadence.
As for the meaning, it's a quintessential Midwestern stuck-in-one-place tragically romantic love story. Hopeful and hopeless in equal measure, brimming with regret and optimism. Oh, Josh. The narrator here longs to leave home and explore the world - "oh, it must be gorgeous there..." - but he's stuck in a job where everyone he meets is from far away. Vraiment tragique.
I can't believe no one has commented on this song. Such a fun song, I love so many lines in this one...
I love this song.
I think it's about a hotel owner who keeps falling for the women who check in for the night. He has to keep watching them leave and he has to stay.