Watertown Plank Lyrics
like alot of his songs, he sings about summer again (is it me or does 30 degrees everywhere really remind you of a summer love?), and i think that this song, which was from the same recordings as 30 degrees, ties in well with that album and it's summer vibe. another possible song about a summer crush from his teenage years. i like the last line "like fire, you never really know what's there"
To me this song sounds like a very young adult missing his boyhood days. "There will be ice cream for naked boys swimming in kettles" sounds like something a patient mother would say to a stubborn little boy who she's trying to get to take a bath...like "naked boys who get in the bath will get an ice cream later!" The narrator is recalling these fond memories and the warmth his mother always gave him
"Tornado country beat Allen lumber into mud ponds" makes me think of a youth baseball game, where little league teams are often named after local businesses who sponsor them/support the team. Allen Lumber would be an obvious one but I'm not sure what type of business tornado country could be. "Mud ponds?" Maybe the game took place during the rain and the baseball diamond got all muddy. He misses playing little league baseball.
"I want to live in your house, I want to live in your room, I want to sleep in your bed, this summer (afraid)." Maybe this song is from the perspective of a kid who's off to college, perhaps for his freshman year. He craved his independence and to be away from home, but now that he's away, he misses it and is fearful to be out all by himself. He's excited to go back home for the summer. He wants to live in his parents house, stay in his old room, and maybe recalling early days of when he'd sleep in his parents bed with them as a small child.
"like fire you never really know what's there"- to be honest, I don't understand the "fire" part but the "you never really know what's there" could speak to the classic "you don't know what you got till it's gone" sort of thing. This guy misses the simple and fun life of childhood.