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.
Small town, bright lights, Saturday night
Pinballs and pool halls flashing their lights
Making change behind the counter in a penny arcade
Sat the fat girl daughter of Virginia and Ray
Lydia
Lydia hid her thoughts like a cat
Behind her small eyes sunk deep in her fat
She read romance magazine up in her room
And felt just like Sunday on Saturday afternoon
But dreaming just comes natural
Like the first breath from a baby
Like sunshine feeding daisies
Like the love hidden deep in your heart
Bunk beds, shaved heads, Saturday night
A warehouse of strangers with sixty watt lights
Staring through the ceiling, just wanting to be
Lay one of too many, a young PFC
Donald
There were spaces between Donald and whatever he said
Strangers had forced him to live in his head
He envisioned the details of romantic scenes
After midnight in the stillness of the barracks latrine
But dreaming just comes natural
Like the first breath from a baby
Like sunshine feeding daisies
Like the love hidden deep in your heart
Hot love, cold love, no love at all
A portrait of guilt is hung on the wall
Nothing is wrong, nothing is right
Donald and Lydia made love that night
Love
The made love in the mountains, they made love in the streams
They made love in the valleys, they made love in their dreams
But when they was finished there was nothing to say
'Cause mostly they made love from ten miles away
But dreaming just comes natural
Like the first breath from a baby
Like sunshine feeding daisies
Like the love hidden deep in your heart
Pinballs and pool halls flashing their lights
Making change behind the counter in a penny arcade
Sat the fat girl daughter of Virginia and Ray
Lydia
Lydia hid her thoughts like a cat
Behind her small eyes sunk deep in her fat
She read romance magazine up in her room
And felt just like Sunday on Saturday afternoon
But dreaming just comes natural
Like the first breath from a baby
Like sunshine feeding daisies
Like the love hidden deep in your heart
Bunk beds, shaved heads, Saturday night
A warehouse of strangers with sixty watt lights
Staring through the ceiling, just wanting to be
Lay one of too many, a young PFC
Donald
There were spaces between Donald and whatever he said
Strangers had forced him to live in his head
He envisioned the details of romantic scenes
After midnight in the stillness of the barracks latrine
But dreaming just comes natural
Like the first breath from a baby
Like sunshine feeding daisies
Like the love hidden deep in your heart
Hot love, cold love, no love at all
A portrait of guilt is hung on the wall
Nothing is wrong, nothing is right
Donald and Lydia made love that night
Love
The made love in the mountains, they made love in the streams
They made love in the valleys, they made love in their dreams
But when they was finished there was nothing to say
'Cause mostly they made love from ten miles away
But dreaming just comes natural
Like the first breath from a baby
Like sunshine feeding daisies
Like the love hidden deep in your heart
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I'm always amazed when I see John Prine in person and this song draws laughs. Yes it's about masturbation. But more importantly it's about loneliness and isolation. It's such a sad song and the line "fat girl daughter of Virginia and Ray" always draws a number of laughs. I just shake my head in wonder.
It has unspoken masturbation but that's not what it's about. It's about 2 very lonely people. Forced to live in their heads and made to feel guilty by the world because they are not beautiful and probably known abuse as a child. Laugh if you want but you don't get it.
Only John could make a song about masterbation sound romantic!
@cheekie . . . he's certainly taken it beyond the realm of solo activity.
haha true true. also thanks to bobo192 for donating all these fab john prine songs. XXX
masterbation
One of Bob Dylan's favorite songs by Prine, who was inspired to write it having heard Dylan's "Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll."