Silver Street Lyrics
Over Silver Street
They got 'em dressed up like clowns
Married couples slamming doors
Bums praising the Lord
You're playing tapes for the town
And your college friends
Are getting younger every year
The wind don't blow
And the grass don't grow
You're never leaving Silver Street
At a junk shop
And that was you trademark at school
Now they're barely hanging on
And the styles are moving on
It's hard for a man to stay cool.
And the storefronts change
While everything stays the same
The wind don't blow
And the grass don't grow
You're never leaving Silver Street
Cause I like this neighbourhood
Oh, and seeing you was good
But now we spent the day
So completely uninspired
Asking, "Why should I be tired?"
They're filling the potholes in on Silver Street
You're waking the neighbours up at noon
Now your friends are out on break
And you're out on your brown lawn
Breaking the dirt with a broom

Ben Folds really likes doing songs about characters in sad situations, especially women (Alice Childress, Emaline, Jane). This is more of a general statement on the lack of ambition or future that so many small towns suffer from. It's sad, but in a sweet kind of way. It was probably cut from the first album because it was too like Alice Childress, or not as similar as the other songs.

I moved into an apartment last year and really regretted having that place after getting "settled in". I had just bought the Ben Folds Live album and couldn't stop listening to this song, even though it made me feel like shit for being where I was: alone in an apartment that was too small, on a street that was too quiet...I felt like shit but the song was nice company.

i think this song might be about the neighborhood folds grew up in, buena vista, one of the nicer places in town. the song has this 'things are rough all over' message, and there is kind of a parallel between the pain of growing up and changing emotionally while seeing things change around you physically.

i retract my previous comment, folds actually grew up off polo rd. in winston. no doubt the song is probably still about buena vista ro some place like it...

i think you guys may all be wrong,i think this song is about a guy that went away to school,lived w/ friends and they all grew up and graduated,he stayed behind,and never really grew up any more

I was in connecticut and i saw an exit sign for "Silver Street" I wonder if it was the same street

This song is about a woman that is trapped in a relationship and only wants to fly to Mexico and have a vacation on the beach for two and a half weeks. No it isn't. I really like that the Ben Folds posters do not post stupid intricate meanings to songs. Shows only smart people listen to him or his songs are easy to understand so dumb people can listen to him...now I don't know which one I am.