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Out of Jail Lyrics

Long before the screen door slammed
she was out of Xenia
Stranger could have loved that town
but she had to leave
Wish I'd gotten to know her before I fell in love

I could say who's to blame, say who's the man
in this cautionary tale
But I swore I'd be true and I'll swear and I'll swear
'til Kitten's out of jail

It was like a TV show, the way she stole that car
Easy now to criticize, easy now to talk
I thought my luck was changing
I guess I was wrong

I could say who's to blame, say who's the man
in this cautionary tale
But I swore I'd be true and I'll swear and I'll swear
'til Kitten's out of jail

Didn't want to be a slave, just turned out that way

I wish I'd gotten to know her before I fell in love
I could say she's to blame, say she's the man
in this cautionary tale
But I swore I'd be true, and I'll swear and I'll swear
'til Kitten's out of jail
Song Info
Submitted by
snozzberry On Aug 16, 2002
2 Meanings

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Cover art for Out of Jail lyrics by They Might Be Giants

This has to be one of the most underrated TMBG songs of all time. What a great little tune this is.

My Opinion
Cover art for Out of Jail lyrics by They Might Be Giants

So, let's start with line 1: "Long before the screen door slammed, she was out of Xenia" I always wondered what "Xenia was". As it turns out, this is a reference to Homer's Odyssey. Xenia is a Greek concept encompassing the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home. In other words, Hospitality.

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