This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Hey there mister can you tell me what happened to the seeds I've sown
Can you give me a reason sir as to why they've never grown
They've just blown around from town to town
Till they're back out on these fields
Where they fall from my hand
Back into the dirt of this hard land
Now me and my sister from Germantown
We did ride
We made our bed sir from the rock on the mountainside
We been blowin' around from town to town
Lookin' for a place to stand
Where the sun burst through the cloud
To fall like a circle
Like a circle of fire down on this hard land
Now even the rain it don't come 'round
It don't come 'round here no more
And the only sound at night's the wind
Slammin' the back porch door
It just stirs you up like it wants to blow you down
Twistin' and churnin' up the sand
Leavin' all them scarecrows lyin' face down
Face down in the dirt of this hard land
From a building up on the hill
I can hear a tape deck blastin' "Home on the Range"
I can see them Bar-M choppers
Sweepin' low across the plains
It's me and you Frank we're lookin' for lost cattle
Our hooves twistin' and churnin' up the sand
We're ridin' in the whirlwind searchin' for lost treasure
Way down south of the Rio Grande
We're ridin' 'cross that river
In the moonlight
Up onto the banks of this hard land
Hey Frank won't ya pack your bags
And meet me tonight down at Liberty Hall
Just one kiss from you my brother
And we'll ride until we fall
We'll sleep in the fields
We'll sleep by the rivers and in the morning
We'll make a plan
Well if you can't make it
Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive
If you can
And meet me in a dream of this hard land
Can you give me a reason sir as to why they've never grown
They've just blown around from town to town
Till they're back out on these fields
Where they fall from my hand
Back into the dirt of this hard land
Now me and my sister from Germantown
We did ride
We made our bed sir from the rock on the mountainside
We been blowin' around from town to town
Lookin' for a place to stand
Where the sun burst through the cloud
To fall like a circle
Like a circle of fire down on this hard land
Now even the rain it don't come 'round
It don't come 'round here no more
And the only sound at night's the wind
Slammin' the back porch door
It just stirs you up like it wants to blow you down
Twistin' and churnin' up the sand
Leavin' all them scarecrows lyin' face down
Face down in the dirt of this hard land
From a building up on the hill
I can hear a tape deck blastin' "Home on the Range"
I can see them Bar-M choppers
Sweepin' low across the plains
It's me and you Frank we're lookin' for lost cattle
Our hooves twistin' and churnin' up the sand
We're ridin' in the whirlwind searchin' for lost treasure
Way down south of the Rio Grande
We're ridin' 'cross that river
In the moonlight
Up onto the banks of this hard land
Hey Frank won't ya pack your bags
And meet me tonight down at Liberty Hall
Just one kiss from you my brother
And we'll ride until we fall
We'll sleep in the fields
We'll sleep by the rivers and in the morning
We'll make a plan
Well if you can't make it
Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive
If you can
And meet me in a dream of this hard land
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This song is really about the connection to family, community, and country. Anybody know about some of the references. anyboyd know which Germantown is her referring to? There's on in Philly, one in MD near DC. Also, where's liberty hall? Also, I think the "sister" is not a relative, but in fact a black girlfriend. Just a thought. The Philadelphia Germantown is mostly black neighborhood.
I am from Portugal, as such, these places you named have no meaning for me, however, I agree when you refer to family, community and country, to this, I add friendships we make throughout life. I think, in fact, each person understands the lyrics in his own way, and identifies it with a particular situation or place in life. I was born in a small town, much of my family also lived there, yet, when I turned twelve I moved to the city with my parents, leaving behind family, friends and all that was familiar. Today, thirty one years after, utter the name of that small town, and my eyes are in tears. Actually think Springstten's lyrics are much more than what they "say". This song makes me travel to that same smalltown, everytime...
I think he is referring to Germantown in Philly. Liberty hall is in Texas. It was a concert venue, where Bruce played in 1974. Check out ruf.rice.edu/~tannahil/liberty%20hall.html for more info on it. I really like this song, it has a dual feel to it - somehow it belongs to this time and to an earlier one. I suppose it has a folk song element to it. My favourite verses are the last two.
This is a Springsteen song with a lot of allusions to real hope, family, friends, and dreams. Reminds me a little of "No Surrender" in that despite all the hardship that there is saving grace in true friendship.
My favorite Springsteen, hands down. No idea why