I don't care to say
What I failed to recognize
Every single day
From the poker to the prize

Running out of Springfield, I worked for the Capitol Air
In the bags
Found a woman there who said, she had a mind
To make me a messenger man

If my father took his life
For the national plan
I don't care, I'm not about to stick my grave
With an apron and a bucket of plans

Never ever, I can take the pillow cases
Off the yellow pillows, make a property line
From the bed in the living room, the living room
The morning papers made the most out of nothing at all

So we took the room
With a view of the runaway
I took off my clothes
And she took it for a holiday

I was taken for all the things
That I never had before
Running out of Springfield, she left me
With a note saying, "Bobby, don't look back"

And if my wife took a bicycle ride
With a knife in her hand
I saw it coming all the shad-flies run at once
With a trumpet or a train, oh, I'm running from it

Wait a minute, wait a minute, give a minute, lady
I can explain the aftershave
Wait a minute, wait a minute, give a minute
Bobby got a shad fly caught in his hair, yes, he does



Lyrics submitted by crochetyouahat

Springfield, Or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in His Hair Lyrics as written by Sufjan Stevens

Lyrics © NEW JERUSALEM MUSIC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in His Hair song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

41 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    I really love this song, not only because it's a fantastic song but also because I've been going to Springfield, Illinois every year since I was born.

    turnstileblueson August 29, 2006   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Battle Royale
Word Alive, The
This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone). And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
Album art
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
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"
Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.