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.
I've been chasing ghosts and I don't like it
I wish someone would show me where to draw the line
I'd lay down my sword if you would take it
And tell everyone back home I'm doing fine
I was with you down in Acapulco
Trading clothing for some wine
Smelling like an old adobe woman
Or a William Burroughs playing for lost time
I was thinking about my mother
I was thinking about what's mine
I was living my life like a Hollywood
But I was dying on the vine
Who could sleep through all that noisy chatter
The troops, the celebrations in the sun
The authorities say my papers are all in order
And if I wasn't such a coward I would run
I'll see you me when all the shooting's over
Meet me on the other side of town
Yes, you can bring all your friends along for protection
It's always nice to have them hanging around
I was thinking about my mother
I was thinking about what's mine
I was living my life like a Hollywood
But I was dying, dying on the vine
I wish someone would show me where to draw the line
I'd lay down my sword if you would take it
And tell everyone back home I'm doing fine
I was with you down in Acapulco
Trading clothing for some wine
Smelling like an old adobe woman
Or a William Burroughs playing for lost time
I was thinking about my mother
I was thinking about what's mine
I was living my life like a Hollywood
But I was dying on the vine
Who could sleep through all that noisy chatter
The troops, the celebrations in the sun
The authorities say my papers are all in order
And if I wasn't such a coward I would run
I'll see you me when all the shooting's over
Meet me on the other side of town
Yes, you can bring all your friends along for protection
It's always nice to have them hanging around
I was thinking about my mother
I was thinking about what's mine
I was living my life like a Hollywood
But I was dying, dying on the vine
Lyrics submitted by Santo Arma Re-dux
Dying on the Vine Lyrics as written by Larry J. Sloman John Davies Cale
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I am quite sure this lyric should read "like a Hollywood", not "like a holy war". It's an allusion to the famous intersection of Hollywood & Vine in Los Angeles.
It is "Hollywood". There are two versions of this one, so different they might not be the same song. The studio version is slow, tortured & stately: the live one is jaunty, so the tune clashes with the meaning. I love 'em both, in different moods. Particularly the scary verse that seems to be set in a militaristic, authoritarian country & ends "If I wasn't such a coward, I would run".
John Cale really likes Graham Greene and I can see parallels between this song and The Power And the Glory, although he didn't write the words himself. The chorus is supposed to be a pun on "Hollywood and Vine," that notorious LA intersection.
vines grow fruit. people eat fruit but not old fruit. old fruit dies on the vine. <br /> dying on the vine : To fail, as from lack of support, especially at an early stage; "my plan to eat grapes died on the vine." you can also die by drinking the fruit of the vine. vine intersects hollywood. hollywood sounds like holy war. so what is dying on the vine????????????????????????? is jonny boy a fruit that hasnt been picked? and with the william burroughs reference and wine, is he drunk? is he drunk drinking the fruit of the vine which hasnt been picked which is john?
This is one of my favorite songs of all time.
As far as I understand the song is really about John Cale's issues with alcohol and, of course, about a deeper inner crisis. In one of the video available on youtube, Cale states the song is deeply biographical and that it is really about a change of lifestyle. More likely about the need for a change of lifestyle. In this sense, the reference to the Vine has at least three meanings: the above mentioned intersection in Los Angeles where he was living at the time (if I recall correctly), his alcoholism and finally the meaning of the metaphor itself. Feeling like a fruit left way too long on the vine after it ripened and started to spoil and rot. This is probably how he saw his life and his talent at the time. The first part really describes a deep feeling of being disoriented and lonely, hoping for someone to help him to "draw a line" and maybe "lay down his sword" (his 'cross' if you want) and admitting he feels like giving up and call for some sort of help. I think the refrain is beautiful and poetic. The way he describes recalling his mother (his childhood?) and how he is attempting to live his life in a wild way, like a star ("like a Hollywood") while he is actually dying inside.
The end is still an enigma to me and I would love to hear someone's interpretation of it.
@annieall Very interesting interpretation. Came here for this.<br /> The whole atmosphere of the song reminds me of Under The Volcano; stream of consciousness kinda apocalyptic vibe.<br /> <br /> The last bit; what if you read it like this?<br /> <br /> I'll see you when all the trouble's over<br /> Meet me on a better side of town<br /> Yes, you can bring all your friends along for protection<br /> It's always nice to have them hanging around<br /> <br /> A new life on the other side of town. He tells her (?) she can bring her friends if it's too much to come over alone; a new life is scary.<br /> <br /> But there's the sense of being in a dangerous country as well; the authorities said my papers were all in order, and if I wasn't such a coward I would run.<br /> <br /> This is where my Under The Volcano reference comes in. A sense of leaving now, before you get swallowed up...<br /> <br /> Such a beautiful song.<br />
I just heard this song for the first time today and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Verse after verse. Haven't felt that in a long time. I appreciate Cale's vulnerability and sheer honesty, in contrast to the 'cooler' Lou Reed delivery. John Cale is a goddamn poet! The first time I heard Big White Cloud, I felt the same way.
"I'd lay down my sword, if you would take it."