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.
Let the bright colours come blushing gently back,
To the cherry blossom trees, around Pontiac.
And guys in, powder blue starter jackets
Down on the street,
Let them come up from the corners,
So light on their feet.
Let the ticker tape come cascading down
Above the greyhound station
Out at the edge of town.
And at the schoolyard fences,
Where the children shout,
Let the chains fall away and let them all rush out.
And all good things in time will melt away,
Pinklon Thomas is getting out of prison today.
Out to the curbside let the grandmothers come
And stand in red gingham dresses
In the afternoon sun.
And from the windows high above the street,
Let the trumpets sound,
And let confetti fill the air and gather on the ground.
Let the guys all hurry on down to the gym,
And throw the doors wide open,
And clear a space for him.
Let messages from strangers,
Spray painted on cheap drapes,
Hang from all the fire escapes.
Let them spell it out on marquees and on window displays,
Pinklon Thomas is getting out of prison today.
To the cherry blossom trees, around Pontiac.
And guys in, powder blue starter jackets
Down on the street,
Let them come up from the corners,
So light on their feet.
Let the ticker tape come cascading down
Above the greyhound station
Out at the edge of town.
And at the schoolyard fences,
Where the children shout,
Let the chains fall away and let them all rush out.
And all good things in time will melt away,
Pinklon Thomas is getting out of prison today.
Out to the curbside let the grandmothers come
And stand in red gingham dresses
In the afternoon sun.
And from the windows high above the street,
Let the trumpets sound,
And let confetti fill the air and gather on the ground.
Let the guys all hurry on down to the gym,
And throw the doors wide open,
And clear a space for him.
Let messages from strangers,
Spray painted on cheap drapes,
Hang from all the fire escapes.
Let them spell it out on marquees and on window displays,
Pinklon Thomas is getting out of prison today.
Lyrics submitted by n_a_r_i_n
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Darnielle's ability to capture grandeur & detail simultaneously is on full display here. And of course the ability to find the majesty in events that would likely go ignored by most people.
ps .: i get shivers when he hits the yelp on "Hang from all the fire escapes"
@myndbloom the red gingham detail is one of Darnielle's that perfectly rounds out the mental picture he's painted in my mind. That and the spray painted oncheap drapes bit, lol; it's so clear and accurate to my mind's eye.
"Pinklon Thomas is my hero. He was one of the best heavyweights of the 80s and his jab was described by many as the best since Sonny Liston’s. The line on him has always been that he was addicted to heroin at ten years old, and that he did time for armed robbery when he was young. My own research suggests that the former is certainly true but the latter might have been an embellishment on the part of boxing commentators looking for an angle. Still, embellishments make for better mythologies, so that’s what I went with here." - John Darnielle.