Camper Van Beethoven – Sweethearts

Cause he's always living back in Dixon
Stuck in 1949
And we're all sitting at the fountain, at the five and dime
'Cause he's living in some be -movie

The lines they are so clearly drawn
In black and white life is so easy
And we're all coming along on this one
'Cause he's on a secret mission

Headquarters just radioed in
He left his baby at the dancehall
While the band plays on some sweet song
And on a mission over China

The lady opens up her arms
The flowers bloom where you haved placed them
And the lady smiles, just like mom
Angels wings are icing over

McDonnell-Douglas olive drab
They bear the names of our sweethearts
And the captain smiles, as we crash
'Cause in the mind of Ronald Reagan

Wheels they turn and gears they grind
Buildings collapse in slow motion
And trains collide, everything is fine

Everything is fine
Everything is fine


Lyrics submitted by feinstein

"Sweethearts" as written by David Lowery Chris Pederson

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC

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Sweethearts song meanings
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6 Comments

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  • +2
    General CommentI'm quite sure Lowery sings "circa 1949" and not "stuck in 1949."

    Reagan's boyhood home was Dixon, Illinois.
    fortmon May 10, 2009   Link
  • +1
    Lyric CorrectionCorrect lyric:

    "Cause he's living in some b-movie" not "be-movie."
    sunshipballoonson July 10, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI get that the bomber bears the name of a "Sweetheart" (think Enola Gay though that was a mother's name) . But why a mission over China? Did Reagan do a movie where he was a bomber pilot? I guess the analogy is that Reagan was a reckless leader in the 80's and he was smiling as we were about to "crash" due to his irresponsibility.
    riatchon March 03, 2016   Link
  • 0
    MemoryI always felt a close connection to this song because I grew in up in small-town Missouri. My parents were from Dixon, Missouri, and that's where I lived the first few years of my life. Now I know Lowery was singing about Dixon, Illinois, but I still feel the nostalgia anyway!
    leamancon April 06, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General CommentInteresting, I've always associated the song with Dixon, CA, given CVB's NorCal roots and the fact that the song's concepts generally fit Dixon's post-war charm. But the Dixon, IL analysis probably makes more sense.
    sunshipballoonson May 21, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment"And on a mission over China
    The lady opens up her arms
    The flowers bloom where you haved placed them"

    Is this a description of a bombing run?
    GTonyon November 27, 2013   Link

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