Well I dident see much future
When I left the Christian Brothers School
So I waved it goodbye with a wistful smile
An I left the girls of Tuam
Sometimes when I'm reminiscing
I see the pre-fabs and my old friends
An I know that they'll be changed or gone
by the time I get home again
An I wish I was on that N17
(Stone walls and the grass is green)
Travellin with just my thoughts and dreams

Well the oul-fella left me to Shannon
Was the last time I travelled that road
And as we turned left at Claregalway
I could feel a lump in my throat
As I picture the thousands of times
That I travelled that well-worn track
I know that things will be different
If I ever decide to go back
An I wish.....

Now as I tumble down highways
Or filthy, over-crowded trains
There's no-one to talk to in transit
So I sit there and day-dream in vain
Behind all these muddled-up problems
Of living on a foreign soil
I can still see the twists, the turns in the road
From the Square to the town of the tribes
An I wish I was on that N17.......



Lyrics submitted by JJPW

N17 song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

4 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    The N17 is the major road running from Sligo to Galway. At a left-hand turn in Claregalway the N17 joins the N18 which itself carries on to Shannon Airport. The N17 is the road a young person leaving the west of Ireland would likely take when emigrating.

    JJPWon December 27, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    What the fuck are you JJPW? Mapquest? Hahah

    ShyBoysWinXOon December 27, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Just an explanation to people who are not aware of the significance of this road to the West of Ireland, that's all!

    JJPWon December 27, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Ohh okay Just wondering! =]

    ShyBoysWinXOon January 12, 2008   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
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
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.