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.
Upon the lonesome road
The traveler's hardened home
Hiding from the shining faces
Tucked away from settled places
With youth and driven covered holes
Above overshadowed lonely souls
They march towards greener pastures
To their happily ever afters
And so our hero traveler
From the land of down under
With nothing save an old suitcase
And a youthful grin upon his face
And golden locks of wavy hair
That stretch to cross his selfish stare
He'll take the path unspoken
And break the rules unbroken
Yet we aren't all we think we are
For born beneath a Northern star
Standing tall above the crowd
Possessing beauty well renowned
Empowered with a humbling grace
That shatters all the strongest gates
Our heroine she captivates
Slow down she'll say and tell him of a story
Filled with hope she'll say that he can stay awhile
Though she knows that parting ways will soon be so
She'll think of him when she is on the lonesome road
But following the long goodbyes
Our traveler he closed his eyes
And turned the other way
To other lonely days
And she while saddened by the end
Just shed her cracked and weathered skin
And turned the other way
No sadness can hold sway
Yet time can prove the harshest foe
Where memories gain the weight of stone
And desires straighten crooked roads
And lead back to a place called home
So it is no surprise to him
That they'll turn back before the end
The thought of her it makes him bend
Slow down he'll say and tell her of a story
Filled with hope he'll say that she can stay awhile
Though he knows that parting ways will soon be so
He'll think of her when he is on the lonesome road
The lonesome road
But it's not meant to be
At least not like the way we see
For they are nothing but a dream
A future with the faintest gleam
'Cause there's no pattern in the way
That paths and lives collide or stray
The power of the lonesome road
To steal the gold it freely sold
So let this story be
Not sad but just reality
For they will hold each other
As often as can be
And if they meet again
She'll smile and he will take her hand
And deceive their greener pastures
For just a while
Slow down they'll say and tell each other stories
Filled with hope they'll say that they can stay awhile
Though they know that parting ways will soon be so
They'll dream of this while sleeping on the lonesome road
The traveler's hardened home
Hiding from the shining faces
Tucked away from settled places
With youth and driven covered holes
Above overshadowed lonely souls
They march towards greener pastures
To their happily ever afters
And so our hero traveler
From the land of down under
With nothing save an old suitcase
And a youthful grin upon his face
And golden locks of wavy hair
That stretch to cross his selfish stare
He'll take the path unspoken
And break the rules unbroken
Yet we aren't all we think we are
For born beneath a Northern star
Standing tall above the crowd
Possessing beauty well renowned
Empowered with a humbling grace
That shatters all the strongest gates
Our heroine she captivates
Slow down she'll say and tell him of a story
Filled with hope she'll say that he can stay awhile
Though she knows that parting ways will soon be so
She'll think of him when she is on the lonesome road
But following the long goodbyes
Our traveler he closed his eyes
And turned the other way
To other lonely days
And she while saddened by the end
Just shed her cracked and weathered skin
And turned the other way
No sadness can hold sway
Yet time can prove the harshest foe
Where memories gain the weight of stone
And desires straighten crooked roads
And lead back to a place called home
So it is no surprise to him
That they'll turn back before the end
The thought of her it makes him bend
Slow down he'll say and tell her of a story
Filled with hope he'll say that she can stay awhile
Though he knows that parting ways will soon be so
He'll think of her when he is on the lonesome road
The lonesome road
But it's not meant to be
At least not like the way we see
For they are nothing but a dream
A future with the faintest gleam
'Cause there's no pattern in the way
That paths and lives collide or stray
The power of the lonesome road
To steal the gold it freely sold
So let this story be
Not sad but just reality
For they will hold each other
As often as can be
And if they meet again
She'll smile and he will take her hand
And deceive their greener pastures
For just a while
Slow down they'll say and tell each other stories
Filled with hope they'll say that they can stay awhile
Though they know that parting ways will soon be so
They'll dream of this while sleeping on the lonesome road
Lyrics submitted by Kipa
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