Hands on the Radio

I really like all of his songs and this piece is great. To me the song is about leaving something or somebody behind and going out into the world. You promise that you'll come back, but you're not sure if you ever really will.

The line, "I love you underneath the moon" reminded me of a children's song I heard when I was a kid by Sharon, Lois & Bram- that one Skinnamarinkey song or what'cha call it. It kinda put the song into a childish setting in my mind. But over all, I do agree with bdolls. Its about leaving, possibly growing up and promising you'll come back- even though you're not sure if you will be able to. I sure can relate to this now.

I think this song is about something that happens during a performance tour. He's promising the "boys and girls" that he will "come back" because "this town in [his] favourite." His performance is a form of love ("I loved you underneath the moon") but he must continue on to another town and must leave "in the afternoon" even though he knows it's "too soon." The title of the song suggests that "the radio" (the popularity of his music?) is a kind of vehicle for moving from town to town: "With hands on the radio, we'll get there soon..." I love all of Garneau's songs and this one is a favourite. I'm sure that when he performs this, each "town" thinks he's singing to them. It would be a great song to sing at the end of a performance.

There rarely exists a perfect parting. This song depicts how between humans, emotions and lives come out of sync, leaving behind complications and trials. However, I think that this song is most applicable to death. We are never ready to say goodbye to our loved ones, they always leave too soon. Thus, the narrator hurt somebody by dying, but loved those he left behind while he/she was alive. Additionally, he loved them "under the moon" in the past tense, because now he loves them from above the moon, in heaven.