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.
You can lie to your Mama, you can lie to your race
But you can't lie to nobody with that cold steel in your face.
And the same God that you're so afraid is gonna send you to hell
Is the same one you're gonna answer to when the pin hits the shell.
Your sister's been blaming everybody.
I don't blame her, man, I guess I'd do the same
If you was my brother, man, I'd probably stand by you.
But you ain't, man, so I got to go my way.
And I ain't gonna crawl upon no high horse
Cause I got thrown off of one
When I was young and I ain't no cowboy
So I ain't going where I don't belong.
It wouldn't do you no good to let you know that it damned near killed me too
So I ain't gonna mourn for you, man, now that you're gone.
Me and you, we liked our pills and our whiskey.
But you don't want your head full of either one when
The house gets quiet and dark.
Having fun used to be so damned easy,
Racing trains from Second Street to Avalon.
Take a trip down memory lane,
You don't see no friendly faces
All the houses have been painted and
Nobody knows your name.
It's enough to make a man not want
To be nobody's Daddy,
When all he thinks he's got left to hand down is guilt and shame.
And I ain't gonna crawl upon no high horse...
You can lie to your Mama, you can lie to your race
But you can't lie to nobody with that cold steel in your face.
And the same God that you're so afraid is gonna send you to hell
Is the same one you're gonna answer to when the pin hits the shell.
But you can't lie to nobody with that cold steel in your face.
And the same God that you're so afraid is gonna send you to hell
Is the same one you're gonna answer to when the pin hits the shell.
Your sister's been blaming everybody.
I don't blame her, man, I guess I'd do the same
If you was my brother, man, I'd probably stand by you.
But you ain't, man, so I got to go my way.
And I ain't gonna crawl upon no high horse
Cause I got thrown off of one
When I was young and I ain't no cowboy
So I ain't going where I don't belong.
It wouldn't do you no good to let you know that it damned near killed me too
So I ain't gonna mourn for you, man, now that you're gone.
Me and you, we liked our pills and our whiskey.
But you don't want your head full of either one when
The house gets quiet and dark.
Having fun used to be so damned easy,
Racing trains from Second Street to Avalon.
Take a trip down memory lane,
You don't see no friendly faces
All the houses have been painted and
Nobody knows your name.
It's enough to make a man not want
To be nobody's Daddy,
When all he thinks he's got left to hand down is guilt and shame.
And I ain't gonna crawl upon no high horse...
You can lie to your Mama, you can lie to your race
But you can't lie to nobody with that cold steel in your face.
And the same God that you're so afraid is gonna send you to hell
Is the same one you're gonna answer to when the pin hits the shell.
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Cooley strikes again!