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.
Yeah they raised that horse to be a jumper
He was owned by a Midwest bible thumper
His preacher was a Louisiana drummer
Took all winter to get through the summer
The field hand hit the switch and stumbled
Outside the big engine roared and rumbled
The stolen horse spooked and tumbled
She didn't speak for a week, just kinda mumbled
Ankle deep
In love
Ankle deep
In love
He was caught up
In a lie he half believed
Found her hiding
High in the family tree
Washed his hands
And put her 'cross his knee
She said "Daddy, you've been a mother to me"
Ankle deep
In love
Ankle deep
In love
He was owned by a Midwest bible thumper
His preacher was a Louisiana drummer
Took all winter to get through the summer
The field hand hit the switch and stumbled
Outside the big engine roared and rumbled
The stolen horse spooked and tumbled
She didn't speak for a week, just kinda mumbled
Ankle deep
In love
Ankle deep
In love
He was caught up
In a lie he half believed
Found her hiding
High in the family tree
Washed his hands
And put her 'cross his knee
She said "Daddy, you've been a mother to me"
Ankle deep
In love
Ankle deep
In love
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
This is probably my favourite track on the 'Highway Companion' album.
Though I'm quite sure it's open to numerous interpretations, here's my take:
This is a narrative about a single father's love for his child and his struggle to make the right decisions on balancing discipline with being a loving father.
The first verse sets the scene of where the action takes place: in the rural mid-west where a 'God-fearing' faith and strict discipline are prevalent and highly valued aspects of the society.
In the second verse we learn of the circumstances which lead up to an accident where the father's daughter suffers a heavy fall from a horse she'd evidently stolen to take on a little 'joy ride'. She has taken a bad knock to the head and is concussed and unable to speak for several days.
In the final verse we see the father's struggle to balance the punishment with the 'ankle deep' love he has for his child. Ultimately, he feels, probably due to the constraints of his culture, that he must give the girl a spanking.
In the final line we hear the girl express to her father, 'Daddy, you've been a mother to me.' This suggests that the single parent has had to perform both parental roles himself.
I would be very interested in reading other interpretations.
@ScrumThis Really like your interpretation. the lyrics in the song had me a bit baffled, but your analysis/interpretation makes good sense. Thanks for shedding some light on this for me.<br /> Chris
Forgot to say one thing. The "ankle deep" is referencing the father's cultural/psychological (Oedipal) limitations to love his daughter fully without the constraints of culture.
@ScrumThis<br /> <br /> I found your interpretation very interesting, thank-you. I like the way you separated the different verses. :)<br /> <br /> I think Tom includes snippets of himself in many of his songs, (as do many artists!), and I wonder whether this song has more hidden depths than is perhaps at first obvious? If you know some of Tom's background, you can see other things here. Well, I can, but perhaps that's just me! Yes, I know I'm strange! :)<br /> <br /> Is Tom the horse? The 'big engine' success and fame? Did Jane Benyo react to that by being perhaps a second 'stolen horse' that 'spooked and tumbled', who was so out of things, she literally 'Just kinda mumbled?'<br /> <br /> I sometimes wonder whether Tom may have thought of himself as a 'single father' when he was married to Jane Benyo. I've read some pretty awful things about how she neglected Adria and Kim due to her mental health issues and drink and drug abuse. <br /> <br /> Tom has said how he would get home and find Jane passed out in the hallway. :( He must have felt very alone at that time, with the responsibility of his children solely on his shoulders. As you say, ScrumThis, "In the final line we hear the girl express to her father, 'Daddy, you've been a mother to me.' This suggests that the single parent has had to perform both parental roles himself."<br /> <br /> I don't think Tom has ever 'washed his hands' of his children, although I know he was very frustrated at one point, feeling as though he had no say in their lives. It would be interesting to know whether Tom ever spanked his children.<br /> <br /> He has a good relationship with the two girls now, and I think that is a positive thing :)<br /> <br /> Perhaps the washing of hands, actually refers to Jane Benyo? The divorce. Tom put her 'cross his knee', punished her, by finally leaving her and getting the divorce?<br /> <br /> I'm probably reading far too much into the song, it's perhaps as simple and straightforward as it first appears, but it's interesting to think about! :) x
Yeah, I would tend to go along those lines to sum up Ankle Deep too. A single father with a daughter he's trying to raise somewhere in the Midwest. One of my favorites from Highway Companion.
I love this song but could never make out the meaning. But I just found an article in which TP was interviewed about it. americansongwriter.com/tom-pettys-highway-companion-part-3/
TP: It’s a story about a daughter that steals her dad’s prize racehorse. And it’s got a little bit of humor in it.
Interviewer: I love that line, when the girl says, “Daddy, you’ve been a mother to me. . .”
TP: [Laughs] Yeah, that was a good way to tie it up. I don’t know where that came from. That just came into my head, and I followed the story to see where it would go. It’s like I’ve said, you don’t have a lot of room to write a story in a song. So you have to be economical with your lines. But I like that one because I was able to do it, and get a chuckle out of some of the lines. This girl runs off with a field- hand, and they steal a prize racehorse from her father. So you kind of get the picture that the father’s wealthy. And the field-hand isn’t. “Found her hiding high in the family tree.” I liked that one.
The line, "Daddy you've been a mother to me," is not a positive thing in my brain. Daddy has not been supportive. What I hear is a "Daddy you've been a motherf****r to me." Totally open to interpretation, of course. But, I think that's more interesting, and I think Tom might agree.
Haven't figured out a meaning for the line: "found her hiding high up in the family tree." Was Grandpa or Grandma trying to shelter her from the punishment? Or is it a literal tree that the family owns? Or just a really catchy line that Tom came up with? I'd vote for door number 3 right now, but it might be all of the above.