Julie catch a rabbit by his hair
Come back steppin' like to walk on air
Get back home where you belong
And don't you run off no more

Don't hang your head, let the two time roll
Grass shack nailed to a pine wood floor
Ask the time baby I don't know
Come back later, gonna let it show

I say row Jimmy row, gonna get there, I don't know
Seems a common way to go, get out and row, row, row, row, row
Here's a half dollar if you dare
Double twist when you hit the air
Look at Julie down below
The levee doin' the do-pas-o

I say row Jimmy row, gonna get there, I don't know
Seems a common way to go, get out and row, row, row, row, row
Broken heart don't feel so bad
You ain't got half of what you thought you had
Rock you baby to and fro
Not too fast and not too slow

I say row Jimmy row, gonna get there, I don't know,
Seems a common way to go, get out and row, row, row, row, row.
That's the way it's been in town,
Ever since they tore the jukebox down
Two bit piece don't buy no more
Not so much as it done before
I say row Jimmy row, gonna get there I don't know
Seems a common way to go, get out and row, row, row, row, row


Lyrics submitted by itsmyownmind

Row Jimmy Lyrics as written by Robert C. Hunter Jerome J. Garcia

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Row Jimmy song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

20 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    Sure, it seems like a song about Jimmy and Julie living in abject poverty - 'til the line, "Ever since they tore the jukebox down". This line suggests the song is set in a post-apocalyptic town, perhaps, or a post-anarchy town - Jimmy and Julie live in a village that has been ravaged by something (let's call it The Event, for the sake of convenience) that has supplanted modes of playing music.

    They're living slowly, day-by-day, subsisting - a pace of life reflected in the song's stately pace. Since The Event, they've been living off rabbits; Julie's tried to run away, to escape, but she couldn't - the effects of The Event were too widespread, and anyway, she needs Jimmy just as much as Jimmy needs her.

    Jimmy, the stoic optimist, tells Julie not to "hang [her] head", as moping won't help them get by - they should "let the two-time roll" (two-time being a triple-entendre, I think - it's a dance, i.e. they're sort of slow-dancing their way through life, but also the 'two' suggests that the pair have each other, and no-one else. A third possible interpretation is that Julie has two-timed Jimmy - but we'll get to that interpretation later.) Naturally, everything is made more difficult by the fact that there's no music (no jukeboxes), except for the song that Jimmy's singing - the song that helps them get by.

    Jimmy's rowing himself and Julie down the metaphorical river of life - seemingly to some sort of afterlife. It's a "common way to go"; 'common' could also be a double-entendre (it's 'common' because everyone since The Event is just rowing, fatalistically, towards death/afterlife; but, since 'common' can also mean 'poor', it could suggest that commoners are forced to merely row, while the richer people can sail by on their yachts - although they, too, are headed for death/afterlife).

    The whole interpretation of the song may change if we interpret 'two time' as Julie having cheated on Jimmy - in which case, they're living in spiritual misery. They may as well be living in literal poverty - the cheating has brought their world crashing down. Even the jukeboxes may as well have been torn down, for all the good the music's doing the couple. Still, there's a sense of optimism - they're rowing their way towards a paired salvation, a state of mind in which they've got over the cheating.

    Anyway - those are my two cents. :)

    as2191on April 07, 2014   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
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.