This old man I've talked about
Broke his own heart, poured it in the ground
Big red tree grew up and out
Throw up its leaves, spins round and round
I know all this and more
So take your hat off when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
This little squirrel I used to be
Slammed her bike down the stairs
They put silver where her teeth had been
Baby silvertooth, she grins and grins
I know all this and more
So take your hat off, boy, when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
Take your hat off, boy, when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
This old man I used to be
Spins around, around, around a tree
Silver baby, come to me
I'll only hurt you in my dreams
I know all this and
I know all this and
I know all this and more
So take your hat off, boy, when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
Take your hat off when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
Broke his own heart, poured it in the ground
Big red tree grew up and out
Throw up its leaves, spins round and round
I know all this and more
So take your hat off when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
This little squirrel I used to be
Slammed her bike down the stairs
They put silver where her teeth had been
Baby silvertooth, she grins and grins
I know all this and more
So take your hat off, boy, when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
Take your hat off, boy, when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
This old man I used to be
Spins around, around, around a tree
Silver baby, come to me
I'll only hurt you in my dreams
I know all this and
I know all this and
I know all this and more
So take your hat off, boy, when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
Take your hat off when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
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Tanya Donnely was quoted in The Illinois Entertainer as saying this song was about commitment and respect. The metaphor is the tree that would be planted on large farms as a point of reference to getting around (the only tree sometimes). Because nothing would grow under the large tree, the family would be buried under it. Hence: "Take your hat off, boy when you're talking to me and be there when I feed the tree."
[End Quote]
She and the person spoken to now live on her family farm. The person spoken to never met the father/grandfather, thus "This old man I've talked about."
She was figuratively a little squirrel as a child, climbing the stairs with her bike in order to ride down the stairs. As a child, she was proud of her silver tooth and grinned to show it off.
In her old age, she wants to return to the girl she once was, baby silvertooth/silver baby. She won't hurt her youthful self except for reliving those memories of daring do.
The boy spoken to is either her husband who will inherit her family's farm upon her death or, more likely in my opinion, her son who will continue the farm after she is gone. She is asking him to treat the home place, and by extension, treat her and her fore bearers, with respect after she is gone.
At least, that's my opinion. Great song.
Oggy's more definitive answer gives the same basic meaning, but from a different source.
The song has always reminded me of that book, where "feeding the tree" was literally what you did when you died. Circle of life stuff, as the people in that novel depended on the trees for their very existence.
Further, the old man is not the little girl."This old man I've talked about.....". Later it says "old man I used to be....". It is inconsistent without some over-arching theme, such as there was an old man, you were like him and now are not. The old man is calling the little girl and says "I'll only hurt you in MY dreams", not "your dreams". So it is NOT about a kid being afraid of death. Clearly the old man is saying he thinks about hurting her in his dreams.
In general, I find that song lyrics often do not fit what the authors claim they mean. Often, they attribute some amazing meaning behind pathetically weak lyrics. There is something dark about this song, she may not feel comfortable relating.
I feel the darkness, too. It is an integral part of the attraction of the overall artistic package. The dark element can also be found in the contemporaneous songs of Cobain ("Polly", among others) and STP's "Plush".
Seems like the dark, evocative and ambiguous narratives were much more common in that era.
I think each "character" in this song is an expression of some part of the narrator's life. Gender switching makes it interesting. Maybe the "narrator" in their old age felt more like an old man. (Or maybe "man" just fit better lyrically.)
Alternately, each character is a separate person buried beneath the tree, and their souls and stories begin to blend together.
i love the imagery
"broke his own heart, poured it in the ground"
Genius