Drivin' On 9

This song's a cover of an Ed's Redeeming Qualities song originally written and performed by a man. The original has the verse "Looking out my window sill / wondering if you took your pill / wondering if it's mine" and feels a lot darker than The Breeders version which is still pretty great.

Yeah, I think it's about a country or desert girl that gets knocked up and marries the father of her baby even though he doesn't want to be in the picture and she's not sure she wants to marry him. I get the impression that she's leaving him as she's driving down 9, if you see the events described as backwards, it kind of makes sense.

My boyfriend lived on a farm road 9 when I was in high school and this song always reminds me of him.

First off, The Breeders did not write this song. So you can throw out all your ideas about where Kim/Kelly lived or their experiences. The song was written by Dom Leone of Ed's Redeeming Qualities. They were a Boston band, so it could be about Massachusetts Route 9. But, said band also moved out to San Francisco. South of San Francisco is California State Route 9, which might well be the "9" in the song. There also the lyric "looking for 138". Which could be an address or exit number.
Or, here is an even wilder idea I think is right when you put all the pieces together. This could be a song written about a vacation through the desert southwest. Here's why I think this. First off, there is a hwy 9 in Utah that goes through a particularly scenic part of the state (it is the main hwy through Zion National Park). That is in the eastern end of the desert southwest.. Second, there is a hwy 138 in the California Mojave desert, again, in a scenic part of the state and in the southwestern end of the desert southwest.. Then there is the reference to Carson City. Carson City, NV is in the northern end of the desert southwest, thus completing a large triangle that encompasses the three geographic regions in the area, The Great Basin, The Mojave Desert, and the Colorado Plateau. Add on the general western/country sound, the fiddle, and the possible references to a shotgun wedding and it all seems to come together. I find that people from outside of the desert southwest, especially those from wet climes, romanticize it. It's easy to write a song about something you are enamored with. Now of course I could just be seeing patterns in the clouds here, and we might never know because Dom Leone died in 1989. Maybe someone can ask the surviving members of Ed's Redeeming Qualities. Lastly, one Steve Hickoff is also a credited writer of the song, but I can find absolutely no information about him.

i love this song its one of my faves by the breeders... xbrettx

i love this song its one of my faves by the breeders... xbrettx

i always thought the last three verses were about a shotgun wedding.

First "wicked imp" correctly attributes songwriting credits to Dom Leone. Dom's cousin Dani (nee Dan) was a founding member of Ed's Redeeming Qualities, along with Nino Perrotta and Carrie. Second, they are/were at that time (and forever in our hearts) a New Hampshire band. Without the University of NH Durham graduate writing program there would be no Ed's. I knew all the "band" from UNH and because they were friends with my friend Dave, band leader of N.A.F.T. and No Such Animal, who was also in the writing program. There was a party at our house on Hunking Street in Portsmouth NH (thanksgiving 87?) and Dani showed up with a ukulele and Neno and Carrie showed up and they played some calypso in the living room. As far as Route 9 goes... makes sense to me that the reference is to Ohio State Route 9 which is an old north/south route that has as it's northern terminus Salem Ohio, just down the road from Youngstown area where Dom (and Dani) grew up.

But wait just a minute! Steve Hickoff got co-writing credit? Well, now. Steve was also there at UNH in the writing program. And there is also a Route 9 ( A US route I believe) that those of us who have lived around the Piscataqua River basin of New Hampshire and Maine are very familiar with. It's a well traveled road. Could be that the inspiration for that reference is either or both highways. Especially given that Steve and Dom both had a hand in the lyrics. Steve lives in the area and ..."writes about the outdoors for Foster’s Sunday Citizen." And you can find his books on Amazon.

And the connection between Ed's members, Ray Halliday (then a member of No Such Animal) and the Breeders was forged at the Tree Cafe in Portland Maine. Somehow I booked NSA the opening slot for the Pixies. It was winter of '88. I came down with flu, had a fever of 104 and had to stay home. But both bands were on fire that night and I know that Carrie and Dani were there as well. ERQ were devoted friends and fans of NSA. Ray would know.... So would Dani.

RIP Dom.

This is a fun "cover" of a song from 'Ed's Redeeming Qualities'. The lyrics of the two songs are slightly different. Ed's is written from a male perspective, Breeders song is from the female perspective. It seems to be two sides of the same story, which is JUST ADORABLE!

One added little factoid, the violinist from 'Ed's Redeeming Qualities' played this song for the breeders and I believe their other songs, as well.

[Edit: Typo]

The "Nine" could directly refer to a couple of different roads. Since The Breeders are from Dayton, you can assume it's either Ohio or Indiana (since that state is very close to Dayton). There's an Indiana State Route 9 and an Ohio State Route 9, and both intersect US 30 along their route. The Indiana version is closer and hits a few major towns, but it parallels I-69 for much of its route. Then again, it also provides a decent way of avoiding Indianapolis by heading north on it from I-70. Hard to tell. Maybe it's not a direct reference, but just generally about somewhat aimless driving.

Definitely one of the songs on this album that makes it so damn good. I mean, the fiddle just sort of comes out of nowhere.