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.
Persuaded, paraded, inebriated, and down
Still aware of everything life carries on without
'Cause there's one too many faces with dollar sign smiles
Got to find the shortest path to the bar for a while
A long way from happiness
In a three hour away town
Whiskey bottle over Jesus
Not forever, just for now
Not forever, just for now
There's a trouble around, it's never far away
The same trouble's been around for a life and a day
I can't forget the sound, 'cause it's here to stay
The sound of people chasing money and money getting away
A long way from happiness
In a three hour away town
Whiskey bottle over Jesus
Not forever, just for now
Not forever, just for now
In between the dirt and disgust there must be
Still aware of everything life carries on without
'Cause there's one too many faces with dollar sign smiles
Got to find the shortest path to the bar for a while
A long way from happiness
In a three hour away town
Whiskey bottle over Jesus
Not forever, just for now
Not forever, just for now
There's a trouble around, it's never far away
The same trouble's been around for a life and a day
I can't forget the sound, 'cause it's here to stay
The sound of people chasing money and money getting away
A long way from happiness
In a three hour away town
Whiskey bottle over Jesus
Not forever, just for now
Not forever, just for now
In between the dirt and disgust there must be
Lyrics submitted by myeyesareopen
Whiskey Bottle Lyrics as written by Jeff Tweedy Jay Farrar
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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HOLY SHIT. ive the first person to post nething about uncle tupelo on ne of the songs. god well i better make this worth it. uncle tupelo is such a great band. i mean wilco is in it for god's sake. i love the mixing of country blues with alt rock. i love the line whisker bottle over jesus/not forever not forever/ just for now. your quintessential country blues rock song.
goddamit, boy, don't post when yer drunk!<br /> <br /> UT's songs all ring the same for me...early alcoholism, still in love with the spirits, but well aware of what is happening to you...Tweedy made it out....not so sure about Farrar...<br /> <br /> sorry. we are here for the meaning of this song.<br /> <br /> this is life in the south, especially in a southern town:<br /> <br /> "In between the dirt and disgust there must be <br /> Some air to breathe and something to believe"<br /> <br /> you drink, hoping to get out, even when, in most cases, it is an "out" that only exists in your mind....<br /> <br /> <br /> what a lot of people don't realize, is that many southern towns are "dry"....meaning you cannot get liquor....even now, 6 years after OP's post, you can't get hard liquor in Bryan TX....where i went to school...<br /> <br /> <br /> a long way from happiness...<br /> <br /> -gami
Uncle Tupelo is a great band. You didn't mention Sonvolt... that's half of Tupelo.
Or 1/5th. Half the songwriting though.
what's funny about Song Meanings:
the site seems abandoned. all the posts are from years and years ago. also:
very few posts actually talk about the meaning of the song.
this song, in my mind, is about how the band was pursued....it occurs to me that some people want to be musicians, and some people just ARE musicians...and when their art generates dollars, there is no shortage of people to exploit them...
so Jay finds himself "Persuaded, paraded,"...in a dry town...many northerners and westerners don't know, but there are many southern towns and counties where you cannot buy liquor...but, like fireworks, as soon as you drive out, you'll find stores catering to drunkards almost over-enthusiastically..
"In a three-hour-away town"
"Liquor and guns, the sign says quite plain "
one searches for salvation when they are lost and confused...."a long from happiness"....and there is peace available in "a three-hour-away-town"...salvation takes so much work, but the bottle is soooo easy, so i take the "whisky bottle over jesus"...and hope that it is "not forever, just for now".
Uncle Tupelo is an amazing companion on my way down
The problem with this site is that I can be mystified by what a song means for years and never think twice about looking outside of myself for an answer. When I finally do, it's usually some old Uncle Tupelo song that was released 20 years ago for which there's not any mass interest. Frequently, the comments on here are not "in reply to" anyone and if more folks used that, it might help interactions/discussions form into something more popular. I see it partly as a website failure but what the hell do I know?<br /> <br /> This song makes me want to drink for all the wrong reasons. It makes it appear as if that escape is a solution, albeit not a permanent one. I haven't had a drink in 12 years and it once was a viable solution for my problems. THe song screams loneliness to me. ogami1972, you hit bottom when you stop digging, but I can relate to the feeling of having a band like this as a "companion on my way down"
on another note, many southern towns will not sell alcohol on Sunday, so it could easily be a 3 hour drive out of the dry counties to where the booze is. Sunday is obviously reserved for Christian worship services, hence the "whiskey bottle over Jesus" line.
The song is mostly about the loneliness, being away from home, and drowning your sorrows. I don't buy that dry counties or southern towns have anything to do with it.
At least in part, the song refers to Columbia, MO. Two hours (Three by bus, I'm sure) from St Louis or KC, Uncle Tupelo played at the old Blue Note frequently. They were a widely popular band at the time in that town. The sign mentioned belonged to a store across from the Note called "Liquor, Guns and Ammo". Big yellow sign, nice black letters. That place has since shut down, but the sign is currently at Shakespeare's Pizza.