At least the latter half of this song is about being lost. I think he is speaking on behalf of himself and the band. They must feel very lost in their lifestyle of touring and traveling without certainties, leaving behind everything at times to do what they feel is right for them. The geographic references like "St. Paul," "Mississippi," "Highway 61," "Milwaukee," etc, definitely suggest the touring. The last two verses really illustrate this sequence of wandering: "You don't know where you came from, you don't know where you're going." I think the "boxcar" in these lyrics refers to his tour bus, and that's just his way of romanticizing his story with the feel of antiquity.
"after every hidden seed out
from it covering has been free,
and every book has been discarded from the bookshelf.
cattail down,
and the forgetting of myself."
I feel like he's saying that only after he's completely stripped himself of his superficial identity and maybe every obligation or expectation he'd had in his life (uncovering the seeds), as well as everything that lies in his past (discarding the books), only then is he free to become himself. Forgetting himself seems to be a healthy practice in finding happiness.
"you don't know where you came from,
you don't know where you're going,
you think you're you-
you don't know who you are,
you're not you.
you're everyone else."
I think these lyrics are applicable to anyone who feels lost, but perhaps Aaron struggles with his identity also. He may be trying to discard his role that's been ascribed to him as this great figure who preaches his word of God (he writes about this problem in January 1979 as well, with his "grasshopper king" metaphor), and perhaps he's saying that he's nothing special. Maybe it came to him when he saw that deer, a pure creature of God, telling him that he's nothing, he's a regular person, just like everyone else.
well it's a lot less metaphorical than that. aaron actually did spend a good amount of time homeless and traveling around on boxcar and hitch-hiking like a modern-day kerouac. he kind of took Jesus' "go into all the cities of Judea and take nothing with you" command pretty literally. i think the line,
well it's a lot less metaphorical than that. aaron actually did spend a good amount of time homeless and traveling around on boxcar and hitch-hiking like a modern-day kerouac. he kind of took Jesus' "go into all the cities of Judea and take nothing with you" command pretty literally. i think the line,
"the parachute broke loose,"
cried the goose with misplaced
but understandable concern
for his little brother's mental health.
his happy little brother,
and the forgetting of himself.
"the parachute broke loose,"
cried the goose with misplaced
but understandable concern
for his little brother's mental health.
his happy little brother,
and the forgetting of himself.
is referring to his brother mike's concerns for him throughout that period of his life. it's...
is referring to his brother mike's concerns for him throughout that period of his life. it's definitely one of the best songs on the album, and it feels a lot more genuine knowing that it's autobiographical and not metaphorical.
At least the latter half of this song is about being lost. I think he is speaking on behalf of himself and the band. They must feel very lost in their lifestyle of touring and traveling without certainties, leaving behind everything at times to do what they feel is right for them. The geographic references like "St. Paul," "Mississippi," "Highway 61," "Milwaukee," etc, definitely suggest the touring. The last two verses really illustrate this sequence of wandering: "You don't know where you came from, you don't know where you're going." I think the "boxcar" in these lyrics refers to his tour bus, and that's just his way of romanticizing his story with the feel of antiquity.
"after every hidden seed out from it covering has been free, and every book has been discarded from the bookshelf. cattail down, and the forgetting of myself."
I feel like he's saying that only after he's completely stripped himself of his superficial identity and maybe every obligation or expectation he'd had in his life (uncovering the seeds), as well as everything that lies in his past (discarding the books), only then is he free to become himself. Forgetting himself seems to be a healthy practice in finding happiness.
"you don't know where you came from, you don't know where you're going, you think you're you- you don't know who you are, you're not you. you're everyone else."
I think these lyrics are applicable to anyone who feels lost, but perhaps Aaron struggles with his identity also. He may be trying to discard his role that's been ascribed to him as this great figure who preaches his word of God (he writes about this problem in January 1979 as well, with his "grasshopper king" metaphor), and perhaps he's saying that he's nothing special. Maybe it came to him when he saw that deer, a pure creature of God, telling him that he's nothing, he's a regular person, just like everyone else.
I could be way off.
well it's a lot less metaphorical than that. aaron actually did spend a good amount of time homeless and traveling around on boxcar and hitch-hiking like a modern-day kerouac. he kind of took Jesus' "go into all the cities of Judea and take nothing with you" command pretty literally. i think the line,
well it's a lot less metaphorical than that. aaron actually did spend a good amount of time homeless and traveling around on boxcar and hitch-hiking like a modern-day kerouac. he kind of took Jesus' "go into all the cities of Judea and take nothing with you" command pretty literally. i think the line,
"the parachute broke loose," cried the goose with misplaced but understandable concern for his little brother's mental health. his happy little brother, and the forgetting of himself.
"the parachute broke loose," cried the goose with misplaced but understandable concern for his little brother's mental health. his happy little brother, and the forgetting of himself.
is referring to his brother mike's concerns for him throughout that period of his life. it's...
is referring to his brother mike's concerns for him throughout that period of his life. it's definitely one of the best songs on the album, and it feels a lot more genuine knowing that it's autobiographical and not metaphorical.