This song is defiantly not about getting high, i interpret it to be about a girl. In this song 'water' symbolizes this girl. 'jelly roll' is a common symbol in blues, where a lot of van's inspiration comes from. Knowing that, let us start with the first verse:
"Half a mile from the county fair
And the rain keep pourin' down
Me and Billy standin' there
With a silver half a crown
Hands are full of a fishin' rod
And the tackle on our backs
We just stood there gettin' wet
With our backs against the fence"
He is away from society, away from anything to influence him, and the rain keeps pouring. He doesn't seem to mind getting wet, and goes on with what he's doing. The rain is water, so these thoughts of the girl keep coming to him, they are out of his control, and he is more or less indifferent to them.
in the bridge:
"Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Hope it don't rain all day"
he mentions that he doesnt want the water to keep coming all day, while he was indifferent before, now he is tired of it.
but then comes the chorus:
"And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like Jelly Roll
And it stoned me
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like goin' home
And it stoned me"
The thoughts of this girl, or being in her presence stones him, meaning they make him feel good, just like his drugs. He says that it stones him like jelly roll, meaning that the thoughts of her fullfill his sexual desires, he doesn't actually need the sexual fulfillment because his attraction to her is deeper than that of a surface level, sexual attraction.
The second Verse and Bridge continue:
"Then the rain let up and the sun came up
And we were gettin' dry
Almost let a pick-up truck nearly pass us by
So we jumped right in and the driver grinned
And he dropped us up the road
We looked at the swim and we jumped right in
Not to mention fishing poles
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Let it run all over me"
Him getting dry is him stopping thinking about her, or leaving her presence, then he make the conscience decision to jump into the water, followed by the bridge verse, "let it run all over me." Now that the thoughts of this girl have stopped, he realizes what he is missing, and makes the conscience decision to go after her, and comes to the conclusion that he likes her.
the third verse and the final bridge are my favorite:
"On the way back home we sang a song
But our throats were getting dry
Then we saw the man from across the road
With the sunshine in his eyes
Well he lived all alone in his own little home
With a great big gallon jar
There were bottles too, one for me and you
And he said Hey! There you are
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Get it myself from the mountain stream"
He has already made his decision that he likes this girl, but he does not know how to go about winning her affection. This is where the old man comes in, the "sunshine in his eyes" represents his wisdom, and the wise man gives him the 'tools' he needs to win her attraction, the bottles. This is where he goes out of his way to the mountain stream to get it himself.
After reading jimmyl008's comment, I enjoy the beauty of this song even more, as he is paralleling a childhood experience with the story of him and this mystery woman. Anyways mr. gottaBlackRocket... you'll have to find a new favorite song about getting high, as this one is not at all about that. Maybe look to the beatles?
@lh80127 pretty good interpretation. But then again that's the beauty of music. It can be made to fit in some way with all of us. But after reading V.M's own words. It don't seem to be about a girl at all, but more of a first time mystical experience. Now of course the song itself isn't about getting high. However, you might be surprised to know that the reference to "stoned me like jelly roll" is one I've heard many times. Jelly roll of course meaning heroine, and stoning you is exactly what it does!
@lh80127 pretty good interpretation. But then again that's the beauty of music. It can be made to fit in some way with all of us. But after reading V.M's own words. It don't seem to be about a girl at all, but more of a first time mystical experience. Now of course the song itself isn't about getting high. However, you might be surprised to know that the reference to "stoned me like jelly roll" is one I've heard many times. Jelly roll of course meaning heroine, and stoning you is exactly what it does!
This song is defiantly not about getting high, i interpret it to be about a girl. In this song 'water' symbolizes this girl. 'jelly roll' is a common symbol in blues, where a lot of van's inspiration comes from. Knowing that, let us start with the first verse:
"Half a mile from the county fair And the rain keep pourin' down Me and Billy standin' there With a silver half a crown Hands are full of a fishin' rod And the tackle on our backs We just stood there gettin' wet With our backs against the fence"
He is away from society, away from anything to influence him, and the rain keeps pouring. He doesn't seem to mind getting wet, and goes on with what he's doing. The rain is water, so these thoughts of the girl keep coming to him, they are out of his control, and he is more or less indifferent to them.
in the bridge: "Oh, the water Oh, the water Oh, the water Hope it don't rain all day"
he mentions that he doesnt want the water to keep coming all day, while he was indifferent before, now he is tired of it.
but then comes the chorus: "And it stoned me to my soul Stoned me just like Jelly Roll And it stoned me And it stoned me to my soul Stoned me just like goin' home And it stoned me"
The thoughts of this girl, or being in her presence stones him, meaning they make him feel good, just like his drugs. He says that it stones him like jelly roll, meaning that the thoughts of her fullfill his sexual desires, he doesn't actually need the sexual fulfillment because his attraction to her is deeper than that of a surface level, sexual attraction.
The second Verse and Bridge continue:
"Then the rain let up and the sun came up And we were gettin' dry Almost let a pick-up truck nearly pass us by So we jumped right in and the driver grinned And he dropped us up the road We looked at the swim and we jumped right in Not to mention fishing poles
Oh, the water Oh, the water Oh, the water Let it run all over me"
Him getting dry is him stopping thinking about her, or leaving her presence, then he make the conscience decision to jump into the water, followed by the bridge verse, "let it run all over me." Now that the thoughts of this girl have stopped, he realizes what he is missing, and makes the conscience decision to go after her, and comes to the conclusion that he likes her.
the third verse and the final bridge are my favorite:
"On the way back home we sang a song But our throats were getting dry Then we saw the man from across the road With the sunshine in his eyes Well he lived all alone in his own little home With a great big gallon jar There were bottles too, one for me and you And he said Hey! There you are
Oh, the water Oh, the water Oh, the water Get it myself from the mountain stream"
He has already made his decision that he likes this girl, but he does not know how to go about winning her affection. This is where the old man comes in, the "sunshine in his eyes" represents his wisdom, and the wise man gives him the 'tools' he needs to win her attraction, the bottles. This is where he goes out of his way to the mountain stream to get it himself.
After reading jimmyl008's comment, I enjoy the beauty of this song even more, as he is paralleling a childhood experience with the story of him and this mystery woman. Anyways mr. gottaBlackRocket... you'll have to find a new favorite song about getting high, as this one is not at all about that. Maybe look to the beatles?
@lh80127 He said he was 12, I really don't see where "a girl" comes into this.
@lh80127 He said he was 12, I really don't see where "a girl" comes into this.
@lh80127 interesting analysis, but this song has nothing to do with a girl
@lh80127 interesting analysis, but this song has nothing to do with a girl
@lh80127 pretty good interpretation. But then again that's the beauty of music. It can be made to fit in some way with all of us. But after reading V.M's own words. It don't seem to be about a girl at all, but more of a first time mystical experience. Now of course the song itself isn't about getting high. However, you might be surprised to know that the reference to "stoned me like jelly roll" is one I've heard many times. Jelly roll of course meaning heroine, and stoning you is exactly what it does!
@lh80127 pretty good interpretation. But then again that's the beauty of music. It can be made to fit in some way with all of us. But after reading V.M's own words. It don't seem to be about a girl at all, but more of a first time mystical experience. Now of course the song itself isn't about getting high. However, you might be surprised to know that the reference to "stoned me like jelly roll" is one I've heard many times. Jelly roll of course meaning heroine, and stoning you is exactly what it does!