This is a great song indeed. However, Charlie does not kill himself at the end of the song. Why would anybody saw off a shotgun to shoot themselves...? The reason you saw off a shot gun is to increase the spread of the pellets increase your range of damage. Like another reply stated, this is Charlie reverting back to his old ways of crime and violence. He's doing this because he simply cannot succeed, support, or survive in a normal life.
One thought to support that he did kill himself in reference to sawing of the shotgun - If you were going to kill yourself with a shotgun you'd almost have to saw off a portion of it in order to reach the trigger while pointing it at yourself. He can't move on even if hes trying to live the right way, goes out and takes a final breath of fresh air, and this time "Got a cold mind to go tripping cross that thin line" has a different meaning not that he has the urge to live a...
One thought to support that he did kill himself in reference to sawing of the shotgun - If you were going to kill yourself with a shotgun you'd almost have to saw off a portion of it in order to reach the trigger while pointing it at yourself. He can't move on even if hes trying to live the right way, goes out and takes a final breath of fresh air, and this time "Got a cold mind to go tripping cross that thin line" has a different meaning not that he has the urge to live a criminal life but that he realizes he can never move on, and the thought of killing himself arises, because the last thing he wants to do is serve "straight time". He drinks beer to get the courage to do it. The 13 inches of barrel dropping to the floor isn't the saw'd off part of the gun, but rather the "sawd off" shotgun itself dropping to the floor as he kills himself. The last phrase of 'come home in the evening, can't get the smell from my hands' is his realization that he killed himself (Go driftin' off in foreign lands)and realizes he can't change what was done.
-That's just my take on it but agree it could be seen anyway, and afterall that is what makes this music so great. It should be interpreted however the listener takes it. All songs have different meanings to different people.
I see your perspective, and I agree that's an interesting take on the song. I've performed this song many times, and indeed it can be viewd in many ways. When Charlie says "can't get the smell from my hands", I think he is referring to the smell from working at the rendering plant. Another example of how he can't stand doing straight time. I really think he is planning another crime here, another way to do hard time, and not contemplating suicide, but like I said, there's many ways to view this song. Only the...
I see your perspective, and I agree that's an interesting take on the song. I've performed this song many times, and indeed it can be viewd in many ways. When Charlie says "can't get the smell from my hands", I think he is referring to the smell from working at the rendering plant. Another example of how he can't stand doing straight time. I really think he is planning another crime here, another way to do hard time, and not contemplating suicide, but like I said, there's many ways to view this song. Only the writer knows the true intention.
This is a great song indeed. However, Charlie does not kill himself at the end of the song. Why would anybody saw off a shotgun to shoot themselves...? The reason you saw off a shot gun is to increase the spread of the pellets increase your range of damage. Like another reply stated, this is Charlie reverting back to his old ways of crime and violence. He's doing this because he simply cannot succeed, support, or survive in a normal life.
One thought to support that he did kill himself in reference to sawing of the shotgun - If you were going to kill yourself with a shotgun you'd almost have to saw off a portion of it in order to reach the trigger while pointing it at yourself. He can't move on even if hes trying to live the right way, goes out and takes a final breath of fresh air, and this time "Got a cold mind to go tripping cross that thin line" has a different meaning not that he has the urge to live a...
One thought to support that he did kill himself in reference to sawing of the shotgun - If you were going to kill yourself with a shotgun you'd almost have to saw off a portion of it in order to reach the trigger while pointing it at yourself. He can't move on even if hes trying to live the right way, goes out and takes a final breath of fresh air, and this time "Got a cold mind to go tripping cross that thin line" has a different meaning not that he has the urge to live a criminal life but that he realizes he can never move on, and the thought of killing himself arises, because the last thing he wants to do is serve "straight time". He drinks beer to get the courage to do it. The 13 inches of barrel dropping to the floor isn't the saw'd off part of the gun, but rather the "sawd off" shotgun itself dropping to the floor as he kills himself. The last phrase of 'come home in the evening, can't get the smell from my hands' is his realization that he killed himself (Go driftin' off in foreign lands)and realizes he can't change what was done.
-That's just my take on it but agree it could be seen anyway, and afterall that is what makes this music so great. It should be interpreted however the listener takes it. All songs have different meanings to different people.
I see your perspective, and I agree that's an interesting take on the song. I've performed this song many times, and indeed it can be viewd in many ways. When Charlie says "can't get the smell from my hands", I think he is referring to the smell from working at the rendering plant. Another example of how he can't stand doing straight time. I really think he is planning another crime here, another way to do hard time, and not contemplating suicide, but like I said, there's many ways to view this song. Only the...
I see your perspective, and I agree that's an interesting take on the song. I've performed this song many times, and indeed it can be viewd in many ways. When Charlie says "can't get the smell from my hands", I think he is referring to the smell from working at the rendering plant. Another example of how he can't stand doing straight time. I really think he is planning another crime here, another way to do hard time, and not contemplating suicide, but like I said, there's many ways to view this song. Only the writer knows the true intention.