C'mon people! It's obvious! This song is about Jay Farrar! A.M. was relased right after Uncle Tupelo broke up.
"Is it really punk rock, like the party line? Do you have to think about that? Can I give you some time?" Jay probabaly thought that Jeff was usurping his position as band leader and his songs were straying a little further from their roots as that little slapdash country punk band they used to be into something more sophisticated.
I read that when Jay wanted to break up the band, Jeff was really hurt. So, "'Cause when I really needed you, you were gone" is Jeff's accusatory swipe at Jay. They were a good band together, but Jay was kind of an ass about the whole thing.
Anyway, that's my take. I also know that they played this in St. Louis a few years back (their first show in Jeff's hometown in a while) so a lot of people interpreted it as his love letter to St. Louis – the scene he grew up in and then left for greener pastures (St. Louis is not, outside of Tupelo and a handfull of other alt country bands, known for its support of indie bands),
C'mon people! It's obvious! This song is about Jay Farrar! A.M. was relased right after Uncle Tupelo broke up. "Is it really punk rock, like the party line? Do you have to think about that? Can I give you some time?" Jay probabaly thought that Jeff was usurping his position as band leader and his songs were straying a little further from their roots as that little slapdash country punk band they used to be into something more sophisticated. I read that when Jay wanted to break up the band, Jeff was really hurt. So, "'Cause when I really needed you, you were gone" is Jeff's accusatory swipe at Jay. They were a good band together, but Jay was kind of an ass about the whole thing.
Anyway, that's my take. I also know that they played this in St. Louis a few years back (their first show in Jeff's hometown in a while) so a lot of people interpreted it as his love letter to St. Louis – the scene he grew up in and then left for greener pastures (St. Louis is not, outside of Tupelo and a handfull of other alt country bands, known for its support of indie bands),