The narrator of this song is a man with a toxic relationship and an alcohol habit. There's no clear indication of which is the cart and which is the horse, but they clearly feed into each other in a downward spiral. He and his girlfriend fight constantly, even when they're supposed to be away on vacation. One day in Mexico she catches him drunkenly oggling tourist girls on the beach, says she's leaving, and storms off. He waits for her there all season, but she never returns. He drowns his sorrows and tries to get over her, which is what his un-remembered tattoo is all about. Finally, his money and health run down, he returns home. His girlfriend is not there waiting for him, and is apparently really gone for good. But his alcohol habit is still right there with him wherever he goes.
I only recently noticed the double meaning of "my lost shaker of salt". He's referring, of course, to his girlfriend and her nagging and snippiness ("salt"). But he still misses her and wants her back, and finally realizes he might have been able to make it work with her if not for his drunken buffoonery.
The narrator of this song is a man with a toxic relationship and an alcohol habit. There's no clear indication of which is the cart and which is the horse, but they clearly feed into each other in a downward spiral. He and his girlfriend fight constantly, even when they're supposed to be away on vacation. One day in Mexico she catches him drunkenly oggling tourist girls on the beach, says she's leaving, and storms off. He waits for her there all season, but she never returns. He drowns his sorrows and tries to get over her, which is what his un-remembered tattoo is all about. Finally, his money and health run down, he returns home. His girlfriend is not there waiting for him, and is apparently really gone for good. But his alcohol habit is still right there with him wherever he goes.
I only recently noticed the double meaning of "my lost shaker of salt". He's referring, of course, to his girlfriend and her nagging and snippiness ("salt"). But he still misses her and wants her back, and finally realizes he might have been able to make it work with her if not for his drunken buffoonery.