In all the song meanings that I read here, I didn’t see any that accurately describes my take on this songs meaning. This song is about life, death and perhaps reincarnation. Let it rock me in the arms of strangers, angels until it brings me home. This line is a metaphor for a train taking a spirit to the afterlife. The line, I wasn't ready to go, is talking about not being ready to die. I'm never ready to go, indicates that this isn’t this spirits first rodeo. He’s lived before this go round and finds that he is never ready to go. It’s about suddenly and unexpectedly dying with a lot of loose ends. Also (I’m not certain of this part) I have always felt that Ryan Adams gives the sketch of 3 different people. Three different incarnations of the same person. The first is a traveler in mid 1800’s on the riverboat The Delta Queen. In his second life, he is a drunk at the bar till 3am when when death calls. In the third life he has left his woman in the car, perhaps to go get snacks and can’t find the car now. Death comes again, probably a heat attack. Loose ends. In each life you get the feeling that he isn’t finished or that he is unfulfilled. Anyway, that’s my very different take.
In all the song meanings that I read here, I didn’t see any that accurately describes my take on this songs meaning. This song is about life, death and perhaps reincarnation. Let it rock me in the arms of strangers, angels until it brings me home. This line is a metaphor for a train taking a spirit to the afterlife. The line, I wasn't ready to go, is talking about not being ready to die. I'm never ready to go, indicates that this isn’t this spirits first rodeo. He’s lived before this go round and finds that he is never ready to go. It’s about suddenly and unexpectedly dying with a lot of loose ends. Also (I’m not certain of this part) I have always felt that Ryan Adams gives the sketch of 3 different people. Three different incarnations of the same person. The first is a traveler in mid 1800’s on the riverboat The Delta Queen. In his second life, he is a drunk at the bar till 3am when when death calls. In the third life he has left his woman in the car, perhaps to go get snacks and can’t find the car now. Death comes again, probably a heat attack. Loose ends. In each life you get the feeling that he isn’t finished or that he is unfulfilled. Anyway, that’s my very different take.