Song Meaning
I lost a sister to suicide in 2014. She was worth over $20 million, with 3 beautiful children. But she was miserable. I had no appreciation for the pain some people endure, until it becomes unbearable, and death is, to them, a better option. So sad....
The song is about someone who has lost his love and soulmate, Kathleen. We don't know how he lost her, but she is gone. He is at the end of his rope, and he decides to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge into oncoming traffic. The last few stanzas speak to his final moments, and what runs thru his mind as he dies; and his final thougths of her
"Lay down my head by the wayside" - wayside, means the end of the road. He can't go on
"Quite why she left..." this song is about the loss of Kathleen
"One plate of food, steaming and hot, clean linen ironed...'
Thoughts of home, the comfort of a home
"But I ain't got, one salty dime." My 10 year daughter asked me about this line, and I explained to her that he is so destitute and poor that he doesn't even have a green, salty dime, versus a shiny, new dime. Which would you consider more valuable?
"Just close your eyes, it won't talk long, won't hurt a bit.' He contemplates the pain associated with killing himself; will he feel pain? He wants to believe it won't be painful and that it be over quickly, but he knows better.
"Telling myself I could be strong, or some such brave bullshit." He's tried to convince himself to be brave, but he knows that death will be painful, and thoughts of being brave, just do it, are not true. It will be painful and he knows it...
"Trucks are roaring by, I'm a red ghost, in the tail light gleam." He's jumped into incoming traffic, and then he is lying on the side of the road, and he sees the red of his blood which matches the red tail lights of passing cars.
"I'm a tumble weed, I'm a split roast, turning in your flame...' he jumps and tumbles as he falls; 'I'm a spit roast, turning in your flame,' trying to make sense of a difficult relationship with his love that for some unknown reason forever changed, hot and cold, "spit roast turning in your flame," he loves her, but their relationship was hot and cold; they could never make it work in this life
"oh my darlin' Kathleen..' the underlying cause of his misery; the loss of Kathleen...whom he loved
"cars that sound like waves that are breaking, on some desolate shore..." he's jumped and is dying, yet he hears the cars faintly passing by and he thinks they are waves, as he knows that he is dying, he's comforted by these thougths in his last moment. The cars remind him of distant memories, maybe as a child, when the waves of the sea crashing on the beach, calmed him in his innocence as a child.
"I gazed so long into the great, aching skies, it seems like I wasn't here no more..." He is dying, staring up at the dark night, he feels pain' 'the great aching skies..., I seems like I wasn't here no more...' he is slipping away and dying, as he stares at the skies
"My rushing blood was river," the blood he sees and feels with jumping into oncoming traffic
His final moments, as he gazes at the stars, 'my eyes two stars...' the light from his eyes is dying and is only a small spec as he dies and the ;go black, as he dies...'
"My blowing hair all a quiver, whispering fields of grass, murmers as you pass...'
As he dies, she speaks to him, a gentle breeze in the grass that is fleeting. He knows it is Kathleen speaking to him from beyond, as a gentle breeze, and she is waiting for him....'
Whispers out your name, oh my darlin' Kathleen....
His final thoughts are of Kathleen as he dies...
Message; you never know what pain people feel. Be kind and try to undertand
Song Meaning I lost a sister to suicide in 2014. She was worth over $20 million, with 3 beautiful children. But she was miserable. I had no appreciation for the pain some people endure, until it becomes unbearable, and death is, to them, a better option. So sad....
The song is about someone who has lost his love and soulmate, Kathleen. We don't know how he lost her, but she is gone. He is at the end of his rope, and he decides to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge into oncoming traffic. The last few stanzas speak to his final moments, and what runs thru his mind as he dies; and his final thougths of her
"Lay down my head by the wayside" - wayside, means the end of the road. He can't go on
"Quite why she left..." this song is about the loss of Kathleen
"One plate of food, steaming and hot, clean linen ironed...'
Thoughts of home, the comfort of a home
"But I ain't got, one salty dime." My 10 year daughter asked me about this line, and I explained to her that he is so destitute and poor that he doesn't even have a green, salty dime, versus a shiny, new dime. Which would you consider more valuable?
"Just close your eyes, it won't talk long, won't hurt a bit.' He contemplates the pain associated with killing himself; will he feel pain? He wants to believe it won't be painful and that it be over quickly, but he knows better.
"Telling myself I could be strong, or some such brave bullshit." He's tried to convince himself to be brave, but he knows that death will be painful, and thoughts of being brave, just do it, are not true. It will be painful and he knows it...
"Trucks are roaring by, I'm a red ghost, in the tail light gleam." He's jumped into incoming traffic, and then he is lying on the side of the road, and he sees the red of his blood which matches the red tail lights of passing cars.
"I'm a tumble weed, I'm a split roast, turning in your flame...' he jumps and tumbles as he falls; 'I'm a spit roast, turning in your flame,' trying to make sense of a difficult relationship with his love that for some unknown reason forever changed, hot and cold, "spit roast turning in your flame," he loves her, but their relationship was hot and cold; they could never make it work in this life
"oh my darlin' Kathleen..' the underlying cause of his misery; the loss of Kathleen...whom he loved
"cars that sound like waves that are breaking, on some desolate shore..." he's jumped and is dying, yet he hears the cars faintly passing by and he thinks they are waves, as he knows that he is dying, he's comforted by these thougths in his last moment. The cars remind him of distant memories, maybe as a child, when the waves of the sea crashing on the beach, calmed him in his innocence as a child.
"I gazed so long into the great, aching skies, it seems like I wasn't here no more..." He is dying, staring up at the dark night, he feels pain' 'the great aching skies..., I seems like I wasn't here no more...' he is slipping away and dying, as he stares at the skies
"My rushing blood was river," the blood he sees and feels with jumping into oncoming traffic
His final moments, as he gazes at the stars, 'my eyes two stars...' the light from his eyes is dying and is only a small spec as he dies and the ;go black, as he dies...'
"My blowing hair all a quiver, whispering fields of grass, murmers as you pass...'
As he dies, she speaks to him, a gentle breeze in the grass that is fleeting. He knows it is Kathleen speaking to him from beyond, as a gentle breeze, and she is waiting for him....'
Whispers out your name, oh my darlin' Kathleen....
His final thoughts are of Kathleen as he dies...
Message; you never know what pain people feel. Be kind and try to undertand