I’m not a country fan, unfortunately. I wished if I was, because there is a lot of it around, but this song, particularly the way Lyle Lovett did, really resonates with me. It is very close to being rock n roll in its subtle, understated ways, and Lyle’s clean voice delivering these hard, challenging lyrics really speak to me.
And what a song it is. I honestly can’t quite make out what the song is about — it is so far above my head. I just admire how he can string together such insightful lines and create both emotional impact and mystery at the same time. It is inspiring to me as a songwriter.
While I can’t make out the whole story, there are many lines here that resonate with me. Like the idea that an indecision is a lonely thing. Or about voices distracting from the outside, and you having to stand your ground. And the fact that I can’t quite put together the big picture from these pieces only add to the charm here — depending on your life experience, different lines will have different meanings, and you draw out your own, individual significance. All the while retaining the sense of mystery. It’s very hard to write a song like this, though I try to. So I keep coming back to this one, to marvel at it.