During last week's article post, we took a deep dive into a hodgepodge of songs from different decades by deep diving Between an Old Memory and Me by Keith Whitley, Mr. Brightside by The Killers and Holliday Road by Lindsey Buckingham.
This week, we shift gears again and cover a song that I never heard until I was in my mid-30s along with a band that I came to appreciate in full as I approached 40.
If I Had a Boat - Lyle Lovett
I never understood Lyle Lovett. Still to this day, I’m not sure I do. I know that I never understood his talent until I heard this song randomly one day on Apple Music.
When the song finished playing, I replayed it three times. The first time was to see who the musician was, the second time was confirm I liked it and the third time was to add it to my library because I didn’t want to live another day of my life without this song being in it.
"And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
I said me upon my pony on my boat"
There are no complications in this opening chorus, but it’s always interesting when an artist chooses to open the song with the chorus. This is straightforward as Lovett is being deliberate and clear about what he would do if he had a boat. He would take it out for a spin. If he had a sidekick, he would take the sidekick with him on the boat and they could enjoy the day with nothing but the water around them.
"If I were Roy Rogers
I'd sure enough be single
I couldn't bring myself to marrying old Dale
Well, it'd just be me and Trigger
We'd go riding through them movies
Then we'd buy a boat and on the sea we'd sail"
The one thing I really appreciate about this song is its clarity. Lovett doesnt waste words and uses plenty of callback in this whimsical song. Roy Rogers is the classic cowboy from Westerns. Trigger was his horse and was arguably the biggest animal star in cinema of all-time. Some might argue Mr. Ed or Flipper, but Trigger was a bonafide star in his own right. Some lyrics spin the third line to end with “…marrying an old Dale” which would be a reference to the English packhorse. Lovett may have very intentionally used a double-entendre for humor here as Roy Rogers’ second wife was named Dale.
Regardless, the verse ends with them returning to being on their own setting sail on the boat they would acquire.
"And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
I said me upon my pony on my boat"
We return here to the chorus and the humor continues. Could you imagine you’re on a fishing boat, and while reeling in you see a John boat rolling by you with a Captain that looks like The Skipper from Gilligan’s Island but also onboard is Mr. Ed? That image alone is enough to make me laugh for hours on end.
"The mystery masked man was smart
He got himself a Tonto
'Cause Tonto did the dirty work for free
But Tonto he was smarter
And one day said kemo sabe
Well, kiss my ass, I bought a boat
I'm going out to sea"
As this verse starts, you could be a bit confused. How did we just introduce a mystery masked man? Is this WWE Monday Night Raw? Anyway, things clear up quickly as we realize Tonto is the sidekick of The Lone Ranger. So we continue with the Western theme, but The Lone Ranger needed a sidekick. Before TV, it was a radio show which could become hard to follow if The Lone Ranger was riding through the open plains making sounds like The Knights of the Roundtable from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Kemosabe was legitimately said to The Lone Ranger by Tonto and it meant trusted or faithful friend. However, the word’s origins are up for debate as to the true meaning. If the true meaning is in the Apache term which means idiot, it would make sense that he is suggesting the Lone Ranger kisses his ass because he’s getting a boat and bailing.
"And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
I said me upon my pony on my boat"
Again, just a repeat of the chorus here. Nothing to be uncovered.
"And if I were like lightning
I wouldn't need no sneakers
I'd come and go wherever I would please
And I'd scare 'em by the shade tree
And I'd scare 'em by the light pole
But I would not scare my pony on my boat out on the sea"
Lightning was the name of a horse in a 1986 movie titled Lightning, the White Stallion, starring Mickey Rooney. The only thought I could come up with for the not needing sneakers, is another whimsical change of terms intertwining sneakers and shoes, or in this case horseshoes.
This seems to make sense as the reference as Lovett released the song in 1988 as the opening song of his second studio album titled Pontiac.
"And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
I said me upon my pony on my boat
I said me upon my pony on my boat"
We end this classic with the chorus. The album has a tremendous cast of talent including the great Paul Franklin on steel guitar, Vince Gill on background vocals and guitar and Emmylou Harris providing background vocals.
The album reached number 12 on the US Top Country Albums chart.
If You’re Gone - Matchbox 20
Everyone knows Matchbox 20 right? Whether it’s 3 AM, Back 2 Good or Unwell, we can all remember the lyrics to at least one Matchbox 20 song.
I discovered this song from the 2000 album Mad Season just a year ago. Again, listening to Apple Music it came on and I was immediately hooked.
"I think I've already lost you
I think you're already gone
I think I'm finally scared now
You think I'm weak, I think you're wrong"
Things are clear here. Rob Thomas is writing about loss and that overwhelming feeling you get when you feel something slipping through your hands. First, you recognize it, then you mentally get concerned that it’s happening and you’ve lost control. Finally, things end with the contradiction of the other person’s feelings and the fact that they think they know how you feel but they really don’t.
"I think you're already leavin'
Feels like your hand is on the door
I thought this place was an empire
Now I'm relaxed, I can't be sure"
In this verse, we double down on the first verse. There is further clarity that loss is at hand and someone is leaving. The third line of this place was an empire really clarifies that this is most likely a romantic relationship. I would imagine it’s a marriage that’s falling apart since this place would most likely be a shared home. The verse ends with some clarity, but mixed feeling.
"And I think you're so mean, I think we should try
I think I could need this in my life and
I think I'm scared, I think too much
I know it's wrong, it's a problem I'm dealin' "
As we hit the bridge, the narrator is stating the fault lies with their partner but they should try to fix things. They need this relationship but are scared and they also know they are a classic over thinker and they know that’s a them-thing that they will need to fix. But, they’re dealing with that part of themselves as we head into the chorus.
"If you're gone
Maybe it's time to come home
There's an awful lot of breathin' room
But I can hardly move
If you're gone
Baby, you need to come home, come home
There's a little bit of somethin' me
In everything in you"
We really have a twist of words here. The narrator is saying they don’t believe the partner is actually gone. They would welcome them back because the shared home they once had is empty now and it’s causing them significant emotional turmoil. The back half of the chorus is a bit of a plead to come back because they share a lot with each other through their relationship and the mutual shared experiences.
"I bet you're hard to get over
I bet the room just won't shine
I bet my hands I can stay here
And I bet you need more than you mind"
In this verse, the narrator is begging the question a bit by using some flattery and saying that if they are gone, they’ve broken hearts before and are hard to move on from. The flattery is in the fact that they are saying they wont be able to just move on easily. But the partner might also need this relationship more than they are bothered by the things that fractured it.
"And I think you're so mean, I think we should try
I think I could need this in my life
I think I'm just scared that I know too much
I can't relate, and that's a problem I'm feelin' "
The bridge changes slightly here. He’s scared that now he knows too much about the partner and maybe some of their misgivings. They are unable to relate to the partner’s feelings and things they’ve done but they will try to do so if the partner will just come back and talk about things.
"If you're gone
Maybe it's time to come home
There's an awful lot of breathin' room
But I can hardly move
If you're gone
Baby, you need to come home, come home
There's a little bit of somethin' me
In everything in you"
The chorus repeats here with nothing new to reveal.
"I think you're so mean, I think we should try
I think I could need this in my life and
I think I'm scared, do I talk too much?
I know it's wrong, it's a problem I'm dealin’ "
Again, the bridge adjusts in the back half. The narrator is again asking a question that reveals some personal insight into their own condition. They know they might say too much and not listen enough. However, they are again working on this issue as well after some self-reflection.
"If you're gone
Then maybe it's time to come home
Well, there's an awful lot of breathin' room
But I can hardly move
Yeah, well, if you're gone
Hell, baby, you need to come home, you need to come home
There's a little bit of somethin' me
In everything in you
Somethin' me
Everything in
Somethin' me in
In you"
The song wraps up with the chorus repeating the request to just come back and mend the broken parts of the relationship and at a bare minimum just talk about things and provide the closure they both need.
Released on September 18, 2000 as the second single from Mad Season, If You’re Gone reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts. The album went double platinum selling two million units in the United States.
Push - Matchbox 20
Song four on the band’s first album, Yourself or Someone Like You, Push is a classic from Matchbox 20.
We go back to lost love with this song, but from a very different perspective than we’re used to hearing things from.
"(She said) I don't know if I've ever been good enough
I'm a little bit rusty, and I think my head is caving in
And I don't know if I've ever been really loved
By a hand that's touched me, well I feel like something's
Gonna give
And I'm a little bit angry, well"
The song starts off by clearing being from the perspective of a woman who is doubting herself. She’s saying she’s not been in a relationship often and is caving to the pressures of this new thing in her life. She’s also questioning past relationships and that she’s angry at the idea of all of this coming together.
"This ain't over, no not here, not while I still need you
Around
You don't owe me, we might change
Yeah we just might feel good"
The woman is also saying that the relationship can’t end. While the other partner doesn’t owe her anything, they need to believe that things could change for the better.
"I wanna push you around, I will, I will
I wanna push you down, I will, I will
I wanna take you for granted, I wanna take you for granted
I will"
Control. Physically pushing the partner around is a possibility here, but I believe the woman is saying that she needs to control the partner both physically and mentally. Finally, they’re saying they want to let their guard down so much they take the partner for granted in the relationship that they will always be there and that is most likely what will lead to the relationship’s demise.
"(She said) I don't know why you ever would lie to me
Like I'm a little untrusting when I think that the truth is
Gonna hurt ya
And I don't know why you couldn't just stay with me
You couldn't stand to be near me
When my face don't seem to want to shine
'Cause it's a little bit dirty, well"
The woman is accusing the partner of misdeeds. She’s also saying how could you lie to me when you know trust is something that’s always been hard for me. Despite all of those things, the woman is asking why they chose to leave and just bailed on the relationship when they were the ones at the low point. They’re putting a lot of blame on a partner who was over the negativity of the relationship.
"Don't just stand there, say nice things to me
'Cause I've been cheated I've been wronged, and you
You don't know me, well I can't change
I won't do anything at all"
This is narcissistic control and a bit of gaslighting. The woman is saying be nice to me despite me being at fault here. Mentally I need to hear you tell me all of the good things about me because I know I have no redeeming qualities. Just lie to me. Also, you dont know me anyway and never deserved me. But please be nice.
"I wanna push you around, I will, I will
I wanna push you down, I will, I will
I wanna take you for granted, I wanna take you for granted
I will"
Back to the chorus, things have really escalated but at this point nothing has changed of note.
"Oh but don't bowl me over
Just wait a minute well it kinda fell apart, things get so
Crazy, crazy
Don't rush this baby, don't rush this baby"
This bridge is the woman again begging for forgiveness and for the person being mistreated to overlook it and just take them back. They’re also accusing the partner of rushing to break things off.
"I wanna push you around, I will, I will
I wanna push you down, I will, I will
I wanna take you for granted, I wanna take you for granted
I will"
The song ends with more threats of controlling behavior either physically or mentally in response to the partner ending the cycle by breaking up with this woman.
Push sold three million copies and is certified triple platinum as a single. It was top ten in every major Billboard chart. Yourself and Someone Like You has sold 12 million copies to be certified 12 times platinum as one of the United States best-selling albums of all-time.