The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
There is a road that meets the road
That goes to my house
And how it green grows there
And we've got special boots
To beat the path to my house
And it's careful and it's careful when I'm there
And I say your uncle was a crooked french Canadian
And he was gut-shot runnin' gin
And how his guts were all suspended in his fingers
And how he held 'em
How he held 'em held, 'em in
And the water rolls down the drain, the water rolls down the drain,
Oh what a lonely thing! in a lonely drain!
July, July, July! never seemed so strange
This is the story of the road that goes to my house
And what ghosts there do remain
And all the troughs that run the length and breadth of my house
And the chickens how they rattle chicken chains
And we'll remember this when we are old and ancient
Though the specifics might be vague
And I'll say your camisole was sprightly light magenta
When in fact it was a nappy blueish grey
And the water rolls down the drain
The blood rolls down the drain
Oh what a lonely thing
In a blood red drain
July, July, July! it never seemed so strange
That goes to my house
And how it green grows there
And we've got special boots
To beat the path to my house
And it's careful and it's careful when I'm there
And I say your uncle was a crooked french Canadian
And he was gut-shot runnin' gin
And how his guts were all suspended in his fingers
And how he held 'em
How he held 'em held, 'em in
And the water rolls down the drain, the water rolls down the drain,
Oh what a lonely thing! in a lonely drain!
July, July, July! never seemed so strange
This is the story of the road that goes to my house
And what ghosts there do remain
And all the troughs that run the length and breadth of my house
And the chickens how they rattle chicken chains
And we'll remember this when we are old and ancient
Though the specifics might be vague
And I'll say your camisole was sprightly light magenta
When in fact it was a nappy blueish grey
And the water rolls down the drain
The blood rolls down the drain
Oh what a lonely thing
In a blood red drain
July, July, July! it never seemed so strange
Lyrics submitted by sarahsavedlatin
July, July! Lyrics as written by Colin Meloy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
"and i'll say your camisole was a sprightly light magenta when in fact it was a nappy bluish grey " For some reason i love this line. I think it's because of the way it is written, you don't find much like it.
It's about an abandoned slaughterhouse in Portland that Collin used to (illegally) live in.
"Um ... but it was actually a slaughterhouse beforehand, and on the third floor there was [sic] troughs along the side of the, um ... down the hallways where the blood would run. And then the troughs would actually lead to the outside, where it would pour off the side of the building, I swear to God.
"So we assume that the house -- that the building was haunted by dead chickens ...
I think this song is really about telling stories and how time changes how you tell them. "And I'll say, "Your camisole was a sprightly light magenta" When, in fact, it was a nappy bluish grey"
And also how he says "the water rolls down the drain" but then changes it to blood to make it more exciting.
Does anyone know if there's a connection between this song and Tim O'Brien's book of the same name? I read the book and didn't really find any overwhelming similarities, but maybe there's something I overlooked? The book came out in 2002, and the song in 2003...
I was thinking the same thing. It's a great book and song, but I think that it's either pure coincidence or the Decemberists just decided that it was a cool name so went with it.
One thing I find interesting is the way Colin pronounces "July" not in the usual way like "juh-ly" but more like "joo-ly" so it almost sounds as if he's saying "D'you lie?" Perhaps unintentional, probably means absolutely nothing, I guess he just pronounces things cool. I think it's interesting anyway.
hmm actually I think that is how I normally pronounce it ordinarily (joo-ly)... now I wonder which way is more common.
first decemberists song i had ever heard,
castaways and cutouts was definitely one of the best albums of '03.
this song can almost always pick me up!
same here
"...a retrospective tale about a back alley road and its grisly history. The storyteller (I imagine a group of adolescent boys crowded in a circle, eyes transfixed on the prevaricator as he whispers their infamous alley's shadowy past, its truth or non-truth of little consequence) tells of a ;crooked French Canadian,' who is of relation to someone he knows, who was mysteriously murdered in the alleyway (the storyteller blames the man's death on the fact that he sold illegal alcohol and the risks inherent). The boy then turns his attention to a moment of illicit romance in that same gory alley, joking that the tart’s undergarment left much to be desired: 'I'll say your camisole was a sprightly light magenta when in fact it was a nappy bluish gray.' The line 'the water rolls down the drain' from earlier in the song is repeated, but this time is followed by the substitution of the word 'blood' in place of 'water', which is sung with a sense of delighted discovery.
stylusmagazine.com/feature.php
im not saying your comment is crap (most people will do that here) but i am saying that ur quoting which isn't "your" insight is it?
such a bright sounding song for such unpleasant details of the story it tells. great song however.
Colin Meloy is pretty good at that...<br /> Prime example is "A Cautionary Tale" which comes right after this one on the album.
i just love all the imagery in this. the chicken chains always get me.