I got green and I got blues
And everyday there's a little less difference between the two.
So I belly-up and disappear.
Well I ain't really drowning 'cause I see the beach from here.

I could take a Greyhound home but when I got there it'd be gone
Along with everything a home is made up of.
So I'll take two of what you're having and I'll take all of what you got
To kill this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love.

Sister, listen to what your daddy says.
Don't be ashamed of things that hide behind your dress.
Belly-up and arch your back.
Well I ain't really falling asleep; I'm fading to black.

You could come to me by plane, but that wouldn't be the same
As that old motel room in Texarkana was.
So I'll take two of what you're having and I'll take all of what you got
To kill this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love.

Stop me if you've heard this one before:
A man walks into a bar and leaves before his ashes hit the floor.
Stop me if I ever get that far.
The sun's a desperate star that burns like every single one before.

And I could find another dream,
One that keeps me warm and clean
But I ain't dreamin' anymore, I'm waking up.
So I'll take two of what you're having and I'll take everything you got
To kill this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love.



Lyrics submitted by TonyRo2

Track duration: 04:59

"Goddamn Lonely Love" as written by Jason Isbell

Lyrics © FAME PUBLISHING COMPANY LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Goddamn Lonely Love song meanings
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12 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I don't know that there's a definite answer to this one, but I'll give it my take. It's certainly a beautiful song.

    He's found success in life moneywise, career or whatever, but it doesn't help him find happiness, and he's drinking to quell that sadness. He knows he'll never get back to where he was truly happy, before he found success, so that just adds to his sadness and drinking.

    the next part is iffy, but I think that maybe she cheated on him and got pregnant. He knows it was his fault somehow that she strayed, and tells her not to be ashamed. He also knows that its completely over, it'll never be the way it was in Texarkana.

    So he's back to drinking. He had something good and f'd it up chasing some money/success. But that's no substitute, so here he is, rich and lonely and drinking. He could search for another girl, but doesn't want to deal with the pain again. He's content to let the misery and alcohol swallow him whole, soul and all.
    Flag Jaydoton July 02, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:One line in particular says to me this song is indeed about yearning for the past. He says

    "You could come to me by plane, but that wouldn't be the same
    as that old motel room in Texarkana was."

    This says to me its about a relationship that only worked under certain circumstances. He's realizing whatever this is isn't going to work and it's purely in the past and that's it. Essentially he's just sort of drifting along in the present. As an earlier line indicates he has no sense of home. Seems like he just has fleeting memories of the past and that's all he has to work with.
    Flag bt88on September 24, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:To me, it's about missing what was. He reminisces about home ("I could take a greyhound home") and old flames ("belly up and arch your back"), but realizes that they can't be the same again ("but when I got there it'd be gone" & "but that wouldn't be the same"). The only way to cope with the fact that what you hold dear is just a memory is to drink it away -- "so I'll take two of what you're having."
    Flag RoddyPiperon October 25, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Wow, sounds like you all have some pretty good takes on this song. As with all songs, they mean what they mean to each individual based on their life experiences. I was recently introduced to DBT by a friend and now can't get enough of them. Just saw them in concert and they freaking rocked!! Personally, this song makes me tear up everytime I hear it now (damn it). For me, I agree w/ Muck Man & waybetter (could be a combo of both).
    Flag deepthink13on August 13, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I've always thought this was about how a man that has grown so much and ;earned some much in life already that he has to watch out for his self...and since that is all he has ever known...that all he will be able to do...and he really wants to share his heart with someone but he will never get the chance because he is too afraid for himself...that what i always meant for me anyways
    Flag waybetteron December 22, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:'i got green and i got blues…'

    he's got money but he's still depressed. and regardless of how much money he has it still doesn't make any difference to him. so he gets drunk to take his mind off it.

    'well i ain't really drowning…'

    he refuses to admit that it's a problem. as if he's saying i'm not an alcoholic, i can stop anytime i want. or he thinks he doesn't 'need' to drink, it's just a temporary solution, he has his feelings under control.

    'i could take a greyhound home…'

    he realises that home is not just a place, it's about the people and the emotions you have when you're there. so even if he travelled to his hometown, it wouldn't be the same as he remembered it. he would still be lonely because that's the frame of mind he is in.

    'so i'll take two of what you're having…'

    this could be a conversation to a stranger in a bar, as if he's saying my life's worse than yours, i'd take any of your problems over mine. at the same time saying he'll need twice as many drinks to forget about how lonely he is. i think the reason he is so depressed is because he has actually fallen in love, but found that ironically he now feels more lonely than before, perhaps because he can't be with the person, either physically or emotionally.
    Flag nexttoyouon July 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The song is about a woman leaving her boyfriend/ husband while she is pregnant with his child and planning an abortion. The first verse is about desperity. Drinking away the pain. The second verse is about the abortion. "Don't be ashamed of the things that hide behind your dress. Belly up and arch your back." The last verse is the hardest one to interpit, but I think the first part about the "leaves before his ashes hit the floor" is a refrence to how quick and unexpected life can end and how short it is. The part about the sun is basically to downplay the significance of life. The sun burns as bright today as every single sun that shined before, and all the beings that thrived underneath them.
    Flag Wyontton April 26, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I heard Jason Isbell and the 400 unit do this song in concert a month ago.

    For me, it's about a guy getting drunk because he doesn't want to be like everyone else. He can't just play dumb and be happy and so he is drinkin to kill that "goddamn lonely love"
    Flag songsconsideredon November 18, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Yeah, this is one of those songs that is so damned moving yet it's hard to put a finger on what it's supposed to be about. I guess it's one of those "it can mean whatever you want it to mean" kinda songs, I guess.

    I just take it as he's got this love, but he knows he can't ever do anything with it. He can't make it be what it once was, so he's just stuck with it. The only thing he knows to do about it is just drink it away, even if it means drinking himself away in the process.
    Flag Muck Manon June 13, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I really wish that more people listened to DBT and posted on here, because I know I'm really bad at figuring this kind of stuff out.

    I know there has to be some profound meaning behind this song and I can just hear it in Jason's voice, but I'm not sure what it is...
    Flag BasketOfFishon September 11, 2006   Link

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