Shared a cigarette for breakfast
Shared an airplane ride for lunch
Sitting in between a ghost
And a walking bowl of punch
Can you play a little hunch?

Predicting a delay on landing
Well I predict we'll have a drink
Lost my money on the first hand
Got burned on a big fat king

And your ears are gonna ring
And your eyes just wanna close
Nothing changing I suppose

It's too late to turn back, here we go
Portland, oh no
It's too late to turn back, here we go
Portland, oh no

We'll wait away the raindrops
Look out boy, you'll catch cold
Serving boy can chain nothing
That ain't anchored to his throne
But at least he's going home

Sitting like a backwoods junkie
Caught down in a servant trust
Look at the funny monkey
Putting silver in his cup

And your silver turns to rust
And your secondhand clothes
Trust no one I suppose

It's too late to turn back, here we go
Portland, oh no
It's too late to turn back, here we go
Portland, oh no

Shared a cigarette for breakfast
Shared a pack of lies for lunch
Credit card almighty
Bringing in the next little bunch

And you owe me on a hunch
And your eyes just wanna close
And nothing changes I suppose

It's too late to turn back, here we go
Portland, oh no
It's too late to turn back, here we go
Portland, oh no


Lyrics submitted by MrAwesomeSquared

Portland Lyrics as written by Paul Westerberg

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

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Portland song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    I really love this song. It's so melancholic. I don't really know what it means.

    I'm surprised nobody has pointed out that it's one of the few instances where Westerberg reuses lyrics - specifically "It's too late to turn back, here we go" was in "Talent Show".

    Anyway, recently, it seems that a few articles have been published about The Replacements and Portland. The short version is this:

    • the Mats had a particularly infamous drunk and/or awful show in Portland at the end of the PTMM tour on Dec 7 1987 supported by Young Fresh Fellows,
    • later wrote the song "Portland"
    • and etched an apology to Portland in the run-out groove of "Don't Tell a Soul".

    These articles have more details and actual first-hand accounts and even an adorable comic: aquariumdrunkard.com/2013/04/23/sevens-the-replacements-portland/ is an older article from 2013

    More recent articles from April 2015 when The Replacements returned to Portland for the "Back by Unpopular Demand" tour and with Young Fresh Fellows as support act again: dailyemerald.com/2015/04/08/the-replacements/ portlandmercury.com/portland/a-match-made-in-hell/Content

    elwyn5150on May 05, 2015   Link

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