I wonder if this blade ran through someone's side
The blood wiped away to hide
How evil you grandfather was 'fore he died
But war can make monsters out of us all
I'm sure I'd become one if I was called
And then it would be my blade
Here at this yardsale

The guitar I am holding is way out of tune
The neck it is warped and the saddle is through
I wonder if sweet music ever was played
From the hands of a boy to a girl in the shade
From this rickety ghost of a song
Here at this yardsale

A dollar for anything here on this quilt
A price tag for hands from which all things are built
A blanket of voices speak pleasure in shame
Flowers of plastic and fruit of the same
A basket of nothing at all
Here at this yardsale

So if I had the money I'd buy everything
And cover the whole lot with good gasoline
And burn it for all that I care for the past
And rid mother earth of what never should last
And give her the present of ash
Made of a yardsale


Lyrics submitted by Thrilliam

Yardsale song meanings
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4 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    This song represents, in my opinion, hating the past and wanting to erase it.

    It also reminds me of when I come across something that someone else owned in the past, and how I wonder what kind of journey it's had.

    whitewordson October 04, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think the song is kinda different from the other two reviews....

    I think it's about going to a yardsale and wondering what past the items have to them. And, at the end, he doesn't want anything associated with the past so he says its better to just burn it and get new stuff and make new memories

    crazedwannabon August 30, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    For me, personally, this song is talking about holding onto your past. Sometimes it's best we move on and start fresh. But that's just my personal interpretation, I could be wrong.

    purplestainedmartianon September 23, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Really glad I listened to this song a couple times because at first I didn't think too much of it. Now I love it.

    I think everybody is on the right track, but I think there is a little more to it.

    I think that yes it is about Scott going to a random yardsale and wondering about the story behind all of the different items for sale. The first two verses make a lot of sense, a sword and a guitar. The last 2 are a little more ambiguous.

    I think that in the 3rd verse, he's basically saying that to an outsider, none of this stuff really has much meaning at all. To the person selling it, even the littlest of things have memories that go along with them and you can't really put a price on that. My favorite line is "a price tag for hands from which all things are built". You can't put a price on things that have been made.

    Rather than sell off all the belongings that carry so many memories with them, Scott would rather burn it all because he would hate for those memories to be loss with someone else.

    wrad10on April 13, 2015   Link

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