1
Here we sit
Across the table from each other
A thousand miles from both our mothers,
Barely old enough to rust
Here we sit
Pretending both our hearts are anchors
Taking candy from these strangers
Amidst the diesel and the dust
And here we sit
Singing words nobody taught us
Drinking fire, and spitting sawdust,
Trying to teach ourselves to breathe
We haven't yet,
But every chorus brings us closer
Every flyer and every poster
Gives a piece of what we need
And the sand that they call cocaine cost you twice as much as gold
You'd be better off to drink your coffee black
But I swear, the land it listened to the stories that we told
God bless the busted boat that brings us back
Morning's rough
It don't give a damn about the mission
Has no aesthetic or tradition,
Only lessons never learned
And I'd had enough
About a month ago tomorrow
Parting holds no trace of sorrow
For the bitter and the burned
And the piss they call tequila even Waylon wouldn't drink
Well I'd rather sip this Listerine I packed
But I swear, we've never seen a better place to sit and think
God bless the busted ship that brings us back
And the sand that they call cocaine cost you twice as much as gold
You'd be better off to drink your coffee black
But I swear, the land it listened to the stories that we told
God bless the busted boat that brings us back
Across the table from each other
A thousand miles from both our mothers,
Barely old enough to rust
Here we sit
Pretending both our hearts are anchors
Taking candy from these strangers
Amidst the diesel and the dust
And here we sit
Singing words nobody taught us
Drinking fire, and spitting sawdust,
Trying to teach ourselves to breathe
We haven't yet,
But every chorus brings us closer
Every flyer and every poster
Gives a piece of what we need
And the sand that they call cocaine cost you twice as much as gold
You'd be better off to drink your coffee black
But I swear, the land it listened to the stories that we told
God bless the busted boat that brings us back
Morning's rough
It don't give a damn about the mission
Has no aesthetic or tradition,
Only lessons never learned
And I'd had enough
About a month ago tomorrow
Parting holds no trace of sorrow
For the bitter and the burned
And the piss they call tequila even Waylon wouldn't drink
Well I'd rather sip this Listerine I packed
But I swear, we've never seen a better place to sit and think
God bless the busted ship that brings us back
And the sand that they call cocaine cost you twice as much as gold
You'd be better off to drink your coffee black
But I swear, the land it listened to the stories that we told
God bless the busted boat that brings us back
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by emergingsynergy
New South Wales Lyrics as written by Jason Isbell
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
Oh good grief people! It's called "New South Wales" because he wrote the song while touring Australia with Justin Townes Earle.
It's about losing control on the road, and the dangers of substance abuse while touring. The meanings of "Sand" and "Listerene" aren't very mysterious here if you stop being so literal. Jason uses a lot of allegory in his lyrics, hence "the busted boat that brings us back", isn't an actual boat, but a metaphor for that which can bring you back to a more grounded, centered place. In Jason's world, that place is sobriety. For others, it could be different.
This, like most Isbell songs, is deeply personal and reflective. It has nothing to do with the colonization of Australia. Jeeze...
Read my most recent comment with an open mind. You will see it has a literal and abstract meaning. The busted boat is a metaphor. It's all a metaphor. You'll figure it out I'm not going to spell it out. There's too many references to the colonization of New South Wales. It's kind of personal but it's also a Ballad of the Irish settlers. Maybe he related to them who knows. I was in AP English. I know how to interpret lyrics I just can't write them. But I have so much respect for someone like him who really worked his ass off. This could be in an academic book. It's that good.
It's so complicated I don't know it would be upper level English major stuff. But it's the real deal. Jason studied poetry and stuff. He was a P.E. credit short of graduation. He knows what he's doing.
Read this. This will give you some insight. australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/convicts-and-the-british-colonies<br /> <br /> It might not be Irish per se but if you notice I said Celtic styling which could apply to Welch too.
Las comment - this is my favorite song on the album now. Not many people can write lyrics like that. His wife wasn't at the show unfortunately so he didn't play this one. Read the link I posted. This site is good for learning and as long as we are respectful.