taking a biographical approach, i would say this song is about woody gutherie's mother (gutherie being the writer of all mermaid avenue songs)
woodys mom had huntingtons disease and ended up being placed in a mental institution. growing up, the disease would cause her erratic and violent behavior. she accidently killed one of his sisters by burning her and she badly burned his father.
however, she was woodys introduction to music. in the book "this land was made for you and me" by elizabeth partridge she quotes woody as saying "she began to gaze out our window and follow her songs out and up and over and away from it all, away over yonder in the minor keys"
the actual town he lived in was called okemah, but you can see the connection. the speaker is blaming himself somehow (the ugly boy), talking about the beatings he got from his mother (the tree part), yet still drawn to her. he loved her and was crushed that she reached the point where she couldnt even recognize him. yes, she was crazy, and abused him, but no one can sing like her...
fascinating. by the way, read about woody gutheries life, he lived an amazing one.
I love that book and have read it 5 times. Woody was such an amazing person and I was suprised when no one at my middles school knew who I was reading about. Great analogy. I had one around the same lines.
I love that book and have read it 5 times. Woody was such an amazing person and I was suprised when no one at my middles school knew who I was reading about. Great analogy. I had one around the same lines.
taking a biographical approach, i would say this song is about woody gutherie's mother (gutherie being the writer of all mermaid avenue songs)
woodys mom had huntingtons disease and ended up being placed in a mental institution. growing up, the disease would cause her erratic and violent behavior. she accidently killed one of his sisters by burning her and she badly burned his father.
however, she was woodys introduction to music. in the book "this land was made for you and me" by elizabeth partridge she quotes woody as saying "she began to gaze out our window and follow her songs out and up and over and away from it all, away over yonder in the minor keys"
the actual town he lived in was called okemah, but you can see the connection. the speaker is blaming himself somehow (the ugly boy), talking about the beatings he got from his mother (the tree part), yet still drawn to her. he loved her and was crushed that she reached the point where she couldnt even recognize him. yes, she was crazy, and abused him, but no one can sing like her...
fascinating. by the way, read about woody gutheries life, he lived an amazing one.
I love that book and have read it 5 times. Woody was such an amazing person and I was suprised when no one at my middles school knew who I was reading about. Great analogy. I had one around the same lines.
I love that book and have read it 5 times. Woody was such an amazing person and I was suprised when no one at my middles school knew who I was reading about. Great analogy. I had one around the same lines.