I think this song is about a man who's completely down on his luck. Sure, he's just lost his girlfriend, but the fact that the bartender is singing "Clementine" leads me to believe that even in his safe haven(the bar) he's unable to escape his dismal thoughts. I also think that the "The street's wet, you can tell by the sound of the cars" alludes to the narrator's inevitable sadness. I don't think that bartender is actually singing; I think that line is more a metaphor to the bartender's acts of closing the bar and general uncaring of Elliott's situation. Not only is he without Clementine but is reminded that the one scapegoat he has (drinking at a bar) is pushing him away now to face the 'wet streets', thus forcing him to think of his loss. Just a thought.
I think this song is about a man who's completely down on his luck. Sure, he's just lost his girlfriend, but the fact that the bartender is singing "Clementine" leads me to believe that even in his safe haven(the bar) he's unable to escape his dismal thoughts. I also think that the "The street's wet, you can tell by the sound of the cars" alludes to the narrator's inevitable sadness. I don't think that bartender is actually singing; I think that line is more a metaphor to the bartender's acts of closing the bar and general uncaring of Elliott's situation. Not only is he without Clementine but is reminded that the one scapegoat he has (drinking at a bar) is pushing him away now to face the 'wet streets', thus forcing him to think of his loss. Just a thought.