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‘The Engine Driver’ by The Decemberists is a great example of a song with different layers of stories in it.
The protagonist is a heartbroken writer who can’t forget about the one he loves. In desperation he tries to escape his own life by immersing himself in the act of writing and the world of his fictional characters: an engine driver, a lineman, and a money lender. But it turns out that his characters are just as trapped as he is…
At least that’s the way this song sounds to me, what do you think? y/n?
From the album Picaresque by The Decemberists.
Lyrics:
I’m an engine driver
On a long run, on a long run
Would I were beside her
She’s a long one, such a long one
And if you don’t love me let me go
And if you don’t love me let me go
I’m a county lineman
On the high line, on the high line
So will be my grandson
There are powerlines in our bloodlines
And if you don’t love me let me go
And if you don’t love me let me go
And I am a writer, writer of fictions
I am the heart that you call home
And I’ve written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones
My bones
My bones
I’m a money lender
I have fortunes upon fortunes
Take my hand for tender
I am tortured, ever tortured
And if you don’t love me let me go
And if you don’t love me let me go
And I am a writer, writer of fictions
I am the heart that you call home
And I’ve written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones
I am a writer, I am all that you have hoped on
And I’ve written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones
My bones
My bones
(And if you don’t love me let me go)
And if you don’t love me let me go
(And if you don’t love me let me go)
And if you don’t love me let me go
You know, it’s funny. I always thought it was point and counter-point with a montage of experiences. You have your engine driver, line man, and money lender and they all say “If you don’t love me let me go.” But then you have the writer, whose plea transcends theirs. They couldn’t possibly say, “I am the heart that you call home.” It’s not in them. But in the end as the chorus (the writer’s part) trails off he too ends up saying the same as they do.
Hi Phill,
Nice! It’s always interesting to hear how others interpret songs, especially one as good as this. Thanks :).