Shiniest car I've ever seen
The back seat is nice and clean
She rides as quiet as a dream
Someone dug a hole six long feet in the ground
I said goodbye to you and I threw my roses down
Ain't nothing left at all in the end of being proud
With me riding in this car and you flying through them clouds
I've had some time to think about it
And watch the sun sink like a stone
I've had some time to think about you
On the long ride home
One day I took your tiny hand
Put your finger in the wedding band
Your daddy gave a piece of land
We made ourselves the best of plans
Forty years go by with someone laying in your bed
Forty years of things you say you wish you'd never said
How hard would it have been to say some kinder words instead?
I wonder as I stare up at the sky turning red
I've had some time to think about it
And watch the sun sink like a stone
I've had some time to think about you
On the long ride home
Headlights searching down the driveway
The house is dark as it can be
I go inside and all is silent
And seems as empty as the inside of me
I've had some time to think about it
And watch the sun sink like a stone
I've had some time to think about you
On the long
On the long
Oh the long
On the long ride home
Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She is a vocalist and plays guitar and piano. She is known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs have been covered by numerous musicians, including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, Kelly Clarkson, Rory Block, Dave Hause, Sugarland, Bette Midler and The Chicks.
In 2007, Griffin received the Artist of the Year award from the Americana Music Association, and her album Children Running Through won the award for Best Album. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting at the 2023 Americana Music Honors & Awards. In 2011, Griffin's album Downtown Church won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Gospel Album and her 2019 self-titled album won the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.
AndyJ wrote:
Would like to hear same song by a guy...
I think it would hit harder and at a different spot.
---
Try Jason Isbell – If We Were Vampires
Same spot same impact - there's more than one way to get where you are
YMMV
I would definitely agree with the YMMV disclaimer at the end.
Listening to & reading the lyrics makes me think that the song is already written from the viewpoint of a man ("One day I took your tiny hand" ... "Your daddy gave a piece of land" [dowry?]). Getting past that, it seems like the regrets of a man after a far-from-perfect marriage, wondering why he argued with her so much and didn't say more things to show his love or just to bring happiness to her. That his life is incomplete without her, even though he seems to have taken her for granted all these years.
If We Were Vampires is more from the perspective of a couple that is deeply in love with each other and very aware of their eventual mortality, wanting to get the most out of their life & love.
As for the gender flip, you could look at it two ways. If you want to hear the same song, I think Bruce Springsteen could do a kick ass version of it. He has the storyteller chops & the gravitas to pull off the tale, as long as he doesn't overdo it. If you want to hear a guy sing the same type of story from a woman's perspective, I don't know of any off the top of my head. I'm not great with recognizing lyrics and there are sizable gaps in my musical knowledge, but I'm confident someone worthy of such a song has put the idea to paper & music.
horseplayer wrote:
I am going to go say something nice to my wife right now.
Sometimes it seems miraculous what music can do...