Lyrics
Once a week I make the drive, two hours east
Expressing the regularity of a two-hour drive east.
To check the Austin post office box
Checking a post office box in Austin as a routine.
I make the detour through our old neighborhood
Taking a detour through an old neighborhood, observing Chevy Impalas on blocks.
See all the Chevy Impalas in their front yards up on blocks
Noticing Chevy Impalas parked in front yards, possibly symbolizing stagnation or decay.
And I park in an alley
Parking in an alley, setting the scene for reflection.
And I read through the postcards you continue to send
Reading postcards received, maintaining a connection with the past.
Where as indirectly as you can, you ask what I remember
Indirectly asking about memories, possibly probing for shared experiences.
I like these torture devices from my old best friend
Describing postcards as torture devices from an old best friend, suggesting emotional difficulty.
Well, I'll tell you what I know, like I swore I always would
Committing to share knowledge but questioning its usefulness.
I don't think it's gonna do you any good
Doubting the benefit of sharing information.
And I remember the train headed south out of Bangkok down
Recalling a train journey south from Bangkok towards the water.
Toward the water
Describing the direction of the train journey.
I always get a late start when the sun's going down
Starting late, navigating West Texas Highway with diminishing traffic and challenging glare.
The traffic's thinning out; the glare is hard to take
Expressing difficulty in the sun's glare and thinning traffic.
I wish the West Texas Highway was a mobiles strip
Wishing for a never-ending West Texas Highway.
I could ride it out forever
Longing for an ideal journey without an end.
And when I feel my heart break
Feeling heartbreak and imagining hearing it.
I almost swear I hear it happen, it's that clear and that hard
Coming home and parking, the emotions clear and intense.
I come in off the highway and I park in my front yard
Parking in the front yard after an emotional experience.
Fall out of the car like a hostage from a plane
Falling out of the car with a sense of captivity or constraint.
Think of you a while, start wishing it would rain
Thinking about the person and wishing for rain, symbolizing release or cleansing.
And I remember the train headed south out of Bangkok down
Recalling the train journey from Bangkok towards the water.
Toward the water
Describing the direction of the train journey again.
I come into the house, put on a pot of coffee
Entering the house, engaging in routine activities like making coffee.
Walk the floors a little while
Walking the floors, reflecting on the situation.
Set your postcard on the table with all the others like it
Setting a postcard on the table with others, organizing memories.
Start sorting through the pile
Sorting through postcards, looking for patterns or connections.
I check the pictures and the postmarks and the caption and the stamp
Checking details on postcards for any meaningful signs.
For signs of any pattern at all
Feeling overwhelmed when finding no patterns.
When I come up empty-handed the feeling almost overwhelms me
Letting defenses down due to the emotional impact.
I let a few of my defenses fall
Experiencing a bitter smile, thinking about a specific moment in 1983.
And I smile a bitter smile, it's not a pretty thing to see
Smiling bitterly, acknowledging the unpleasantness.
I think about a railroad platform back in 1983
Reflecting on a railroad platform memory from 1983.
And I remember the train headed south out of Bangkok down
Recalling the train journey from Bangkok towards the water once again.
Toward the water
Describing the direction of the train journey in the closing lines.
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