Going Out In Style
Legacy of Style: A Poetic Tale of Memories and Second Chances
Lyrics
There's a man here who looks just like you did
Observing someone who resembles the person in the past
Like every picture from when I was a kid
Comparing the man to childhood memories captured in pictures
He's even wearing your overalls
Noticing the man wearing similar overalls to the person
Smoking your Pall Malls
Identifying specific habits, like smoking Pall Malls
That are probably just Marlboro Reds
Suggesting that the cigarettes might actually be Marlboro Reds
He's at the bar taking little sips
Observing the man at the bar taking small sips
And his hand is even on his hip
Noticing the man's hand positioning and stance
Maybe I'll tell him a joke
Considering engaging the man with humor
Or offer a smoke
Contemplating offering the man a cigarette
Just so I can see it between his lips
Expressing a desire to see the cigarette between the man's lips
Cause I remember just how it'll fit
Recalling how the cigarette would fit the person
I'll ask him how the business is
Planning to inquire about the man's business
He'll say he knows where all the money's hid
Expecting the man to claim knowledge of hidden money
And when they put him away
Anticipating a future imprisonment for the man
And they will someday
Believing the speaker will inherit the responsibility to act
It'll be mine to go out and get
Emphasizing the eventual task of dealing with the situation
I'll ask him for another shot
Asking the man for another alcoholic drink
He'll say I'm asking for a hell of a lot
Acknowledging the significance of the request
Cause second chances are few
Reflecting on the rarity of second chances
So when one comes to you
Emphasizing the importance of seizing opportunities
You've gotta take it for all that it's got
Encouraging taking full advantage of the given chance
And then he'll give me one more shot
Expecting to receive another opportunity
It's hard to remember how to care
Expressing difficulty in caring after a long period of indifference
After ten years of laying around in there
Describing the challenges of maintaining concern over time
Losing teeth and losing hair
Listing physical changes over a decade of neglect
Turning into a stare
Portraying a transformation into a distant gaze
But sometimes if we'd stay a while
Suggesting occasional moments of connection and recognition
He'd look my way and flash me that purple smile
Recalling a positive expression, the "purple smile"
And I could keep it together
Believing the speaker could cope if the person improved
If you ever got better
Expressing disappointment in the person's deteriorating condition
But you just rattled for the last few miles
Describing the person's recent decline
But I'm gonna tell 'em you went out in style
Affirming the intention to tell others about the person's stylish exit
No I don't know this old man
Admitting unfamiliarity with the old man
But when I shake his hand
Committing to complimenting the man's stylish departure when introduced
I'm gonna say that you went out in style
Reiterating the intention to emphasize the stylish exit
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