Kiss of a Man
Innocence Amidst Shadows: Patty Griffin's Poignant Tale
Lyrics
The strangers came
The arrival of strangers.
The strangers went
The departure of strangers.
To my daddy's bar
The strangers visited the narrator's father's bar.
The floor was cement
The bar had a cement floor.
And wet all the time
The floor was constantly wet.
It never got dry
The floor never dried.
Nothing but the smell of old beer and rye
Describing the persistent smell of old beer and rye in the bar.
Mama and daddy and me
The narrator lived with their parents in the back of the bar.
We lived in the back
Describing the proximity of their living space to the bar.
The door wasn't but twenty-five feet from the tracks
The door was close to railroad tracks, emphasizing the frequent passing of trains.
And trains would roll by
Trains passing by all day and night.
All day and all night
Continuation of the description of the constant train activity.
Rattle them bottles
Describing the sound of bottles rattling as trains pass.
And shake all them lights
Trains shaking lights in the bar.
And the strangers would come and the strangers
Strangers coming and going.
Would go
Strangers leaving quickly or slowly.
Talking too fast or walking too slow
Strangers talking too fast or walking too slow.
Sometimes they'd say hey
Occasionally strangers would address the narrator.
Pretty girl what's your name?
Strangers asking for the narrator's name.
Why don't you come here and be
Invitation for the narrator to join them.
Pretty for us?
Requesting the narrator to be attractive for them.
Then my daddy would make like he'd reach
The narrator's father pretending to reach for his gun in a protective manner.
For his gun
Striking fear into the strangers.
And those boys would shake
Strangers reacting by shaking or running.
Or hush up and run
Strangers becoming quiet or fleeing.
Now some of those boys
The narrator noticing some boys looking at them.
I noticed them too
The narrator acknowledging awareness of the boys.
Looking at me
The boys showing interest in the narrator.
But there was nothing to do
Feeling helpless in responding to the boys' attention.
When daddy stood watch
The narrator's father being a formidable, watchful presence.
Big mean and sober
Describing the father's demeanor as imposing and sober.
Like a wall so tall
The father being an insurmountable barrier.
No one could get over
Emphasizing the difficulty of overcoming the father's watchfulness.
Sometimes at night
Describing the narrator's experience at night.
Under the sheets
The narrator hiding under sheets for comfort.
I'd cover myself from my head to my feet
Waiting until the parents sleep to dream.
And wait till my mama and daddy went to sleep
Despite being awake, the narrator dreams sweetly.
And though I was awake
Reiteration of the narrator's conscious dreaming.
Dream a dream so sweet
The dreams are described as sweet.
Dream a dream so sweet
Repetition of the sweet dreams despite being awake.
Though I was awake
Continued emphasis on the narrator's conscious dreaming.
Dream a dream so sweet
Repetition of dreaming sweetly while awake.
All of me ached
The emotional impact of the dreams causing physical pain.
Close my eyes and pretend
Closing eyes and pretending, possibly to escape reality.
On the back of my hand
Imagining the sensation on the back of the hand.
What it would be like
Imagining what it would be like to experience the kiss of a man.
The kiss of a man
The desire for a romantic connection with a man.
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