Deadman
Echoes of Love's Demise: Ron Hawkins' Haunting 'Deadman'
Lyrics
The phone's too quiet and the bed's too wide
The absence of your presence is deeply felt, causing discomfort.
Your friends deny it, they're all on your side
Despite support from others, there is a feeling of isolation and loss.
Now I can't dig a hole deep enough to hide
Unable to escape the emotional pain, attempting to find solace.
I've been a dead man since you took that ride
The speaker feels emotionally dead since the departure or loss of a loved one.
My car's dead and my clothes fit wrong
Everything feels wrong and lifeless, symbolized by a malfunctioning car and ill-fitting clothes.
My day's are restless and the night's so long
The days seem endless and nights are filled with restlessness.
I don't see movies and I can't hear songs
Avoiding typical sources of joy, like movies and music, due to the emotional numbness.
'Cause I've been a dead man since you've been gone
The speaker emphasizes their emotional state since the person they love has been absent.
I've been a dead man
Reiteration of the emotional deadness, emphasizing its impact on the speaker's life.
A dead man talkin' about love is like a prisoner talkin' about the free
Comparing talking about love in this state to a prisoner discussing freedom, implying a lack of genuine experience.
You've been talkin' about love, but you ain't been talkin' about me
Addressing the disparity between talking about love and the speaker's personal experience of it.
No you ain't been talkin' about me
Reiterating that the discussions about love do not include the speaker.
I do all my swimming at the Rose and Crown
Choosing a specific place (Rose and Crown) to drown sorrows in alcohol, implying a coping mechanism.
'Cause it takes a lot of bad whiskey to drown
Using alcohol as a means of escape and numbness.
And a thousand women couldn't anchor me now
Expressing the inability of external distractions (women) to alleviate the emotional pain.
I've been a dead man since you left this town
Reiterating the emotional deadness since the person left the town.
A dead man talkin' about love is like a soldier talkin' about peace
Drawing a parallel between talking about love in this state and a soldier discussing peace, emphasizing the incongruity.
You keep talkin' about love, but that name ain't familiar to me
Highlighting that the love being talked about is not associated with the speaker.
No his name ain't familiar to me
Emphasizing the lack of familiarity with the person mentioned in the context of love.
I can rest peaceful I can lay my head down
Finding solace in the assurance that the loved one is safe and sound.
As long as I'm sure, my sweet, you're safe and sound
Expressing a sense of peace when certain about the loved one's well-being.
Now I can quit being a ghost haunting this town
Indicating a willingness to move on and let go of the haunting emotional state.
It's okay to be the dead man now
Acceptance of the emotional deadness, acknowledging it as a part of the speaker's current identity.
Comment