Tannin Bed Song
Heartland Lament: Maria's Journey Through Kansas Blues
Lyrics
Maria lays in the tannin bed
Maria is lying in a tanning bed.
And reads the Tuesday news
She reads the news on Tuesdays.
She's down there every week at the
Consistently at the same time, feeling down with the blues.
Same time with the same ol' blues
Expressing a routine with a sense of monotony.
She reads the funny papers
Maria reads the funny papers (comics).
And then the classifieds
She also checks the classified ads.
And if she ain't too sleepy there's the
If not too tired, she looks at the weather report on the back.
Weather report on the flip side
Implies a certain dissatisfaction or boredom with her surroundings.
And this Kansas life is a hard one
Life in Kansas is tough for someone from Miami.
For a girl from Miami
The view is dominated by oil fields, which may represent hardship.
You're just staring out at the oil fields
Highlighting the limited perspective of the narrator.
And that's all that I can see
Her husband is stuck in a similar situation after losing his job.
Her old man's in the same place
Indicating the challenges of unemployment in their life.
Since the company let him go
He copes by drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon and cursing Amoco (an oil company).
Just sippin' the Pabst Blue Ribbon and
Describing her husband's activities.
Cussin' Amoco
Expressing frustration or discontent with their situation.
Maria drives home
Maria drives home from the tanning bed.
From the tannin bed
Setting the scene for the next events.
And the black clouds
Dark clouds start to cover the sky.
Roll across the sky
Symbolizing a potential storm or trouble.
She pulls into the trailer park, pops the
Maria arrives at a trailer park and calls her kids.
Trunk and calls the kids outside
Alerting them about an approaching tornado.
Said there's a twister comin'
Informing the kids about the danger.
And you haven't got a clue
Expressing urgency and a desire not to wait.
I ain't going to sit here in this double
Refusing to stay idle in the mobile home.
Wide and wait around for you
She decides to take important belongings and leave.
Cause I'm taking the microwave oven
Mentioning specific items like a microwave oven.
And I'm takin' the color TV
She's taking the color TV as well.
And I'm packin' up the Chevy
Preparing to leave in a Chevy with the kids and whatever is left of her life.
With the kids and what's left of me
Desperation and a sense of escaping a challenging situation.
This Kansas life is a hard one
Reiterating the difficulties of life in Kansas for a Miami girl.
For a girl from Miami
Reflecting on the harshness of their current circumstances.
Just staring out at the oil fields
Returning to the view of the oil fields, emphasizing the challenges they face.
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