That Was Me
Faces of Forgotten Dreams: Todd Snider's 'That Was Me' Story
Lyrics
Remember back about five years ago
Reflecting on a memory from about five years ago.
Drivin' down the highway
Driving down the highway.
Saw a kid there by the road
Observing a kid standing by the road.
Long blond dirty hair
Describing the kid with long, dirty blond hair.
His thumb out in the air
The kid hitchhiking with their thumb in the air.
That was me
Identifying with the past, claiming to be that person.
That was me
Reiteration of being the person described.
Remember the kid that walked into your store
Recalling a time when the singer walked into a store.
The one you told you were sorry,
Being told by the store that they were not hiring.
You weren't hiring anymore
Facing rejection and leaving the store.
So he walked out your door
Describing the action of leaving the store.
His head hung toward the floor
Expressing a sense of disappointment with head hung low.
That was me
Claiming to be the person who experienced the rejection.
That was me
Reiterating the claim of being the one rejected.
I'm a face you've seen a million times
Describing oneself as a familiar face seen frequently.
The one who never seems
Not fitting in between societal norms or expectations.
To fit in between those lines
Highlighting the struggle to conform.
I'm every broken dream
Representing shattered dreams abandoned by the world.
This world has left behind
Emphasizing the pain of unfulfilled aspirations.
I'm a face you've seen a million times
Reiteration of being a recognizable face.
Remember the kid you saw that night downtown
Recalling another memory of a kid seen in downtown.
Singin' on the sidewalk
Portraying the kid singing on the sidewalk with a guitar case.
Guitar case on the ground
Depicting the challenging circumstances of the kid.
He looked down on his luck
Describing the kid as down on luck.
So you threw him a buck
Narrating an act of generosity by giving money to the kid.
That was me
Claiming to be the person who received the help.
That was me
Reiterating the claim of being the one assisted.
Remember back about five years ago
Returning to the initial memory from five years ago.
Drivin' down the highway
Repeating the experience of driving down the highway.
Saw a kid there by the road
Spotting another kid by the road with similar characteristics.
Long blond dirty hair
Reiterating the description of the kid with dirty blond hair.
His thumb out in the air
Repeating the image of the kid hitchhiking.
That was me
Claiming to be the person in that situation once again.
That was me
Reiterating the claim of being the one hitchhiking.
That was me
Concluding the song by asserting the identity once more.
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