Hawkeye Road
Nostalgic Memories on Hawkeye Road
Lyrics
the wars looked like they were over
The conflicts appeared to be resolved.
everybody seemed to have a job
People had employment.
my old man put us down in the high clover
The speaker's father provided them with a comfortable life.
three bedrooms on a quarter-acre lot
The family lived in a suburban setting.
and we were Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett
The speaker and others played roles of historical figures.
Fort Apache in the orchard 'cross the street
A playful reference to a military presence in the neighborhood.
out all day zoomin' 'round like rocket ships
Children spent their days playing energetically.
my mama'd only call us in to eat
The mother called the children home for meals.
and they say that you can never go home again
A common saying about not being able to return to one's past.
if you do there won't be anybody there
Returning home might result in the absence of familiar faces.
I can still hear the choir in the church where we went
The speaker recalls a church choir from their past.
I can still smell summer in the air
A nostalgic scent of summer is evoked.
on Hawkeye Road
The specific road in the speaker's memories.
and I found out just what I wanted
The speaker discovers their aspirations in 1959.
it was nineteen fifty-nine
A reference to a significant year in the speaker's life.
I knew just what I was going to be
The speaker had a clear sense of their future.
playing felt like flying, without even trying
Playing music felt liberating and effortless.
and it still feels just like flying to me
The joy of playing music is still akin to flying for the speaker.
got a real Lowrey organ on one of my birthdays
A real Lowrey organ received as a gift.
my father must've robbed a bank to pay for that
A playful suggestion that the organ was an expensive gift.
they let us set it up in the living room and play and play and play
The family enjoyed playing music in the living room.
they never got that living room back
The living room was permanently dedicated to music.
and they say that you can never go home again
A repetition of the saying about not returning home.
and if you do there won't be anybody there
Emphasizing the potential absence of familiar faces upon return.
I can still hear the choir in the church where we went
The memory of a church choir is still vivid.
I can still smell summer in the air
Nostalgia is triggered by the scent of summer.
and that house is still standing where it used to be
The house still exists, but the surroundings have changed.
but Fort Apache hasn't been there in a while
A reference to a previous playful mention of Fort Apache.
there's a highway running through the walnut trees
Development and change in the area, represented by a highway.
and the traffic seems to go on for miles
The traffic signifies a bustling and changed environment.
on Hawkeye Road
A reaffirmation of the road in the speaker's memories.
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