Gravedigger
Dave Matthews Lyrics

Cyrus Jones 1810 to 1913
Introducing Cyrus Jones, one of the characters in this song, and his birth and death years

Made his great grandchildren believe
Cyrus Jones instilled in his great grandchildren a belief that they could live to a ripe old age

You could live to a hundred and three
Cyrus Jones told his great grandchildren that they could live to be 103 years old

A hundred and three is forever when you're just a little kid
To a child, the age of 103 seems like an eternity

So Cyrus Jones lived forever
Cyrus Jones' legacy of hope and optimism lived on in his great grandchildren's memories

Gravedigger
The chorus begins with the title of the song, 'Gravedigger'

When you dig my grave
The singer is addressing the gravedigger, envisioning the moment when this request will be fulfilled

Could you make it shallow
The singer asks the gravedigger to make the grave shallow

So that I can feel the rain
The singer wants to be buried where the rain can touch his body

Muriel Stonewall 1903 to 1954
Introducing Muriel Stonewall, another character in the song, and her birth and death years

She lost both of her babies in the second great war
Muriel Stonewall suffered the unimaginable loss of losing both of her children during World War II

Now you should never have to watch
The singer addresses the audience, asserting that no one should ever have to bear witness to such a tragedy

As your only children lowered in the ground
The thought of burying one's children is heart-wrenching

I mean you should never have to bury your own babies
The singer reiterates that this should never happen to anyone

Ring around the rosy
This is the beginning of a nursery rhyme that is often associated with the bubonic plague

Pocket full of posy
The singer alludes to the belief that carrying a posy of flowers would ward off the disease

Ashes to ashes
This line symbolizes the inevitability of death and the return to dust

We all fall down
Everyone experiences death, the great equalizer

Little Mikey Carson 67 to 75
Introducing Little Mikey Carson and his birth and death years

He rode his bike like the devil until the day he died
Little Mikey Carson was an avid cyclist who continued to ride until his death

When he grows up he wants to be Mr. Vertigo on the flying trapeze
Little Mikey Carson had big dreams of being a performer on the flying trapeze when he grew up

Oh, 1940 to 1992
The final line of the song reveals Little Mikey Carson's birth and death years and the end of his life story

Feel the rain
The singer repeats the earlier request to feel the rain