Once I was a soldier
L rode on a big white horse
Silver pistols at my side
Carryin' the flags of war
And I Iost track of the men who fell
In the canon's roar
L never got over bein' a soldier
Once I was a tax man
Collectin' dollars and dimes
L heard the rich man grumble
I heard the poor man cry
Some few couldn't afford to pay
Were put to a shackle and key
L never got over bein' a tax man
Once I was a ruler
About twelve inches long
Three times me made a yardstick
36 inches high
36 inches high was l
36 inches high
I never got over 36 inches high

Overall Meaning

Nick Lowe's song "36 Inches High" begins with the singer narrating his past experiences as a soldier. He mentions how he once rode on a big white horse while carrying silver pistols and the flags of war. However, he also lost track of the men who fell in the roar of the canon. This loss of direction and purpose is a recurring theme in the song. He then transitions to his time as a tax collector where he collected dollars and dimes from people. He heard the rich man grumble and the poor man cry, and he had to put some people in shackle and key when they couldn't afford to pay. The singer seems to regret his time as a tax collector and expresses that he never got over it. Lastly, he mentions his experience as a ruler that was about twelve inches long, which is equivalent to a foot. He then repeats the phrase "36 inches high" three times, which is the equivalent of three feet or a yardstick. This repetition reinforces the theme of measuring one's worth and purpose.

The lyrics in "36 Inches High" suggest a quest for a better sense of self and purpose. The singer's experiences as a soldier, tax collector, and ruler stand as symbols for his search for a greater understanding of his life's meaning. The references to measuring tools such as a foot and yardstick highlight the idea that the singer is searching for a tangible way to evaluate his life. Since he never got over any of his past professions, it seems as though he has yet to find his true calling in life.

Line by Line Meaning

Once I was a soldier
I used to be a soldier in the past

l rode on a big white horse
I rode on a big white horse while serving as a soldier

Silver pistols at my side
I carried silver pistols on both sides of my uniform while being a soldier

Carryin' the flags of war
I carried the flag of war with me while being a soldier

And I lost track of the men who fell
I lost count of the number of men who died while fighting in the war

In the canon's roar
In the midst of the sound produced by guns

l never got over bein' a soldier
I could not forget about my experience as a soldier

Once I was a tax man
I used to collect taxes from people

Collectin' dollars and dimes
I collected both coins and paper currency as taxes

l heard the rich man grumble
The rich people complained about paying taxes

I heard the poor man cry
The poor people expressed their sadness about paying taxes

Some few couldn't afford to pay
A few people were unable to pay the taxes

Were put to a shackle and key
These people were punished and put in jail

l never got over bein' a tax man
I could not forget about my experience as a tax collector

Once I was a ruler
I used to be a ruler or a measuring tool

About twelve inches long
I measured twelve inches in length

Three times me made a yardstick
Three of my length made a yardstick for measuring

36 inches high was l
I was used as a measurement of 36 inches in height

36 inches high
I was 36 inches high in height

i never got over 36 inches high
I could not forget about my experience being a measuring tool with a height of 36 inches

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JAMES HENRY FORD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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@scrumplydumply

Once I was a soldier
I rode on a big white horse
Silver pistols at my side
Carryin' the flags of war
And I Iost track of the men who fell
In the canon's roar
I never got over bein' a soldier

Once I was a tax man
Collectin' dollars and dimes
I heard the rich man grumble
I heard the poor man cry
Some few couldn't afford to pay
Were put to a shackle and key
I never got over bein' a tax man

Once I was a ruler
About twelve inches long
Three times me made a yardstick
36 inches high
36 inches high was I
36 inches high
I never got over 36 inches high