I save cigarette butts for a poor girl
across town
We were making marriage plans
and some guy came over and took her to
a wrestling match
later that evening Frankenstein
and the beauty queen sat thumbing through
a better homes and gardens magazine
making plans and holding hands
along came a spider, sat down beside her
and took her to
a wrestling match
I had this dream about these angels
I had this dream the other night
it was really weird
they were playing guitars
and getting loud
and they spilt beer on Jesus
I save cigarette butts for a poor girl
across town
I spent a lot of money at the pizza shop
just to watch the waitresses walk
back and forth
I go to school, I'm a college student
I have a secret pocket on the inside of my coat
where I keep this cigarette butt
meanwhile on the dance floor
the loud guitar solo seems to be promoting wild desires
the music has set their hearts on fire with lust
Sure are a lot of cigarette butts layin' around
I thought I'd give her one more chance
so I went over to see her again at her hous
and when I walked in
there was her and him
and they were having a wrestling match
I save cigarette butts for a poor girl
across town

Overall Meaning

The song "I Save Cigarette Butts" by Daniel Johnston tells the story of a man who is in love with a poor girl from his town. He spends his time saving cigarette butts for her, presumably because he cannot afford to buy cigarettes for her himself. The lyrics suggest that the man is infatuated with the girl, as he is making plans to marry her despite the fact that she has gone to a wrestling match with another man. Later in the song, the man has a dream about angels playing guitars and spilling beer on Jesus, which seems to be a surreal and somewhat nonsensical interlude.

As the song continues, the man describes spending money at a pizza shop just to watch the waitresses walk back and forth, which suggests that he is somewhat lonely and isolated. He also reveals that he is a college student with a secret pocket in his coat where he keeps a cigarette butt, which further emphasizes his poverty and lack of resources. The lyrics become more surreal towards the end of the song, with references to music promoting wild desires and the man finding the girl he loves wrestling with another man.

Overall, the song seems to be a poignant yet somewhat strange reflection on love, loneliness, and poverty. The references to wrestling can be interpreted as a metaphor for the struggles and conflicts that the man experiences as he tries to pursue his love for the poor girl across town.

Line by Line Meaning

I save cigarette butts for a poor girl across town
I am saving cigarette butts for a poor girl who lives in another part of town.

We were making marriage plans and some guy came over and took her to a wrestling match
We were planning to get married, but another guy came and took her to watch wrestling.

later that evening Frankenstein and the beauty queen sat thumbing through a better homes and gardens magazine making plans and holding hands
Later that evening, Frankenstein and a beauty queen were sitting together, flipping through Better Homes and Gardens magazine, planning things and holding hands.

along came a spider, sat down beside her and took her to a wrestling match
Then, another person came and took the girl to another wrestling match.

I had this dream about these angels I had this dream the other night it was really weird they were playing guitars and getting loud and they spilt beer on Jesus
I had a strange dream where angels were playing guitars, getting loud, and even spilling beer on Jesus.

I spent a lot of money at the pizza shop just to watch the waitresses walk back and forth
I spend money at the pizza shop just to watch the waitresses walking back and forth.

I go to school, I'm a college student I have a secret pocket on the inside of my coat where I keep this cigarette butt
I attend college and have a secret pocket inside my coat where I keep a cigarette butt.

meanwhile on the dance floor the loud guitar solo seems to be promoting wild desires the music has set their hearts on fire with lust
Meanwhile, on the dance floor, the loud guitar solo seems to be inciting wild desires and making people feel extremely lustful.

Sure are a lot of cigarette butts layin' around I thought I'd give her one more chance so I went over to see her again at her house
There are many cigarette butts laying around. I decided to give her another chance, so I went over to her house once more.

and when I walked in there was her and him and they were having a wrestling match
However, when I walked in, I found her and another man wrestling.

I save cigarette butts for a poor girl across town
I am still saving cigarette butts for a poor girl in the other part of town.

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