I was not troubled by the distance of your friend
But she got close to Tennessee
But she won't be back again
Was it the thought of love or the rolling hills that she could not take
You know the sweeter air is just too fair for a girl from the northern states

The honesty of lucid tongues to you i will not preach
The city can't stake dying claims to the kind face of southern speech
As soon as you can please get past baltimore
Cause you'll never see nothing as green as virginia flying past your door

Don't go for coffee in our houses
You've seen her best it's emotionless noise
Slow down take a look at your hometown
That's all

She wrote you back she said she's sorry that you couldn't come up north
And now she's majoring in post-modern sin with some guy you've never heard of before

Overall Meaning

The Young Republic's song Girl from the Northern States tells a story of separation and longing for someone who has left for the North from the South. The lyrics speak of a friend of the singer who came close to Tennessee but didn't return because she found it difficult to adjust to the rolling hills and sweeter air of the Southern states. The singer accepts this but is still saddened by her leaving, wondering if it was the thought of love or just the environment that didn't suit her.

The song goes on to talk about the honesty of southern speech in comparison to the city's dying claims, and how nothing is as green as Virginia when flying past the doors. The singer imparts wisdom to his friend to not go for coffee in the houses down South and cautions that they've seen the best of her, and that it's only emotionless noise. He advises her to slow down and take a look at her hometown when she's down because that's all that seems suitable for her.

The final section of the song talks about how she wrote back, saying how sorry she was that he couldn't come up North and how she's now studying post-modern sin with some guy that he's never even heard of before. This final line leaves the listener feeling that their separation is now complete, solidified by the contrasting paths they've chosen in their lives.

Line by Line Meaning

I was not troubled by the distance of your friend
I wasn't bothered by the fact that your friend was far away

But she got close to Tennessee
But then she came closer, reached Tennessee

But she won't be back again
But now she won't come back ever

Was it the thought of love or the rolling hills that she could not take
Did she refuse due to thoughts of affection or hills rolling still

You know the sweeter air is just too fair for a girl from the northern states
You probably know how girls from the Northern States prefer a sweeter atmosphere

The honesty of lucid tongues to you i will not preach
I refuse to teach you the honesty of honest people verbally

The city can't stake dying claims to the kind face of southern speech
Cities cannot claim that their southern accent couldn't be prettier

As soon as you can please get past baltimore
Please try to overlook Baltimore as soon as possible

Cause you'll never see nothing as green as virginia flying past your door
You'll not find any place greener than Virginia while passing swiftly

Don't go for coffee in our houses
Please avoid taking coffee at our homes

You've seen her best it's emotionless noise
You've seen everything good about her, it was just meaningless noise

Slow down take a look at your hometown
Slow down and look back at your hometown

That's all
That is all I have to say

She wrote you back she said she's sorry that you couldn't come up north
She replied to you expressing her regret that you couldn't come up north

And now she's majoring in post-modern sin with some guy you've never heard of before
Now she majors in post-modern sin with an unknown person that you never heard of before

Contributed by Lucas B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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