According to Bob Dylan's autobiographical Chronicles, Woody Guthrie gave his unpublished songs to Dylan but Bob was unable to get them from Guthrie's family (he tells a story about a reluctant babysitter).
Nora Guthrie's liner notes in Mermaid Avenue indicate that it was her intention that the songs be given to a new generation of musicians who would be able to make the songs relevant to a younger generation. She therefore contacted singer-songwriter Billy Bragg in spring 1995 about recording some unreleased songs by her father, folk singer Woody Guthrie. Most of the songs were written late in Guthrie's life when he was unable to record due to the motor impairments of Huntington's disease. By the 1990s, Woody Guthrie had become a "relic" to the MTV generation, and Nora sought to establish a different legacy for the musician. To Nora, Bragg was "the only singer I knew taking on the same issues as Woody." Bragg was concerned, however, that his fans would not realize that the songs were written by Guthrie when he performed them on tour, so he decided to record the album with another band.
Bragg contacted Tweedy and Bennett about co-recording the album while Wilco was on the European segment of their Being There tour. Bragg was particularly fond of Being There because their influences extended farther back than the 1950s. Although Tweedy was indifferent to the offer, Bennett was enthused about recording songs of one of his idols—Bennett's previous band Titanic Love Affair was named after a Billy Bragg lyric. A recording contract between Bragg and Wilco was signed after a show at Shepherd's Bush Empire. Bragg mostly recorded the politically-charged lyrics, while Tweedy preferred to record lyrics that showcased Guthrie as a "freak weirdo." The recording of Mermaid Avenue began on December 12, 1997, and was the topic of BBC's Man in the Sand documentary film.
Tempers flared between Bragg and Wilco after the album was completed. Bennett believed that Bragg was overproducing his songs, a sharp contrast to Wilco's sparser contributions. Bennett called Bragg about the possibility of remixing Bragg's songs, to which Bragg responded with "you make your record, and I'll make mine, fucker." Eventually Bragg sent copies of his recordings to Chicago for Bennett to remix, but Bragg refused to use the new mixes on the album. The two parties were unable to establish a promotional tour and quarreled over royalties and guest musician fees.
Despite these conflicts, the album was released on June 23, 1998, and sold over 277,000 copies. The album received rave reviews from Robert Christgau and Rolling Stone, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. It also placed fourth on the Pazz & Jop critics poll for 1998 (right behind Bob Dylan's Live 1966).
Airline to Heaven
Billy Bragg & Wilco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flies to heaven everyday
Past the pearly gates
If you want to ride this train
Have your ticket in your hand
Before it is too late
And your money's spent and gone
And your friend has turned away
You can get away to heaven
On this aeroplane
Just bow your head and pray
Them's got ears, let them hear
Them's got eyes, let them see
Turn your eyes to the lord of the skies
Take this airline plane
It'll take you home again
To your home behind the skies
Well a lot of people guess
Some say no and some say yes
Will it take some and leave some behind?
But you will surely know
When to the airport go
To leave this world behind
Oh a lot of speakers speak
A lot of preachers preach
When you lay their salary on the line
You hold your head and pray
It's the only earthly way
You can fly to heaven on time
Fly to heaven on time
Them's got ears, let them hear
Them's got eyes, let them see
Turn your eyes to the lord of the skies
Take that airline plane
It'll take you home again
To your home behind the skies
Your ticket you obtain
On this heavenly airline plane
You leave your sins behind
You've got to take this flight
It may be daytime, might be night
But you can't see your way if you're blind
Them's got ears, let them hear
Them's got eyes, let them see
Turn your eyes to the lord of the skies
Take that airline plane
It'll take you home again
To your home behind the skies
The song, "Airline to Heaven" by Billy Bragg & Wilco is a metaphorical interpretation of death being the only escape from the hardships of life. The lyrics describe an airline plane that flies to heaven every day and it can be boarded by anyone who has a ticket. The ticket, in this context, represents a person's faith in God and the belief that they will be welcomed into heaven. The lyrics suggest that when everything looks bleak, and one feels abandoned, the only solution to their problems is to pray for God's intervention.
The song suggests that there is a possibility that not everyone will be allowed on the plane when it arrives. The phrase, "Will it take some and leave some behind?" implies that there might be a selection process, and those who do not have a ticket, or who have not lived virtuous lives, may not be allowed on the plane. The lyrics encourage listeners to be prepared for the plane's arrival and to obtain a ticket while they still can.
The song ends on a hopeful note, stating that obtaining a ticket, along with a person's faith, is the only way to reach heaven. The repetition of the phrase, "Take that airline plane, it'll take you home again, to your home behind the skies" emphasizes that heaven is the only true home and that, through prayer and faith, it can be attained.
Line by Line Meaning
There's an airline plane
There exists an airplane
Flies to heaven everyday
That flies to heaven each day
Past the pearly gates
Passing through the gates of heaven
If you want to ride this train
If you want to ride this plane
Have your ticket in your hand
Make sure you have your ticket with you
Before it is too late
Before it is too late to board the plane
If the world looks wrong
If the world seems like it's in disarray
And your money's spent and gone
And you have no money left
And your friend has turned away
And your friend has abandoned you
You can get away to heaven
You can escape to Heaven
On this aeroplane
By taking this plane
Just bow your head and pray
Just pray with a bowed head
Them's got ears, let them hear
Those who can hear, should listen
Them's got eyes, let them see
Those who can see, should look
Turn your eyes to the lord of the skies
Look up to God
Take this airline plane
Take this plane to Heaven
It'll take you home again
It will take you back to Heaven
To your home behind the skies
To your home in Heaven
Well a lot of people guess
Many people speculate
Some say no and some say yes
Some say you can't bring your sins, others say you can
Will it take some and leave some behind?
Will some people be left behind?
But you will surely know
But you'll surely know
When to the airport go
When to go to the airport
To leave this world behind
To abandon this world
Oh a lot of speakers speak
Many speakers talk about this
A lot of preachers preach
Many preachers preach about this
When you lay their salary on the line
When you closely scrutinize their motivations
You hold your head and pray
You pray with your head held high
It's the only earthly way
It's the only way while you're alive
You can fly to heaven on time
You can make it to Heaven on time
Your ticket you obtain
You must obtain your ticket
On this heavenly airline plane
For this plane to Heaven
You leave your sins behind
You must leave your sins behind
You've got to take this flight
You must take this flight
It may be daytime, might be night
It could be either day or night
But you can't see your way if you're blind
But you can't find your way if you are blind
Take that airline plane
Take that plane to Heaven
It'll take you home again
It will take you back to Heaven
To your home behind the skies
To your home in Heaven
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JEFF TWEEDY, JAY BENNETT, WOODY GUTHRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ElMaestroAndy
There's an airline plane
Flies to heaven everyday
Past the pearly gates
If you want to ride this train
Have your ticket in your hand
Before it is too late
If the world looks wrong
And your money's spent and gone
And your friend has turned away
You can get away to heaven
On this aeroplane
Just bow your head and pray
[Chorus]
Them's got ears, let them hear
Them's got eyes, let them see
Turn your eyes to the lord of the skies
Take this airline plane
It'll take you home again
To your home behind the skies
Well a lot of people guess
Some say no and some say yes
Will it take some and leave some behind
But you will surely know
When to the airport go
To leave this world behind
Oh a lot of speakers speak
A lot of preachers preach
When you lay their salary on the line
You can hold your head and pray
It's the only earthly way
You can fly to heaven on time
Fly to heaven on time
[Chorus]
Your ticket you obtain
On this heavenly airline plane
You leave your sins behind
You've got to take this flight
It may be daytime, might be night
But you can't see your way if you're blind
[Chorus]
Take that airline plane
It'll take you home again
To your home behind the skies
@ElMaestroAndy
There's an airline plane
Flies to heaven everyday
Past the pearly gates
If you want to ride this train
Have your ticket in your hand
Before it is too late
If the world looks wrong
And your money's spent and gone
And your friend has turned away
You can get away to heaven
On this aeroplane
Just bow your head and pray
[Chorus]
Them's got ears, let them hear
Them's got eyes, let them see
Turn your eyes to the lord of the skies
Take this airline plane
It'll take you home again
To your home behind the skies
Well a lot of people guess
Some say no and some say yes
Will it take some and leave some behind
But you will surely know
When to the airport go
To leave this world behind
Oh a lot of speakers speak
A lot of preachers preach
When you lay their salary on the line
You can hold your head and pray
It's the only earthly way
You can fly to heaven on time
Fly to heaven on time
[Chorus]
Your ticket you obtain
On this heavenly airline plane
You leave your sins behind
You've got to take this flight
It may be daytime, might be night
But you can't see your way if you're blind
[Chorus]
Take that airline plane
It'll take you home again
To your home behind the skies
@lisavenable1866
Love it. The Truth in this crazy world.
@thomasbailey7660
A high point of any Wilco live show.
@Smarigdine
I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!
@stephendsullivan
This is such a brilliant interpretation of Woody's words. Love it!
@scottaustin3573
Solid evidence of Mr. Guthrie's depth of soul!
@arttoegemann
great recording it all comes together
@mcampbell598
Heard this on pandora, Love it!
@bimbo1997
You have to Love everything Wilco does (=
@nathanbrown3077
Braulio Cuellar