The Folks Who Live On The Hill
Brad Mehldau Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Many men with lofty aims,
Strive for lofty goals,
Others play at smaller games,
Being simpler souls.

I am of the latter brand;
All I want to do,
Is to find a spot of land,
And live there with you.

Someday we'll build a home on a hilltop high,
You and I,
Shiny and new a cottage that two can fill.
And we'll be pleased to be called,
"The folks who live on the hill".

Someday we may be adding a thing or two,
A wing or two.
We will make changes as any fam'ly will,
But we will always be called,
"The folks who live on the hill".

Our veranda will command a view of meadows green,
The sort of view that seems to want to be seen.
And when the kids grow up and leave us,
We'll sit and look at the same old view,
Just we two.

Darby and Joan who used to be Jack and Jill,
The folks who like to be called,




What they have always been called,
"The folks who live on the hill".

Overall Meaning

The Folks Who Live On The Hill is not simply about living on a hill and building a home. This song speaks of the distinction between aspirations - some men have lofty aims while others play simple games. The singer declares that he belongs to the latter types and his only goal in life is to find a spot of land and live there with his loved one. Throughout the song, the singer and his partner dream of building a small cottage on a hilltop with a magnificent view of meadows green. They would be satisfied to become known as “the folks who live on the hill”. The song portrays love, contentment, and a dream of a peaceful life together without any grand aspirations.


Line by Line Meaning

Many men with lofty aims,
There are plenty of men who have high aspirations


Strive for lofty goals,
These men work tirelessly to achieve these high goals


Others play at smaller games,
Meanwhile, other people choose to focus on simpler things


Being simpler souls.
These people have simpler personalities


I am of the latter brand;
I fall into the latter category


All I want to do,
My only desire is to


Is to find a spot of land,
Find a piece of Earth to call home


And live there with you.
To share this new space with you


Someday we'll build a home on a hilltop high,
One day we'll construct a house on a tall hill


You and I,
Together, just us two


Shiny and new a cottage that two can fill.
A new and bright home that we can easily make our own


And we'll be pleased to be called,
We'll take pride in being known as


"The folks who live on the hill".
Residents of this hilltop, known as such


Someday we may be adding a thing or two,
It's possible we'll make some changes


A wing or two.
Perhaps even an addition or two


We will make changes as any fam'ly will,
We'll adapt as most families do


But we will always be called,
But one thing that won't change is that we'll still be known as


"The folks who live on the hill".
The hill residents


Our veranda will command a view of meadows green,
Our porch will oversee lush green meadows


The sort of view that seems to want to be seen.
A picturesque sight that is begging to be noticed


And when the kids grow up and leave us,
When our children become adults and move away from us


We'll sit and look at the same old view,
We'll sit and gaze upon this same view


Just we two.
Only the two of us


Darby and Joan who used to be Jack and Jill,
We'll be like the classic couple Darby and Joan (previously known as Jack and Jill)


The folks who like to be called,
We'll be content referring to ourselves as


What they have always been called,
What we've always been known as


"The folks who live on the hill".
The hill dwellers




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jerome Kern, Oscar II Hammerstein

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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