She is known for her sense of humor, which is expressed in both her music and her onstage performances. Many of her songs alternate between emotional reflections on romance and outright comedy. Two of her more famous songs include "Sensitive New Age Guys" and "Bald Headed Men".
Camping
Christine Lavin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who loves to camp
He camps when it's sunny
He camps when it's damp
All he needs is a tent
A sleeping roll
A package of hot dogs
And a sack of charcoal
He camps in the snow
He says baby come with me
I say no.
You see I like hot showers
And I like ice
The cool cotton sheets on my bed feel so nice
I'm afraid of little animals
I'm scared of big bugs
I like the feel of bare feet on a Berber rug
I can't stand port-a-sans
Community soap
I say baby stay with me
He says no.
So I said why deprive yourself
Of the creature comforts
It's taken man so long to invent
And he said somethin' about Walden
Thoreau and back to Woodstock
Livin' his life in a tent
Oh I can picture him now by a babblin' brook
Slappin' at mosquitos
Slippin' bait on a hook
I can see the bear sniffin' round for something to steal
Oh bears, eat a hot dog, don't make my baby your meal
This whole scenario would give me such a fright
To think he coulda stayed with me tonight...
Where my air conditioner makes a real cool breeze
Not unlike the wind whistlin' through the trees
I've got stars on my ceiling that glow in the dark
I'll open up the windows we can hear the birds in the park
I'll put Wild Kingdom on my TV
This might not be camping but it's pretty close
Honey I'll act as primitive as you want me to be
This might not be camping but it's close enough for me!
The song "Camping" by Christine Lavin is a humorous take on the idea of camping and how it can affect relationships. The singer talks about her love for a man who loves to camp, but she cannot bring herself to join him. He loves to camp in any condition, be it sunny or damp, and can do with just a tent, sleeping roll, hot dogs, and charcoal. He prefers the outdoors, whether camping in the desert or in the snow. On the other hand, the singer likes her creature comforts, such as hot showers, ice, cotton sheets, and a fear of bugs and animals. She hates using port-a-sans and community soap.
Despite her reservations, the singer tries to understand her partner's love for camping, but he dismisses her concern. He points to the fact that man has only recently invented all the creature comforts they now enjoy, citing the example of Thoreau's "Walden" and back to Woodstock. He seems content living his life in a tent. The singer, however, pictures the worst-case scenarios of camping in her mind, from mosquitos to bears, and cannot be convinced to join him.
The song's lyrics highlight the differences in the singer's and her partner's personalities and preferences, as well as the compromise needed for any relationship. Camping may be a great experience for some, but it's not for everyone.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm in love with a man
The singer is in love with a man who loves to camp.
Who loves to camp
The man the singer is in love with loves to camp.
He camps when it's sunny
The man the singer is in love with camps in good weather.
He camps when it's damp
The man the artist is in love with camps even in wet weather.
All he needs is a tent
The man who likes to camp doesn't have many needs.
A sleeping roll
The man who likes to camp only needs a sleeping bag to be comfortable.
A package of hot dogs
The man who likes to camp likes to eat hot dogs while camping.
And a sack of charcoal
The man who likes to camp uses charcoal to cook his food.
He camps in the desert
The man who likes to camp camps in desert areas.
He camps in the snow
The man who likes to camp also camps in snowy areas.
He says baby come with me
The man wants the singer to go camping with him.
I say no.
The artist refuses to go camping with him.
You see I like hot showers
The singer likes to take hot showers.
And I like ice
The singer enjoys having ice available to them.
The cool cotton sheets on my bed feel so nice
The singer enjoys sleeping in comfortable cotton sheets.
I'm afraid of little animals
The artist is scared of small animals.
I'm scared of big bugs
The artist is scared of large insects.
I like the feel of bare feet on a Berber rug
The singer enjoys walking on a specific type of rug with their bare feet.
I can't stand port-a-sans
The singer doesn't like portable toilets.
Community soap
The artist doesn't like sharing soap with others.
I say baby stay with me
The artist wants the man to stay with them instead of going camping.
He says no.
The man refuses to stay with the artist instead of going camping.
So I said why deprive yourself
The singer questions why the man would deprive himself of basic comforts.
Of the creature comforts
The artist is referring to basic comforts when they say 'creature comforts'.
It's taken man so long to invent
The singer argues that man has worked hard to create basic comforts.
And he said somethin' about Walden
The man responds to the singer's argument with something related to Walden, a famous book by Henry David Thoreau about living a simple life in nature.
Thoreau and back to Woodstock
The man explains his love for living a simple life in nature through the examples of Thoreau and the 1969 Woodstock music festival.
Livin' his life in a tent
The man believes living a simple life in a tent in nature is fulfilling.
Oh I can picture him now by a babblin' brook
The artist imagines the man they love living in nature by a moving body of water.
Slappin' at mosquitos
The man would have to deal with annoying mosquitoes if he lived in nature.
Slippin' bait on a hook
The man would enjoy fishing if he lived in nature.
I can see the bear sniffin' round for something to steal
The artist realises that wild bears could be attracted to the man's food in nature.
Oh bears, eat a hot dog, don't make my baby your meal
The artist makes a joke about bears eating a hot dog instead of the man they love.
This whole scenario would give me such a fright
The artist is scared of the idea of their loved one living in nature because it seems dangerous.
To think he coulda stayed with me tonight...
The singer is sad that the man they love is camping instead of spending time with them.
Where my air conditioner makes a real cool breeze
The artist is happy that they have an air conditioner that can cool them down when it is hot outside.
Not unlike the wind whistlin' through the trees
The singer compares the air conditioner to the sound of wind blowing through trees in nature.
I've got stars on my ceiling that glow in the dark
The singer has added lighting to their ceiling that looks like stars so it's like they are outside when they are inside.
I'll open up the windows we can hear the birds in the park
The singer likes to open their windows so that they can hear the birds in a nearby park.
I'll put Wild Kingdom on my TV
The artist likes to watch a nature program called Wild Kingdom on their television.
This might not be camping but it's pretty close
The artist admits that they are not camping but they are very close to experiencing the same things people do when they go camping.
Honey I'll act as primitive as you want me to be
The singer is willing to act as primitive as the man they love wants them to be.
This might not be camping but it's close enough for me!
The singer is happy with their version of camping even though it's not the real thing.
Contributed by Avery N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.