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".
Castlemaine
Christine Lavin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
150,000 Miners all were dreaming of a strike
7,000 live here in Castlemaine
And he still works for the mines
Extracts 2 grams of gold per ton of sand
Dust the gold rush left behind.
I met him on a November Day
He squinted his eyes
He lit a cigarette
Another rough night.
The house he shared with his wife and babies
He had built with his own two hands
He could no longer call it home
In his place, another man
So he lives here with a friend of his
His wife lives down the street
They joke that it's a halfway house for men
Suffering temporary defeat
He makes me a cup of coffee
I notice his young (bud) weathered hands
Tanned except for where it was he wore a wedding band.
He askes me about America
A place he would love to be
He's been all over Australia
He's seen all there is to see
He shows me pictures of Ayers Rock
Wild Birds and Kangaroos
Pictures of his little ones
And his wife too
Then he said put out your hand
And I will give to you what I found on a recent trip
He lays in my palm a mound of multi colored opal chips
When his fingers touch mine
I feel a longing from within
Did that originate from me or from him?
But it's 4:00
He leaves for work
He returns home late that night
I'm in the room right down the hall
I can hear him snap on the light
I hear him softly humming
I hear a turning of a page
I dream that night of wild birds trapped inside an opal cage.
In the morning when I get up
He's in the kitchen making tea
He smiles and he says he's got one more parting gift for me
"Close your eyes, put out your hand"
Christine Lavin's song "Castlemaine" tells the story of a man who works in the gold mines of Castlemaine, a town in Victoria, Australia. The first verse provides the historical background of the gold rush that occurred in the 1850s, which drew thousands of miners who were hoping for a lucky find. The man the singer meets still works for the mines and extracts a modest amount of gold from dust left behind by the gold rush. However, he currently finds himself in a difficult position, as he is no longer able to live in the house he built with his own two hands due to personal and financial troubles. Instead, he lives with a friend while his wife and children live elsewhere. Despite his struggles, he shows kindness to the singer by giving her opal chips he found on a recent trip.
The man's desire to go to America and his generosity in giving away his cherished opal chips reflect the theme of longing and connection present in the lyrics. The singer can sense the man's longing during their interaction and wonders if it is her own or emanating from him. The man's humming and reading before bed and the singer's dream of wild birds trapped inside an opal cage further highlight the theme of being trapped and longing for freedom. Overall, the song beautifully captures the complexities of the human experience and emphasizes the importance of empathy and connection to those we encounter.
Line by Line Meaning
Back in the 1850s this town just teemed with life
This town was once very lively with humans and the hopes of miners in the 1850s.
150,000 Miners all were dreaming of a strike
A vast majority of the town consisted of miners and their dreams of finding gold.
7,000 live here in Castlemaine
Today, only 7,000 people live in Castlemaine, which has seen a significant decrease in residents over the years.
And he still works for the mines
The man the artist meets at Castlemaine is still working in the mines today.
Extracts 2 grams of gold per ton of sand
The man the artist meets at Castlemaine only extracts a small amount of gold from each ton of sand.
Dust the gold rush left behind.
The gold rush has long been over, but the effects of all of the mining are still easily visible in the dust and remnants of gold.
He met him on a November Day
The singer meets the man on a specific day in November.
The Australian sun was bright
The sun is shining brightly in Australia on that day.
He squinted his eyes
In order to deal with the bright sun, the man squints his eyes.
He lit a cigarette
The man smokes a cigarette during their meeting.
Another rough night.
The man the singer meets might have had a rough night before.
The house he shared with his wife and babies
The man used to share a house with his wife and children.
He had built with his own two hands
He built the house with his own labor and capability.
He could no longer call it home
Due to certain circumstances, the man is no longer living in his own house with his family.
In his place, another man
Someone else is now living in the man's place and he is living somewhere else with a friend.
So he lives here with a friend of his
The man is living with a friend of his.
His wife lives down the street
His wife is living nearby him, down on the street.
They joke that it's a halfway house for men
The man and his friend joke that the place is like a halfway house for men dealing with temporary defeat.
Suffering temporary defeat
The man is going through some hard times and it is considered to be a temporary defeat.
He makes me a cup of coffee
The man the artist meets offers her a cup of coffee which he makes.
I notice his young (bud) weathered hands
The artist notices that the man's hands are young-looking, though they are weathered from his work.
Tanned except for where it was he wore a wedding band.
The man the artist meets has a tan caused by his work, except where he once wore a wedding band.
He asks me about America
The man talks about America and expresses his interest in going there one day.
A place he would love to be
The man has a desire to go to America and really wants to go there some day.
He's been all over Australia
The man has already traveled throughout Australia and visited various places.
He's seen all there is to see
The man has already seen everything that there might be to see in Australia.
He shows me pictures of Ayers Rock
The man shows the singer pictures of Ayers Rock, which is a popular tourist attraction.
Wild Birds and Kangaroos
The man also shows the artist pictures of wild birds and kangaroos.
Pictures of his little ones
The man shows the artist pictures of his children.
And his wife too
The man shows the singer pictures of his wife.
Then he said put out your hand
The man asks the singer to extend her hand out.
And I will give to you what I found on a recent trip
The man promises to give the artist something he found during his recent travels.
He lays in my palm a mound of multi colored opal chips
The man places a bunch of multi-colored opal chips on the artist's hand.
When his fingers touch mine
The artist's and the man's fingers touch each other.
I feel a longing from within
The singer feels a sense of longing inside of her when the man touches her hand.
Did that originate from me or from him?
The artist is confused and wonders if the sense of longing she feels inside of her is from her or the man.
But it's 4:00
The singer is reminding herself that it is already 4:00.
He leaves for work
The man goes off to work.
He returns home late that night
The man returns home at a late hour in the night.
I'm in the room right down the hall
The artist is in one of the rooms down the hall.
I can hear him snap on the light
The artist hears the man switch on the light in his room.
I hear him softly humming
The singer can hear the man humming softly.
I hear a turning of a page
The singer can hear the sound of the man turning the pages of a book.
I dream that night of wild birds trapped inside an opal cage.
The artist dreams of wild birds trapped inside a cage that is made of opal.
In the morning when I get up
The artist starts the day and wakes up in the morning.
He's in the kitchen making tea
The man is busy making tea in the kitchen.
He smiles and he says he's got one more parting gift for me
The man tells the singer that he has one more gift for her.
Close your eyes, put out your hand
The man asks the artist to close her eyes and extend out her hand once again.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: CHRISTINE LAVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind