Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian alt-country band formed by three siblings fro… Read Full Bio ↴Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian alt-country band formed by three siblings from the Timmins entertainment family (Margo Timmins, vocals; Michael Timmins, songwriter & guitars; Peter Timmins, drums) plus Alan Anton on bass. The group formed in Toronto in 1986. The band's name was simply a random choice as they approached their first ever gig, but it has come to perfectly represent their sound. (Some sources may credit Townes Van Zandt's song "Cowboy Junkies Lament" as the source of the band's name, but that song was written especially for Cowboy Junkies several years after they coined the name.)

The Trinity Session is perhaps their best known record, recorded live in a single day on a single microphone in a church in Toronto. This album also included a unique cover version of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane". Reed reportedly liked the Junkies' version of the song better than his own, and began performing their version in concert.

None of the band's subsequent albums have been hits outside of Canada, although the band has maintained a dedicated following and have continued to have chart hits in their native country. Following their 1998 album Miles from Our Home, Cowboy Junkies were dropped from their major label contract. They have continued to release albums on their own independent label, Latent Records.

Blue Guitar
Cowboy Junkies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I wish I had a blue guitar,
A blue guitar to play all night long
Singing songs of loss and love
Singing songs till morning comes

Ghosts in the basement
Screams from the kitchen
I tell you folks I think I'm leaving

Seems I can already here the door slammin'
I tell you folks I think I'm leavin'

Goodbye to the highway
Goodbye to the sky
I'm headed out goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye to the highway
Goodbye to the sky
I'm headed out goodbye, goodbye

I wish I had a blue guitar,
A blue guitar to play all night long

Singing songs of loss and love
Singing songs till morning comes

Overall Meaning

The cowboy Junkies’ song ‘Blue Guitar’ is a melancholic ballad about leaving one’s past behind and searching for a fresh start in life. The singer longs for a blue guitar to accompany them as they sing songs ‘of loss and love’ all through the night, until the dawn breaks. However, the singer’s lyrics are interrupted by ‘ghosts in the basement’ and ‘screams from the kitchen,’ giving the impression of a potentially haunted or chaotic living situation. At this point, the singer decides to leave it all behind, saying ‘goodbye to the highway, goodbye to the sky, I’m headed out goodbye, goodbye.’ It seems as though the singer is ready to start anew, perhaps leaving a toxic relationship or home environment.

The song is nearly all repetition, with the phrase ‘I wish I had a blue guitar’ repeated four times, creating a sense of longing and desire. The simple lyrics suggest that the guitar is not just an instrument, but a symbol of hope and a new beginning. The ‘blue’ guitar is not just any guitar, but one that speaks to the singer’s soul and helps them express their emotions in a way that they haven't been able to before. ‘Blue’ can represent sadness or melancholy, but it can also represent the vastness of the open sky, offering hope and possibility.

Line by Line Meaning

I wish I had a blue guitar,
I long for a blue guitar

A blue guitar to play all night long
I desire a guitar to play music for hours on end

Singing songs of loss and love
I want to sing about heartbreak and romance

Singing songs till morning comes
I want to sing until daybreak

Ghosts in the basement
I sense ghosts haunting in the basement

Screams from the kitchen
I hear screams coming from the kitchen

I tell you folks I think I'm leaving
I'm certain I'm going to depart

Seems I can already here the door slammin'
I can practically hear the sound of the door closing

Goodbye to the highway
Farewell to the open road

Goodbye to the sky
Adieu to the heavens above

I'm headed out goodbye, goodbye
I am saying goodbye as I depart