Garnet lives on a farm in rural Ontario, where his wife raises champion thoroughbreds.
Threshold
Garnet Rogers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In last year’s sneakers.
how they felt upon his feet:
So light and cool.
Playing in the shade beneath the bleachers;
Waiting, praying for the end of school.
He remembers how the field would smell at twilight
Breathing in the perfume and the mystery
All those years ago before the boy was grown.
And the summer sky was high and bright above him
And in the evening it would turn a cobalt blue.
The stars hung in a net above the forest
The palest summer moon came into view.
His little world was new and freshly minted
In colors bright of gold, and blue, and green
And he listened as the evening breezes hinted
Of a world beyond that he had never seen.
He was standing on the threshold of a mystery,
Waiting for his whole life to begin.
The world was out there with its motor running
He had but to find the door and climb on in.
And so the young man he grew to be was restless.
The road was calling out there in the night.
Shining in the darkness leading somewhere,
Somewhere, anywhere,
Would be alright.
As the years wore on the man became uneasy
For the road that once beckoned at his door
Was just another door he’d seen sometime;
The towns were all just towns he’d seen before.
So the wonder and the mystery dimmed and tarnished.
Days were filled with whiskey, smoke, and din.
No memory now of silence or of sweetness.
No way to retrieve it from within.
How his world it seemed to shrink and darken
With choices poorly made and chances lost.
So the face that stared back from his mirror
Was a pale and haunted portrait of the cost.
Of no longer even looking for the mystery,
Waiting out his days it seemed to him.
Trying to fill the empty ticking hours.
No sign or memory of the boy he’d been.
Who’d been standing on the threshold
Of a mystery
Trembling in his eagerness to live.
Someone was out there
Waiting for him somewhere
To accept the love he wanted so to give.
He remembered now the evening that he met her
How the sunlight played upon her hair.
The tricks it played around her like a halo.
How no one in the room seemed to be there.
How the others disappeared and the music faded.
How his breath grew short and how his heart was stirred,
Stirred again with hope and longing.
His courage failed.
He couldn’t find the words.
As he talked with her he felt his heart reopen.
Her eyes green as the fields were in his youth.
Her hair was sweet and warm like fresh cut clover
In her eyes he recognized the truth:
That he was standing on the threshold of a mystery,
Trembling in his eagerness to live,
Praying she could somehow see and know him,
and accept the love he wanted so to give.
And that night beneath the light, beneath her stairway,
they clung in that first brief and awkward kiss.
He reached out in love, and hope, and hated longing
What he’d waited for his whole life had been this:
To be standing in the wonder and the mystery
And that hopeful boy he’d lost so long ago
Had returned and should he live a hundred lifetimes
This would be the only love he’d ever know.
The song "Threshold" by Garnet Rogers is a poignant reflection on the passage of time and the nostalgia we often feel for the innocence of our youth. The first verse describes a young boy eagerly awaiting the end of the school year, his mind filled with the possibilities of a summer full of adventure and discovery. The second verse paints a picture of the idyllic countryside where the boy roamed free, drinking in the beauty of nature and dreaming of the wider world beyond.
As the song progresses, we see the passage of time take its toll on the young man as he grows restless and yearns for something more. The promise of the world outside beckons, but with it comes the risk of disappointment and disillusionment. As he grapples with these conflicting emotions, the man struggles to find meaning in his life, seeking solace in drink and smoke. He comes to realize that the dreams he once held so dear have faded, and that he can never recapture the sense of wonder and possibility he felt as a boy.
Line by Line Meaning
First warm day of spring
The start of something new and exciting
In last year’s sneakers.
The comfort of familiarity with the adventure of change
Playing in the shade beneath the bleachers;
The anticipation and joy of new experiences
Waiting, praying for the end of school.
The desire to move forward and explore the world
He remembers how the field would smell at twilight
The power of memory to evoke the senses
When the clover hay was sweet and freshly mown.
The beauty of nature in its simplicity
Breathing in the perfume and the mystery
The wonder of the unknown and the anticipation of finding out
All those years ago before the boy was grown.
The nostalgia of looking back at a simpler time
And the summer sky was high and bright above him
The vastness of the world and the potential it holds
And in the evening it would turn a cobalt blue.
The beauty of the changing sky, a symbol of change itself
The stars hung in a net above the forest
The power of nature to inspire and wonder
The palest summer moon came into view.
The beauty and mystery of the night sky
His little world was new and freshly minted
The potential of a new beginning
In colors bright of gold, and blue, and green
The vibrancy of the world and the endless possibilities
And he listened as the evening breezes hinted
The importance of being open and receptive to new experiences
Of a world beyond that he had never seen.
The desire to learn and explore
He was standing on the threshold of a mystery,
The potential of a new adventure
Waiting for his whole life to begin.
The eagerness to start living and experiencing the world
The world was out there with its motor running
The urgency to seize opportunities before they pass
He had but to find the door and climb on in.
The importance of taking action and pursuing one's dreams
And so the young man he grew to be was restless.
The restlessness of one's soul to continue seeking out new experiences
The road was calling out there in the night.
The allure of the unknown and the potential of what is not yet discovered
Shining in the darkness leading somewhere,
The hope and possibilities of what lies ahead
Somewhere, anywhere,
The openness to the many different paths life can take
Would be alright.
The trust that everything will work out in the end
As the years wore on the man became uneasy
The fear and regret that come with missed opportunities and lost time
For the road that once beckoned at his door
The longing for past opportunities and the realization of their loss
Was just another door he’d seen sometime;
The disappointment of new opportunities being nothing more than old ones with different faces
The towns were all just towns he’d seen before.
The disappointment of seeing the same things over and over again
So the wonder and the mystery dimmed and tarnished.
The sadness and loss of the beauty and majesty of life itself
Days were filled with whiskey, smoke, and din.
The emptiness and despair that come with a life lived without purpose or fulfillment
No memory now of silence or of sweetness.
The failure to hold on to the things that made life so beautiful
No way to retrieve it from within.
The impossibility of changing the past and the importance of pursuing a fulfilling present and future
How his world it seemed to shrink and darken
The sense of loss as life loses its magic
With choices poorly made and chances lost.
The regret of past decisions and their impact on life's trajectory
So the face that stared back from his mirror
The realization of one's life choices and their impact
Was a pale and haunted portrait of the cost.
The fear and regret of one who did not live their life to the fullest
Of no longer even looking for the mystery,
The resignation of one who has given up
Waiting out his days it seemed to him.
The lack of purpose and passion in one's life
Trying to fill the empty ticking hours.
The desperation to find meaning and fulfillment in a life that has lost its excitement and wonder
No sign or memory of the boy he’d been.
The sense of loss and disconnection from the past
Who’d been standing on the threshold
The potential of one's past self and the regret of not fulfilling it
Of a mystery
The beauty and allure of the unknown
Trembling in his eagerness to live.
The desire and excitement of a young life full of possibility
Someone was out there
The hope and belief that there is something more out there
Waiting for him somewhere
The potential for new opportunities and encounters
To accept the love he wanted so to give.
The desire for love and connection in a life that feels empty
He remembered now the evening that he met her
The power of memory to bring back hope and excitement
How the sunlight played upon her hair.
The beauty and light that another person can bring into one's life
The tricks it played around her like a halo.
The beauty and magic of another person that can feel like something out of reach
How no one in the room seemed to be there.
The power of connection and intimacy when everything else fades away
How the others disappeared and the music faded.
The power of love and connection to block out everything else
How his breath grew short and how his heart was stirred,
The excitement and anticipation of finding love and connection
Stirred again with hope and longing.
The renewal of hope and passion in one's life
His courage failed.
The fear and anxiety that can come with vulnerability and intimacy
He couldn’t find the words.
The difficulty of expressing one's feelings and desires
As he talked with her he felt his heart reopen.
The power of love to heal and bring life back into a life that had lost its magic
Her eyes green as the fields were in his youth.
The rekindling of emotions and feelings from one's past
Her hair was sweet and warm like fresh cut clover
The beauty and allure of another person and the positive emotions they can bring into one's life
In her eyes he recognized the truth:
The power of connection and recognition with another person
That he was standing on the threshold of a mystery,
The potential of new love and connection and the unknown that comes with it
Trembling in his eagerness to live,
The excitement and passion of a life filled with love and connection
Praying she could somehow see and know him,
The hope and desire for someone to understand and accept us for who we truly are
and accept the love he wanted so to give.
The desire for love and connection in a life that feels empty
And that night beneath the light, beneath her stairway,
The beauty and intensity of connection and intimacy
they clung in that first brief and awkward kiss.
The vulnerability and excitement of a new love and connection
He reached out in love, and hope, and hated longing
The passion and desire for love and connection
What he’d waited for his whole life had been this:
The power of love and connection to heal and bring purpose to one's life
To be standing in the wonder and the mystery
The beauty and allure of the unknown and the potential of life itself
And that hopeful boy he’d lost so long ago
The renewal of the passion and excitement of one's youth
Had returned and should he live a hundred lifetimes
The power of love and connection to bring life and purpose to one's existence, no matter how long it may be
This would be the only love he’d ever know.
The depth and intensity of a love that can bring meaning and purpose to a life that was once empty
Contributed by Lauren N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.