Grandaddy are an American indie pop band formed in Modesto, California in 1… Read Full Bio ↴Grandaddy are an American indie pop band formed in Modesto, California in 1992 by singer/guitarist/keyboardist Jason Lytle, bassist Kevin Garcia, and drummer Aaron Burtch; although a noisy, lo-fi approach characterized early recordings like 1994's Complex Party Come Along Theories, with the 1995 additions of guitarist Jim Fairchild and keyboardist Tim Dryden the group's sound expanded exponentially over the course of subsequent efforts including the unreleased Don't Sock the Tryer and the 1996 EP A Pretty Mess by This One Band. Originally issued on indie label Will Records, 1997's acclaimed full-length Under the Western Freeway proved Grandaddy's creative breakthrough, and the following year the album was reissued on major-label V2, with "Summer Here Kids" earning Single of the Week honors in the pages of the NME. The Broken Down Comforter Collection, a compilation of singles tracks, preceded the 1999 Signal to Snow Ratio EP, which heralded a movement toward the vintage electronic textures further in evidence on 2000's superb The Sophtware Slump. In 2002, the group released another odds-n-sods collection, Concrete Dunes, which paved the way for a busy 2003: that spring, Grandaddy released the Floating Debris EP and their fourth full-length, Sumday, and spent the rest of the year touring, making appearances at festivals such as Glastonbury. In 2005, they resurfaced with the Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla EP and a full-length album (Just Like the Fambly Cat) followed in 2006. It was to be their last, though Jason Lytle continues to tour, playing Grandaddy songs as well as his own solo works.

Additional Info:

Under the name Arm of Roger, Grandaddy recorded a joke album entitled The Ham and its Lily in 2002.

A.M. 180, which was released as a single, is featured prominently in the British film 28 Days Later.

On the 27th January 2006, Jason Lytle confirmed that the band would split following the release of their final album, Just Like The Fambly Cat.

Jason Lytle has since toured the US as a solo artist, playing Grandaddy songs from the last album and others. He is said to plan a solo career of new material.

On March 2, 2012, Grandaddy announced their reunion with news of a headline slot at the End of the Road Festival in Dorset, England on 2 September. Further dates are expected.

Fishing Boat Song
Grandaddy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

from springfield, mass. to concord town,
i saw those lights go down.
in a gorge in kansas
i found my jesus,
he laid me down
and he said

if i build you a fishing boat,

would you leave everyone you know?
if i build you a fishing boat,
would you leave everyone you know?

would you be more likely to kill more time with me?
and then a sudden gail began to wail
it set my heart like no other love
like no other love

if i build you a fishing boat
if i build you a fishing boat
if i build you a fishing boat
would you leave everyone you know?
if i build you a fishing boat
would you leave everyone you know?

from springfield mass. to concord town
i saw my lights go down

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Grandaddy's song "Fishing Boat Song" are poetic and open to interpretation. The song speaks to the desire for escape and the power of the unknown, a common theme in Grandaddy's music. The song is a beautiful and haunting piece that speaks to the dreamer in us all. The song starts with the singer recounting his journey from Springfield, Massachusetts to Concord Town. He describes seeing lights go down, perhaps symbolizing darkness or the ending of something. The next verse takes place in a gorge in Kansas, where the singer found his Jesus. Here, we see a religious reference that can be interpreted in many ways. Did the singer find faith in his journey, or is Jesus a metaphor for something else?

The chorus of the song is the most memorable part, and it speaks to the heart of the matter. The singer asks if Jesus built him a fishing boat, would he leave everyone he knows? This is a question about the power of exploration and desire. The singer acknowledges that leaving everything you know would be a difficult decision, but the prospect of adventure is hard to pass up. The singer talks about leaving it all behind to spend more time with his love interest - the sudden gail that set his heart like no other love. This is a reference to the stormy seas, and the idea that even when times are tough, the call of the unknown is powerful.

Overall, the "Fishing Boat Song" is a beautiful meditation on the power of longing, the importance of faith, and the mystery of life. It speaks to the desire to connect with something bigger than ourselves, and the courage it takes to embrace the unknown.

Line by Line Meaning

from springfield, mass. to concord town,
Traveling from Springfield, Massachusetts to Concord town.

i saw those lights go down.
Observing the lights going down.

in a gorge in kansas
Located in a Kansas gorge.

i found my jesus,
Having a spiritual experience where the singer found meaning in their life.

he laid me down
This experience was intense, taking the singer down to a lower emotional or spiritual level.

and he said
The singer received an important message from Jesus during this experience.

if i build you a fishing boat,
Jesus made the singer an offer of a better life, providing the opportunity to escape their current situation and find meaning in something new.

would you leave everyone you know?
This offer required the singer to detach from their current life, leaving behind everything they once knew.

would you be more likely to kill more time with me?
Jesus was providing the singer with an opportunity to spend more time with him, and to focus on their spiritual journey.

and then a sudden gail began to wail
A sudden and intense storm began to occur.

it set my heart like no other love
This storm had a powerful impact on the singer, like a strong emotional experience.

if i build you a fishing boat
Jesus again offered the possibility of a better life through a new opportunity and experience.

would you leave everyone you know?
This new opportunity required the singer to detach from their current situation and take a leap of faith.

if i build you a fishing boat
Jesus continued to offer the singer new opportunities.

if i build you a fishing boat
Jesus appeared to be very committed to helping the singer find a new path in life.

would you leave everyone you know?
This new path required sacrificing the known, the safety and the comfort of what the singer knew before.

from springfield mass. to concord town
Traveling again from Springfield, Massachusetts to Concord Town.

i saw my lights go down
The singer looks back on their past and remembers the lights going down, perhaps referring to a time when they felt everything they knew was coming to an end.

Contributed by Madison V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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