Members:
* George Edwards, Guitars, Bass & Vocals
* Dave Michaels, Organ, Clarinet, Harpsichord, Vocals, Recorder, Keyboards, Piano
* Jerry McGeorge, Bass, Vocals
* Michael Tegza, Percussion, Timpani, Vocals, Drums
* Tony Cavallari, Guitar, Vocals
Drummer Michael Tegza laster played for the band Bangor Flying Circus.
The Drifter
HP Lovecraft Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I watch your big trucks rolling by now
I share the grape soda with a man from Dakota
I've seen a June bug in July now
I'm a drifter, I'm a loner
I've seen every city and town now
I pass by here and I'll die here
I play basketball through the hoop of a barrel
I struggle to learn how to swim now
I used to think maybe I once was a baby
I only pretend I was him now
I only pretend I was him now
I'm a drifter, I'm a loner
I've seen every city and town now
I pass by here and I'll die here
Some stranger will lower me down, yeah
I envy the ship sailing out of your harbours
I swap dirty jokes with your butchers and barbers
I think silent thoughts while the jukebox is playing
And all of the time my own heart is saying
You're a drifter, you're a loner
You've seen every city and town now
You pass by here and you'll die here
Some stranger will lower you down, yeah
In HP Lovecraft's song "The Drifter", the main character is portrayed as a lonely wanderer who has seen and experienced a lot in this world. He sits in the shade of an old apple orchard and watches big trucks rolling by, sharing grape soda with a man from Dakota. He talks about seeing a June bug in July, which may indicate that he has lost track of time, or that he has a different perception of time than most people.
The drifter portrays himself as a man who has been to every city and town, but he passes by this place and knows that he will die here. He watches kids playing basketball through the hoop of a barrel and struggles to learn how to swim. He mentions that he used to think he was a baby but now he only pretends to be him. Throughout the song, he speaks fondly of the people and memories of this place, but he knows he must keep moving.
In the chorus, he sings, "I'm a drifter, I'm a loner, I pass by here and I'll die here, some stranger will lower me down" which highlights his nomadic lifestyle and the inevitability of death. He envies the ships sailing out of the harbor and swaps dirty jokes with your butchers and barbers. He thinks silent thoughts while the jukebox plays, but all the while, his heart is telling him that he is a drifter and a loner, and he will pass by here and die here.
Overall, "The Drifter" highlights the feelings of loneliness and displacement that can come with a nomadic lifestyle. Lovecraft uses imagery and metaphors to convey the sense of passing through life without a permanent place to call home.
Line by Line Meaning
I sat in the shade of your old apple orchard
I lingered in the cool shady spot beneath your old apple trees.
I watch your big trucks rolling by now
I observe the large trucks passing by at this moment.
I share the grape soda with a man from Dakota
I enjoy a grape soda in the company of a man from Dakota.
I've seen a June bug in July now
I have witnessed a June bug in the month of July.
I'm a drifter, I'm a loner
I am someone who moves from place to place with no permanent residence or companionship.
I've seen every city and town now
I have traveled through and experienced all of the towns and cities I come across.
I pass by here and I'll die here
I often travel through this area and know that when the time comes, I will likely perish here.
Some stranger will lower me down, yeah
When I die, someone who does not know me will bury me.
I play basketball through the hoop of a barrel
I shoot a basketball through a hoop fashioned from a barrel.
I struggle to learn how to swim now
I find it difficult to acquire the skill of swimming.
I used to think maybe I once was a baby
I once considered the possibility that I was once a baby.
I only pretend I was him now
I only pretend to have been that baby now.
I envy the ship sailing out of your harbours
I am envious of the departing ship leaving your harbors.
I swap dirty jokes with your butchers and barbers
I exchange bawdy jokes with the local butchers and barbers.
I think silent thoughts while the jukebox is playing
I contemplate my own private musings while the jukebox provides background noise.
And all of the time my own heart is saying
All the while I am hearing my own heart speak.
You're a drifter, you're a loner
My heart reminds me that I am someone who moves from place to place with no permanent residence or companionship.
You've seen every city and town now
My heart acknowledges that I have traveled through and experienced all of the towns and cities I come across.
You pass by here and you'll die here
My heart foretells that when the time comes, I will likely perish here after traveling through many times.
Some stranger will lower you down, yeah
When I die, someone who does not know me will bury me, as my heart predicts.
Contributed by Logan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.