Honeywagon was formed almost 5 years ago during a secret meeting deep in th… Read Full Bio ↴Honeywagon was formed almost 5 years ago during a secret meeting deep in the Hollywood hills. Three men, Loren Ellis [ "L-Train"], Bryan Clark ["BC"], Mo Levone ["Benwell"], discussed the need for joyous yet subversive bluegrass over burritos and caffeinated beverages until daybreak.

By first light, Honeywagon had a mission and quickly found an untapped reservoir of Hollywood-celebrity types who were sympathetic to the bluegrass cause. After an undisclosed amount of recording gear, studio time, and various culinary delights from a plethora of Mexican eateries around LA, the CD was done. "Grass Stains: a bluegrass tribute to Blink 182" was unleashed upon the unsuspecting public.

Underground parties soon followed in Eagle Rock, Silver Lake, Pasadena, Covina, Santa Monica, Beechwood Canyon, Malibu Canyon, Runyon Canyon, 90210, South Central, the "OC", and the Inland Empire. Honeywagon ripped up the Sunset Strip playing The House of Blues, The Hard Rock Cafe, and other glamorous places with appropriately pretentious names.

The next CD came out soon afterward: "Green Day, Blue Grass: a bluegrass tribute to Green Day". This one quickly hit the Billboard Bluegrass charts and stayed on it for over 70 weeks! Right behind Alison Krauss and Nickel Creek. All this without radio play, press reviews, tour support or live shows! How?! Welcome to the underground. We're glad you're here. Pass it along.

Bryan moved to Nashville, Loren and Mo joined a popular commercial country band and hit the road. Was the band breaking up after their first success? Not even!

The boys grew closer together! They still found time to record, dump girlfriends, celebrate weddings, buy gear, play shows, eat tacos, dump girlfriends, etc. - you know, life.

Which brings us to the current CD: "Songs from Neverland: a Bluegrass Tribute to Michael Jackson". In this record, the boys have taken some of their favorite MJ songs and have done them the way only Honeywagon can - serious musicianship with an endearing sprinkle of humor and tenderness.

Welcome to Paradise
Honeywagon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dear mother
Can you hear me whining?
It's been three whole weeks
Since I left your home
This sudden fear has left me trembling
'Cause now it seems that I
Am out there on my own
And I'm feeling so alone

Pay attention to the cracked streets
And the broken homes
Some call it slums
Some call it nice
I want to take you through
A wasteland I like to call my home
Welcome to paradise

A gunshot rings out at the station
Another urchin snaps and
Left dead on his own
It makes me wonder why I'm still here
For some strange reason it's now
Feeling like my home
And I'm never gonna go

Pay attention to the cracked streets
And the broken homes
Some call it slums
Some call it nice
I want to take you through
A wasteland I like to call my home
Welcome to paradise

Dear mother
Can you hear me laughing?
It's been six whole months since that
I have left your home
It makes me wonder why I'm still here
For some strange reason it's now
Feeling like my home
And I'm never gonna go

Pay attention to the cracked streets
And the broken homes
Some call it slums
Some call it nice
I want to take you through
A wasteland I like to call my home
Welcome to paradise

Paradise

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Welcome to Paradise" by Honeywagon paint a vivid picture of a young person venturing out into the world on their own, leaving behind the safety and security of their mother's home. The first verse reveals the singer's feelings of loneliness and fear as they navigate unfamiliar territory. The second verse describes the rough and gritty surroundings they now call home, where gunshots ring out and young lives are lost. Despite the danger and hardship, the singer says they feel strangely at home in this wasteland they call paradise.

The lyrics suggest that the singer has experienced some kind of personal transformation since leaving home, and that this journey has taken them to a place that they now embrace as their own. The use of first-person point of view, as well as the personal address to "Dear mother," suggests that the song is based on the personal experiences of the songwriter.

Overall, "Welcome to Paradise" is a powerful anthem that speaks to the struggles and triumphs of young people who are carving out their own path in life.

Line by Line Meaning

Dear mother
I'm addressing my mother in this letter

Can you hear me whining?
I'm complaining about my situation

It's been three whole weeks
It's been three weeks since I left home

Since I left your home
I left home and I miss it

This sudden fear has left me trembling
I'm scared and alone

'Cause now it seems that I Am out there on my own
I'm alone and out in the world

And I'm feeling so alone
I'm feeling lonely

Pay attention to the cracked streets And the broken homes Some call it slums Some call it nice
This place I'm in is rough, but some people think it's a nice place to live

I want to take you through A wasteland I like to call my home Welcome to paradise
Come with me and I'll show you the place where I live, which I affectionately call paradise

A gunshot rings out at the station Another urchin snaps and Left dead on his own It makes me wonder why I'm still here
I hear violence outside and wonder why I still live here

For some strange reason it's now Feeling like my home And I'm never gonna go
Despite the violence and difficulties, I feel like this is where I belong and I'm not leaving

Dear mother Can you hear me laughing? It's been six whole months since that I have left your home
Now I'm writing to tell you that I'm happy here, six months after leaving home

Pay attention to the cracked streets And the broken homes Some call it slums Some call it nice
This place is still rough, but some people think it's a nice place to live

I want to take you through A wasteland I like to call my home Welcome to paradise
Come visit me and I'll show you this place I call home, which is like a paradise to me

Paradise
This place, despite its difficulties, is my paradise

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billie Joe Armstrong, Frank Wright, Mike Pritchard

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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