The band began as an acoustic freak-folk solo project Hop Along, Queen Ansleis in 2004, during Frances Quinlan's senior year in high school. The album Freshman Year was released in the summer of 2005. Three years later, in 2008, drummer Mark Quinlan (Frances Quinlan's brother) joined the project, followed by bassist Tyler Long in 2009. In light of the new formation, the name was shortened, possibly to better reflect the change from solo project to full band. Thus far, Hop Along has released one EP, Wretches, in 2009, and one full-length LP, entitled Get Disowned, which was released on May 5, 2012 to a highly positive critical response from independent music press. During the this time, Joe Reinhart (Algernon Cadwallader) was added on second guitar. In October 2014, Hop Along signed to indie rock label Saddle Creek Records, releasing Painted Shut in 2015.
Hop Along's third album Bark Your Head Off, Dog was released in 2018, incorporating strings and more varied instrumentation, as well as a brighter, more expansive sound.
Texas Funeral
Hop Along Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he ain't a patient man
Go and get the sheriff
Tell him anything you can
(Just get him)
Burned myself on this cast iron panhandle
Long before you came
(Couldn't talk about my mother to him)
Remember seeing Shirley in the oil fountain?
What a woman dancing!
I just wanted a happy ending
(For your little sister, wherever she is)
Don't be so sad just 'cause you lost to your old man
Man, man
'Cause none of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me within my lifetime
Aren't you sick to death of the word inheritance?
It's with your great-grandparents
You've inherited the wind, fool
I hope you enjoy it
I hope you enjoy it
But I'm going out flipping the bird to California
Keep your melting stars!
I followed all the rules
I wasn't the one who turned the screw so hard
We have a great wanting in common
Common, common
But none of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me within my lifetime
None of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me within my lifetime
The first verse of the song "Texas Funeral" by Hop Along seems to be about a reluctant father who is being called upon by his impatient son, asking him to go and get the sheriff. We get a sense of urgency and emergency in his tone, but also a sense that he is not entirely invested in what is happening. The next few lines describe a time long before the current situation. The singer mentions burning himself on a cast iron panhandle, and how love was never a subject that he could talk about to his son's father. The next line has a seemingly irrelevant detail about a woman named Shirley dancing in an oil fountain, with the singer only wanting a happy ending for his little sister. The chorus follows, where the singer seems to be assuring himself that none of the terrible things that have occurred will happen to him within his lifetime.
The second verse starts with a disdain for the word “inheritance”. The singer mentions how it is with their great grandparents, but also that they have inherited the wind which the fool will enjoy. He then goes on to state how he is leaving California, flipping the bird and stating that he followed all of the rules, and wasn't the one who turned the screw so hard. We feel like he is blaming someone else for what has occurred. The final chorus repeats the same lines, with a sense of resignation and acceptance that none of the terrible things that have occurred will happen to him within his lifetime. Overall, "Texas Funeral" seems to be a song about wanting to distance oneself from an unfortunate situation, while acknowledging that certain actions cannot be undone, and we are all products of our collective inheritances.
Line by Line Meaning
My son is waiting on me
My child is depending on me to make things right
And he, ain't a patient man
He's anxious and can't wait any longer
Go and get the sheriff
Take any measures you can to make things better
Tell him anything you can
Let him know how important this is
(Just get him here)
Time is running out
Burned myself on this cast iron panhandle
I've been through so much in the past
Long before you came
This isn't about you
Love was never the subject
We could never express our feelings to each other
(Couldn't talk about my mother to him)
There were things we just couldn't talk about
Remember seeing Shirley in the oil fountain?
There were good times, too
What a woman dancing!
She was beautiful and full of life
I just wanted a happy ending
I wished for a better outcome for my loved ones
(For your little sister wherever she is)
I hope things turned out better for your siblings
Don’t be so sad just cause you lost who you are
Don’t let your struggles define you
Man, man, man, cause none of this is gonna happen
I refuse to let the cycle continue
To me, none of this is gonna happen to
I won't let this happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me
I won't suffer the same fate
Within my lifetime
I'll do everything within my power to prevent it
Aren't you sick to death of the word inheritance?
The weight of the past can be suffocating
It's with your great grandparents
It originated with those before us
You've inherited the wind, fool
We've inherited something intangible and meaningless
I hope you enjoy it
I hope you're happy with the choices you've made
But I'm going out flipping the bird to California--
I'm leaving everything behind, including my past
Keep your melting stars!
I don't care about your glamorous lifestyle
I followed all the rules
I did everything I was supposed to
I wasn't the one who turned the screw so hard
I wasn't the one who caused all of this pain
We have a great wanting in common
We share the same struggle
(Common, common)
It's something we face together
None of this is gonna happen to me
I won't let it consume me
None of this is gonna happen to me
I'm determined to break the cycle
None of this is gonna happen to me
I won't let the past control my future
Within my lifetime
I'll do everything in my power to create a better outcome
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Christine Frances Quinlan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
paperbackbooklet
My son is waiting on me
And he ain't a patient man
Go and get the sheriff
Tell him anything you can
(Just get him)
Burned myself on this cast iron panhandle
Long before you came
Love was never the subject
(Couldn't talk about my mother to him)
Remember seeing Shirley in the oil fountain?
What a woman dancing!
I just wanted a happy ending
(For your little sister, wherever she is)
Don't be so sad just 'cause you lost to your old man
Man, man
'Cause none of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me within my lifetime
Aren't you sick to death of the word inheritance?
It's with your great-grandparents
You've inherited the wind, fool
I hope you enjoy it
I hope you enjoy it
But I'm going out flipping the bird to California
Keep your melting stars!
I followed all the rules
I wasn't the one who turned the screw so hard
We have a great wanting in common
Common, common
But none of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me within my lifetime
None of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me within my lifetime
paperbackbooklet
My son is waiting on me
And he ain't a patient man
Go and get the sheriff
Tell him anything you can
(Just get him)
Burned myself on this cast iron panhandle
Long before you came
Love was never the subject
(Couldn't talk about my mother to him)
Remember seeing Shirley in the oil fountain?
What a woman dancing!
I just wanted a happy ending
(For your little sister, wherever she is)
Don't be so sad just 'cause you lost to your old man
Man, man
'Cause none of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me within my lifetime
Aren't you sick to death of the word inheritance?
It's with your great-grandparents
You've inherited the wind, fool
I hope you enjoy it
I hope you enjoy it
But I'm going out flipping the bird to California
Keep your melting stars!
I followed all the rules
I wasn't the one who turned the screw so hard
We have a great wanting in common
Common, common
But none of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me within my lifetime
None of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me
None of this is gonna happen to me within my lifetime
Haze
I cannot get over how fantastic her voice is.
Resolve Savage
Just a amazing song! It’s cool to just hear a great alternative song again; like a make your feet tap, inspire passion, stuck in your head all day kind of melody with great lyrics. Their few and far between it seems anymore.
Medieval Truth
i'd argue that this is the best alternative album of the year
raccoonstarsmember
word
Casey
hi idk if anyone's going to see this but this song spoke to me in the couple years before I came out and started ftm hrt. I used to listen to this song and just weep because "none of this is gonna happen to me in my lifetime" was such a painful reality to me. I thought I'd end it before I made the change. now I can listen to this and know that I made it happen for myself.
Dan Whitehead
LOVE these vocals
Sasakurai Yuuki
her voice sounds so sincere
raccoonstarsmember
GREAT band
Corey Youngblood
"Aren't you sick to death of the word inhereitence? It's with your great grandparents. You've inherited the wind fool, I hope you enjoy it."