It's said that Noe had a guitar in his hand from an early age. Brought up on the great ones of folk, Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, John Prine, and others, Noe developed a knack for acoustic roots music. He began playing in local talent shows, school assemblies, and festivals.
It was in the early part of 2007 that Noe began writing music, and it was quickly evident he had a great ability to tell stories of his own through music. He entered the Appalachian StarSearch in Hazard on October 20, 2007, and won the grand prize singing his original song Don’t Let The Morning Bring Ya Down. Due to that win, Noe was invited to perform at a Rhonda Vincent concert in Hyden a few days later.
He began working on more songs and began recording for his first album in mid November. The process was quick, as he had all 10 songs recorded in a little over a month. He wrote and performed every note on the disc, Ian Noe.
After the tragic events at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia in April of 2007, Noe wrote a song dedicated to the victims of the tragedy. He played this song, Sweet Virginia for Virginia Tech students in April 2008 on the anniversary of the shooting.
In June 2008, Noe won first place in the State FFA Talent Competition in Louisville, Kentucky.
Noe was also named as one of the five finalists in the Boston Folk Festival Songwriting Competition.
Noe plays several instruments including guitar, harmonica, and piano.
Irene
Ian Noe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Irene pulled in at midnight
Lit on the smoke and beer
Proudly crawled to the porch and called
Your favorite child is here
Ma asked where ya' livin'
And are ya' livin' right within
A saint immune to sin
Chorus
Old Irene, like a ravin' bomb
She's cutting every rug and killing every jug
She comes up on
Old Irene, never lackin' charm
Said I was feelin' good and in the neighborhood
I mean no harm
Verse
Irene sat down for supper
Pourin' Visine into her eyes
See her tremblin' hand was to understand
Some things you can't disguise
Pa said not for nothing,
But you don't seem to be quite well
Irene read back with a smile and cracked,
How could you ever tell?
Chorus
Old Irene, like a ravin' bomb
She's cutting every rug and killing every jug
She comes up on
Old Irene, don't believe in pain
She said to live this life you need a half a pint
To keep you sane
Verse
Irene said but I ain't happy
Sometimes I wake up feeling dead
And if the sun should shine, I close my blinds
Pretend there's rain instead
I took down all my mirrors
I gave away all my rope and guns
Drown the darkest time
With some rock gut wine
And my faithful M.A.S.H. re-runs
Chorus
Old Irene, like a ravin' bomb
She's cutting every rug and killing every jug
She comes up on
Old Irene, said it's sad but true
In spite of all it brings, it's the only thing that gets me through
And oh it gets me through
And oh it gets me through
And oh it gets me through
And oh it gets me through
"Irene" is a song that tells the story of a woman named Irene who returns home to her parents after being away for some time. She pulls in at midnight, seemingly intoxicated and high on smoke and beer. She proudly crawls onto the porch and announces her presence. Despite having concerns about her lifestyle, her mother asks her where she's been living and if she's living right within. Irene responds with the confidence and fire of a gospel choir, claiming to be a saint immune to sin. Throughout the song, we see that Irene is conflicted. She tells her family she feels good and means no harm, yet she seems to be masking her pain with alcohol and medication, as evidenced by her pouring Visine into her eyes and drowning her sorrows with rock gut wine. Despite her struggles, it's clear that Irene is a force to be reckoned with, cutting every rug and killing every jug she comes up against.
In many ways, Irene represents the struggle of addiction and the ways in which people cope with pain and trauma. She is a complex character who is both confident and vulnerable, self-assured and self-destructive. The chorus of the song, with its repetition of the phrase "Old Irene," emphasizes the sense of familiarity and repetition that can come with addiction. Irene may be struggling, but she knows how to get through it -- even if it's not always healthy or sustainable.
Overall, "Irene" is a haunting and powerful song that speaks to the complexity of human emotion and the ways in which we all struggle to find our place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Irene pulled in at midnight
Irene arrived at midnight.
Lit on the smoke and beer
She started smoking and drinking.
Proudly crawled to the porch and called
She made her presence known by calling out.
Your favorite child is here
She announced that she was the favorite child.
Ma asked where ya' livin'
Her mother asked where she was living.
And are ya' livin' right within
Her mother also asked if she was living a morally upright life.
She said with fire like a gospel choir
Irene responded with enthusiasm and energy.
A saint immune to sin
She claimed to be sinless.
Old Irene, like a ravin' bomb
Irene was full of energy and excitement.
She's cutting every rug and killing every jug
She was dancing and drinking a lot.
She comes up on
She is always present and active.
Old Irene, never lackin' charm
Irene was charming and charismatic.
Said I was feelin' good and in the neighborhood
She claimed to be feeling good and at home.
I mean no harm
She wanted to assure others that she meant no ill-will.
Irene sat down for supper
Irene joined her family for dinner.
Pourin' Visine into her eyes
She was trying to make her bloodshot eyes look better.
See her tremblin' hand was to understand
Her hand trembled due to her drinking habit.
Some things you can't disguise
Some things are difficult to hide.
Pa said not for nothing,
Her father chimed in.
But you don't seem to be quite well
Her father expressed concern for her well-being.
Irene read back with a smile and cracked,
Irene responded cheerfully and joked back.
How could you ever tell?
She sarcastically asked how he could tell that she wasn't well.
Old Irene, don't believe in pain
Irene did not want to feel emotional or physical pain.
She said to live this life you need a half a pint
She believed that drinking was necessary to get through life.
To keep you sane
Drinking helped her stay mentally stable.
Irene said but I ain't happy
Irene admitted that she wasn't happy.
Sometimes I wake up feeling dead
She woke up feeling emotionally and physically drained.
And if the sun should shine, I close my blinds
She didn't want to face the brightness and light of the sun.
Pretend there's rain instead
She pretended that it was raining outside.
I took down all my mirrors
She removed all the mirrors from her room.
I gave away all my rope and guns
She got rid of anything that could be used to harm herself.
Drown the darkest time
She tried to forget the darkest moments of her life.
With some rock gut wine
She used cheap wine as a way to cope with her emotions.
And my faithful M.A.S.H. re-runs
She watched her favorite TV show, M.A.S.H., as a way to escape reality.
Said it's sad but true
She acknowledged that it was a sad truth.
In spite of all it brings, it's the only thing that gets me through
Despite the negative consequences, drinking is the only way she can cope with life.
And oh it gets me through
Drinking helps her get through the hard times.
And oh it gets me through
Drinking helps her get through the hard times.
And oh it gets me through
Drinking helps her get through the hard times.
And oh it gets me through
Drinking helps her get through the hard times.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Ian Noe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheWaltm
Irene sat down for supper
Pourin' Visine into her eyes
To see her tremblin' hand
Was to understand
Some things you can't disguise
Pa said, "Not for nothing
"But you don't seem to be quite well"
Irene reared back
With a smile and cracked
"How could you ever tell?"
What a genius lyric! What else can you say? He elucidates the human condition almost too damn well...
@dalegillingham100
Irene pulled in at midnight
Lit on the smoke and beer
Proudly crawled
To the porch and called
"Your favorite child is here"
And Ma asked, "Where're ya livin'?
And are ya livin' right within?"
She said with fire
Like a gospel choir
A saint immune to sin
[Chorus]
Old Irene
Like a ravin' bomb
She's cuttin' every rug
And killin' every jug
She comes upon
Old Irene
Never lacking charm
Said, "I was feeling good
And in the neighborhood
I mean no harm"
[Verse 2]
Irene sat down for supper
Pourin' Visine into her eyes
To see her tremblin' hand
Was to understand
Some things you can't disguise
Pa said, "Not for nothing
"But you don't seem to be quite well"
Irene reared back
With a smile and cracked
"How could you ever tell?"
[Chorus]
Old Irene
Like a ravin' bomb
She's cuttin' every rug
And killin' every jug
She comes upon
Old Irene
Don't believe in pain
She said "To live this life
You need a half a pint
To keep you sane"
[Verse 3]
Irene said, "But I ain't happy
Sometimes I wake up feeling dead
And if the sun should shine
I close my blinds
Pretend there's rain instead
I took down all my mirrors
I gave away all my rope and guns
Drown the darkest time
With some rot gut wine
And my faithful M.A.S.H. reruns"
[Chorus]
Old Irene
Like a ravin' bomb
She's cuttin' every rug
And killin' every jug
She comes upon
Old Irene
Said, "It's sad but true
In spite of all it brings
It's the only thing
That gets me through"
[Outro]
Know it gets me through
Well, it gets me through
Know it hits me good
Know it gets me through
@tonyclouse4159
You are one in a 100 billion thank you for the songs and music, don't let the buzzards hook you with a flippin contract.
@gagebanning5056
Just when I was losing hope in country music there’s a sudden rise in good ol boys like this.
@faded_ink3545
0:15 “Your favourite child is here.” This line always feels sarcastic; anyone who’s visited home in their 20-30s and felt like a failure in front of their parents knows what I’m getting at. Like you didn’t live up to their expectations. Really hits home.
@lonniemanuel9570
It is sarcastic.
@greasychoppers4708
Ol Irene has quickly became my favorite gal.
@danielmccoy9204
The age of the songwriter seems to be coming back. We have Ian Noe, Andrew Hibbard, Colter Wall, Arlo McKinley, and Tyler Childers. They all share that strange aura about them like they are all 50% genius and 50% insane and are just magnetic. Support brilliant minds people!
@samueljlarson
It's an art and most people can't hack it
@Vinylsearch
The touch has been past. :)
@emiliobell3246
Don't forget about good ol zach bryan dude fits right into that list
@vandango901
The list continues to grow.