The Indigo Girls are Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They met on the playground… Read Full Bio ↴The Indigo Girls are Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They met on the playground in grammar school in Decatur, Georgia, USA, and have been playing together since high school.

Their first release in 1985 was a seven-inch single named "Crazy Game", with the B-side "Everybody's Waiting (for Someone to Come Home)". That same year, the Indigo Girls released a six-track Extended play album named "Indigo Girls", and in 1987 released their first full-length album, Strange Fire, recorded at John Keane Studio in Athens, Georgia, and including "Crazy Game". With this release, they secured the services of Russell Carter, who remains their manager to the present; they had first approached him when the EP album was released, but he told them their songs were "immature" and they were not likely to get a record deal.

They were signed to Epic Records in 1989 and won the Grammy for best contemporary folk album later that year (for their self titled release) Some of their hit songs include "Galileo," "Closer to Fine," and "Shame on You."

Aside from being musicians, Ray and Saliers are activists, constantly supporting causes like gun control, women's rights, Native American rights, environmental protection, the abolition of the death penalty, and as lesbians themselves, LGBT rights. They constantly devote their time and money to such causes, often playing benefit concerts.

Ray and Saliers both have side projects. Ray owns and founded Daemon Records, an independent label based in Decatur. She also has a career as a solo artist, and has released two albums thus far. Saliers is the part owner of Watershed, a restaurant and wine bar in Decatur.

Together, the Indigo Girls are constantly touring. Their new album, Poseidon and the Bitter Bug, was released March 24, 2009.

Romeo and Juliet
Indigo Girls Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A love struck romeo
Sings the streets a serenade
Now he's laying everybody low
He's got a love song that he made
He finds a streetlight
And he steps out of the shade
And says something like
"you and me, babe, how about it?"

Juliet says "hey, it's romeo!"
"you nearly give me a heart attack!"
Yeah well, he's underneath the window
Now she's singing "hey-la, my boyfriend's back"
"you shouldn't come around here
Singing up at people like that
Ah anyway, whatcha gonna do about it?"

Juliet
The dice were loaded from the start
And I bet and you exploded into my heart
And I forget, I forget the movie song
When you gonna realize
It was just that the time was wrong
Julie

We both come up on different streets
And they both were streets of shame
You know they're both dirty both mean
Yes and the dreams were the same
And I dreamed your dream for you
And now your dream is real
So tell me honey
Now how can you look at me
As if I was just another one of your deals

Now you can fall for chains of silver
And you can fall for chains of gold
You know you fall for pretty strangers
And the promises they hold
Well you promised me everything
And then you promised me thick and thin
Now you just turn away and say
"romeo, I think I used to have a scene with him."

Ah juliet
When we made love you used to cry
You said "I love you like the stars above
Gonna love you till I die"
There's a place for us
I you know this song
Now when you gonna realize
It was just that the time was wrong
Julie

But I can't do the talks like they talk on my tv screen
I can't do a love song not the way you song them to me
I can't do everything but I would do anything for you
Oh no I can't do anything except be in love with you

Yeah now and all I do is miss you
And the way it used to be you know
And all I do is keep the beat
I keep bad, bad company
And all I do is kiss you
Through the bars of a rhyme
When julie I'd do the stars with you
Anytime

Ah juliet
When we made love you used to cry
You said "I love you like the stars above
I'm gonna love you till I die"
There's a place for us
I know you know the movie song
One day we're gonna realize
It was just that the time was wrong
Julie
Julie
Julie

Now this love struck romeo
He sings the streets a serenade
Now he's laying everybody low
He's got a love song he made
He finds a convenient streetlight
And he'll step out of the shade

And he'll say something like
"you and me, babe, how 'bout it?

Overall Meaning

The Indigo Girls' "Romeo and Juliet" is a tribute, inspired by the popular William Shakespeare play. The song is the perfect example of how themes can inspire different expressions of art. The tune speaks to the excitement and passion of the Bard's original work.

The first verse speaks of the character Romeo, who is "laying everybody low" with his "love song." He finds a streetlight and steps out of the shadows to serenade his beloved with a proposal of a romantic relationship. The chorus features Juliet's response, which is a mix of recognition, cautious rebuke and outburst of affection towards her lover. The second verse makes a comparison between the backgrounds from which the two lovers come. The bridge seems to reflect Juliet's disappointment with the way the relationship turned out.

The song's main message is that love can be both exciting and complicated. The song features a unique blend of acoustic guitars, smooth harmonies, and a lively rhythm that convey a sense of warmth and passion. The lyrics beautifully capture the intensity of Shakespeare's characters and are delivered with a heartfelt sincerity. The Indigo Girls' "Romeo and Juliet" is a masterpiece of poetic expression and musical arrangement that truly captures the artistry of love.

Line by Line Meaning

A love struck romeo
Romeo is deeply in love with someone

Sings the streets a serenade
He expresses his love through song in public

Now he's laying everybody low
His love is affecting and impacting everyone around him

He's got a love song that he made
He created a song to express his love

He finds a streetlight
He looks for a light so he can be seen

And he steps out of the shade
He comes out of hiding and shows his love to everyone

And says something like 'you and me, babe, how about it?'
He asks the person he loves if they want to be together

Juliet says 'hey, it's romeo!'
Juliet recognizes Romeo

'you nearly give me a heart attack!'
Juliet was surprised to see Romeo

Yeah well, he's underneath the window
Romeo is outside Juliet's window

Now she's singing 'hey-la, my boyfriend's back'
Juliet tells Romeo she has a boyfriend

'you shouldn't come around here
Juliet thinks Romeo shouldn't be near her

Singing up at people like that
She doesn't like how he is expressing his love in public

Ah anyway, whatcha gonna do about it?'
Romeo asks Juliet what she wants to do about their situation

The dice were loaded from the start
Their future was predetermined

And I bet and you exploded into my heart
Romeo fell in love with Juliet quickly

And I forget, I forget the movie song
He forgets the cliche love stories he's heard

When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong
When will they realize their love couldn't work because of timing

We both come up on different streets
Romeo and Juliet grew up differently

And they both were streets of shame
Both of their backgrounds had struggles and hardship

You know they're both dirty both mean
Their upbringing was challenging and difficult

Yes and the dreams were the same
Despite their different backgrounds, they had the same dreams

And I dreamed your dream for you
Romeo shared Juliet's dreams with her

And now your dream is real
Their dream of love has become a reality

So tell me honey
Romeo asks Juliet

Now how can you look at me
How can Juliet see him differently now?

As if I was just another one of your deals
How can she treat him like a transaction or business deal?

Now you can fall for chains of silver
People can be drawn to material possessions

And you can fall for chains of gold
People can also be drawn to money

You know you fall for pretty strangers
Some people are attracted to physical appearance

And the promises they hold
People are drawn to promises of a better future

Well you promised me everything
Romeo made a lot of promises to Juliet

And then you promised me thick and thin
He even promised her to be with her through difficult times

Now you just turn away and say 'romeo, I think I used to have a scene with him.'
Juliet no longer feels the same and denies ever being in love with Romeo

When we made love you used to cry
Juliet was emotional when they made love

You said 'I love you like the stars above
She loved Romeo deeply

Gonna love you till I die'
She promised to love him forever

There's a place for us
They have a special place in each other's lives

I know you know the movie song
They know love stories from movies

One day we're gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong
Eventually they will realize their love wasn't meant to be at that time

But I can't do the talks like they talk on my tv screen
Romeo doesn't know how to express his love like in the movies

I can't do a love song not the way you song them to me
He can't sing love songs the way Juliet wants

I can't do everything but I would do anything for you
He may not be perfect, but he would do anything for her

Oh no I can't do anything except be in love with you
His love for her is the most important thing

Now and all I do is miss you
Romeo misses Juliet all the time

And the way it used to be you know
He misses the old times they had together