I Saw a Hippie Girl on 8th Ave
Jeffrey Lewis Lyrics


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I saw a hippy girl on 8th avenue
She barely looked at me for a second or two
And I suddenly realized I no longer looked much like a hippy
mmmmm

She had a long thin dress and rainbow clothes
Not long ago I wore one of those
But now-a-days I guess I don't dress very much like anything
mmmmm

I had a great pair of bellbottoms, I had two
My friend borrowed one and the other I outgrew
And now to the eye I'm turning into another non-descript guy

But I still travel light and my hair is still long
I still hate deoderant and I still sing songs
But over the years I've noticed I'm not dressing as colourfully and psychedelic as I used to

'Cause I wore my tye-dyes until they rotted to shreds
And I can no longer follow The Greatful Dead
And it's gotten to the point where I don't even identify with most Phish fans anymore

And someday soon I know I'll cut my hair
And a week after that I know I won't even care
Is that what it comes to all along
Everything that you feel will one day feel wrong

I was talking to my friend Eric
Just to see what he thunk
And he said "Jeff, it's weird
But I no longer look like a punk
I guess we don't need our clothes for an identity crutch"
And we looked at each other and we didn't look like much
And we looked out at the world like a movie theatre
At all the hippies and the punks and the skinheads and the skaters
And someday or other maybe sooner or later they'll come to the realization
That what's important is whether you can carry on a human conversation




It's not what you wear on the outside
It's how you think and feel on the inside.

Overall Meaning

The song "I Saw a Hippie Girl on 8th Ave" by Jeffrey Lewis captures the nostalgia and realization of the change in the hippie fashion culture. The singer is walking down 8th Ave and notices a hippie girl but realizes he no longer dresses like one. He reminiscences about the days when he wore rainbow clothes and bellbottoms but now dresses like "another non-descript guy."


The song highlights the conflict between identity and fashion. The singer feels like he no longer identifies with the hippie culture because his fashion sense has changed. He speaks about how dressing 'colorfully and psychedelic' has become less important, and at the same time, he still travels light and his hair is still long. The song emphasizes the importance of the human conversation that has nothing to do with the clothes you put on.


As the song progresses, the singer acknowledges that he might cut his hair someday, and that confirms the idea that the change in the sense of fashion is inevitable. He also talks about his friend Eric, who mentions that he no longer looks like a punk, and both of them realize that they do not need clothes to identify themselves anymore. They talk about how it's not the outer layer that's essential, but what's inside that counts; it's how you think and feel.


In summary, the song describes the conflict between identity and fashion - an insightful commentary on the way we use to identify ourselves through material items like clothing. The song talks about how our identity transcends fashion, and it's more about our values and how we connect with ourselves and others.


Line by Line Meaning

I saw a hippy girl on 8th avenue
I spotted a woman who looked like a hippy on a street corner.


She barely looked at me for a second or two
She glanced at me briefly and looked away.


And I suddenly realized I no longer looked much like a hippy
I just noticed that I no longer dress like a hippy or belong to the hippy culture.


She had a long thin dress and rainbow clothes
She dressed in bright and colorful clothes, including one with rainbow patterns.


Not long ago I wore one of those
I used to wear similar types of clothes not too long ago.


But now-a-days I guess I don't dress very much like anything
These days I don't have a distinctive style of dress or appearance that belongs to any particular culture or group.


I had a great pair of bellbottoms, I had two
I owned two great-looking pairs of pants with flared legs.


My friend borrowed one and the other I outgrew
One pair got borrowed by my friend while I outgrew the other one.


And now to the eye I'm turning into another non-descript guy
Now when people look at me, I'm becoming less noticeable or distinctive, turning into just an ordinary-looking person.


But I still travel light and my hair is still long
I still prefer traveling with minimal stuff, and my hair remains long.


I still hate deoderant and I still sing songs
My natural body odor Still doesn't appeal to me, and I still sing folk-style songs.


But over the years I've noticed I'm not dressing as colourfully and psychedelic as I used to
I've observed with time that I’m not dressing anymore in vibrant and psychedelic colors as I used to.


'Cause I wore my tye-dyes until they rotted to shreds
I had worn my tie-dye clothes so frequently that they eventually got shredded and destroyed.


And I can no longer follow The Greatful Dead
I no longer have the same interest in following the music or culture of The Greatful Dead band.


And it's gotten to the point where I don't even identify with most Phish fans anymore
I've arrived at a point where I no longer feel a kinship or sense of belonging with most fans of the Phish band.


And someday soon I know I'll cut my hair
Someday soon, I'm aware that I'll inevitably cut my hair short.


And a week after that I know I won't even care
I also know that I'll stop caring about my new short haircut just after seven days of getting it.


Is that what it comes to all along
Is this what life boils down to in the end?


Everything that you feel will one day feel wrong
Everything you experience in life will eventually feel outdated, unfamiliar or just plain wrong.


I was talking to my friend Eric
During a conversation with my friend Eric,


Just to see what he thunk
Just to see his opinion on this matter.


And he said "Jeff, it's weird
Eric said "Jeff, something strange has occurred to me:


But I no longer look like a punk
I no longer have the appearance of a punk.


I guess we don't need our clothes for an identity crutch"
I think we shouldn't rely only on our clothes to shape our identity.


And we looked at each other and we didn't look like much
We both realized, upon looking at each other, that we didn’t look extraordinary or remarkable anymore.


And we looked out at the world like a movie theatre
We both saw the world around us as if we were in a movie theater.


At all the hippies and the punks and the skinheads and the skaters
We saw the hippies, punks, skinheads and skaters around us.


And someday or other maybe sooner or later they'll come to the realization
Someday in the future, maybe sooner or later, they'll have an understanding that:


That what's important is whether you can carry on a human conversation
What truly matters is that you can have a meaningful and compassionate conversation with others.


It's not what you wear on the outside
The clothes you wear on the outside are not significant.


It's how you think and feel on the inside.
Your thoughts and your feelings on the inside are what’s important.




Contributed by Jordan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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