Born to two neuroscientists, Ritter bought his first guitar from the local K-MART after hearing the Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash classic Girl From The North Country. He started at Oberlin College with the intent to follow in his parents' scientist footsteps, but instead discovered songwriting, and the music of artists like Gillian Welch, Townes Van Zandt, and Leonard Cohen. He graduated and then moved east, favoring its close proximity to historic folk clubs such as "Club Passim" in Boston. On a shoestring budget he recorded his critically acclaimed breakthrough album Golden Age of Radio in 2002 at various tiny, one-room studios on the East Coast. He has continued to grow from there, further developing his sound on subsequent albums.
Josh has recorded several records and E.P.s. In chronological order, they are:
Josh Ritter (Self Titled) (2000)
Golden Age of Radio (2001)
Come and Find Me EP (2003)
Hello Starling (2003)
4 Songs Live E.P. (2005)
The Animal Years (2006)
Girl In The War E.P. (2006)
Good Man E.P. (2006)
In The Dark: Live At Vicar Street (2006)
The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter (2007)
Live at the Record Exchange EP (2008)
So Runs the World Away (2010)
To the Yet Unknowing World (2011)
Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band, Live at The Iveagh Gardens (April 2011)
The Beast In Its Tracks (2013)
Acoustic Live, Vol.1 (2015)
Sermon on the Rocks (2015)
Last Ditch Effort
Josh Ritter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't bother me while I am sleeping
Life continues and though you go out
I'll sleep another hour or so
I'm a river and I'll travel on whether you are here or not
You're not the only thing I've got
So turn the light off when you leave
Don't forget to leave the key
You know I'm going to miss your touch
You say that you can't help that much
But I would have loved to see you try
It's not that we committed sins
We wouldn't know where to begin
We just love different things in our lives
I love you and you loved time
Now that my time has gone
You have risen like the dawn
And you kissed me as if once we part
I might die of a broken heart
(chorus)
Though I will not try to change your mind
Believing what you left behind
is a child who is lost confused
as a consequnce of loving you
I will not try to call your bluff
The truth would hurt you far too much
I'm sorry I got left behind
But now you're gone I feel fine
The song "Last Ditch Effort" by Josh Ritter is a somber and introspective tune that deals with a lover leaving their partner behind. The lyrics carry a sense of resignation and acceptance, as if the singer has already processed the feelings of loss and sadness and has come to terms with the fact that their partner isn't coming back.
The opening verse shows the singer as being stolid and unbothered by their partner leaving, "You have chosen dawn to leave, don't bother me while I am sleeping". They are showing themselves to be independent and strong and indicate that their life is going to continue with or without their partner. The perception of fragility in the singer is dispelled with the line "I'm a river and I'll travel on whether you are here or not, you're not the only thing I've got".
The second verse indicates that the singer wishes their partner put in more effort to say and prevent their departure, "You say that you can't help that much but I would have loved to see you try". The chorus of the song is melancholic and truthful, showing that the singer is accepting that their partner was not in love with them as they were with time, "Though I will not try to change your mind believing what you left behind is a child who is lost confused as a consequence of loving you, I will not try to call your bluff the truth would hurt you far too much, I'm sorry I got left behind but now you're gone I feel fine".
Line by Line Meaning
You have chosen dawn to leave
You're leaving me early in the morning.
Don't bother me while I am sleeping
Don't disturb me while I'm sleeping.
Life continues and though you go out
Life keeps moving even though you're leaving.
I'll sleep another hour or so
I'll go back to sleep for a little longer.
Though you think that I am fragile
You may believe I'm delicate or vulnerable.
I'm a river and I'll travel on whether you are here or not
I'm resilient like a river and will carry on whether you remain or not.
You're not the only thing I've got
I have other things in my life besides you.
So turn the light off when you leave
Please switch off the light when you go.
Don't forget to leave the key
Remember to leave the key behind.
You know I'm going to miss your touch
I'll miss your physical touch.
You say that you can't help that much
You claim that you can't do much to help.
But I would have loved to see you try
I would have appreciated the effort, even if it didn't amount to much.
It's not that we committed sins
We didn't do anything morally wrong or sinful.
We wouldn't know where to begin
If we did commit sins, we wouldn't know where to start to make things right.
We just love different things in our lives
We have different priorities and desires in life.
I love you and you loved time
I loved you but you prioritized your own interests over our relationship.
Now that my time has gone
Since you've left, my time with you is over.
You have risen like the dawn
You've left early in the morning, like the sunrise.
And you kissed me as if once we part
You hugged and kissed me goodbye as if we may never see each other again after this parting.
I might die of a broken heart
I may be devastated and heartbroken over your departure, as if it may kill me.
(chorus)
Refrain from singing the chorus in this context.
Though I will not try to change your mind
I accept your decision to leave and won't try to convince you otherwise.
Believing what you left behind
I understand and accept the circumstances you left me in.
is a child who is lost confused
I feel lost and disoriented, like a child without guidance.
as a consequnce of loving you
I feel this way because of the love I had for you.
I will not try to call your bluff
I won't accuse you of being insincere or dishonest.
The truth would hurt you far too much
The truth may cause you more pain than it would help the situation.
I'm sorry I got left behind
I apologize for not being able to keep up with you or not being good enough to keep you here.
But now you're gone I feel fine
Now that you're gone, I actually feel okay and able to move on.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind