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)
Lawrence
Josh Ritter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I can't leave this world behind
Debts are not like prison where there's hope of getting free
And I can't leave this world behind
I've been from here to Lawrence, Kansas
Trying to leave my state of mind
Trying to leave this awful sadness
South of Delia there's a patch out back by the willow trees
And I can't leave this world behind
It's a fenced in piece of nothing where I hear voices on my knees
And I can't leave this world behind
Some prophecies are self-fulfilling
But I've had to work for all of mine
Better times will come to me, God willing
Cause I can't leave this world behind
This world must be frightening everybody's on the run
And I can't leave this world behind
And my house is a wooden one and its built on a wooden one
Seems I can't leave this world behind
Preacher says when the Master calls us
He's gonna give us wings to fly
But my wings are made of hay and corn husks
So I can't leave this world behind
The lyrics to Josh Ritter's song "Lawrence, KS" describe the plight of a farmer who is struggling to make ends meet. The opening lines, "Dirt roads and dry land farming might be the death of me, but I can't leave this world behind," set the tone for the rest of the song. The farmer is stuck in a cycle of working the land and paying off debts, with no hope of ever escaping. He has tried to leave his state of mind by traveling to Lawrence, Kansas, but the sadness follows him wherever he goes.
The song's chorus, "And I can't leave this world behind," is a recurring theme throughout the song. It represents the farmer's feeling of being trapped in his situation and unable to escape. Even when he goes out to a patch of land south of Delia, where he hears voices on his knees, he is still unable to leave the world behind. The voices may represent the ghosts of the past or the farmer's own inner demons.
The preacher's message that the Master will give them wings to fly when he calls is an allusion to the biblical Rapture. However, the farmer's wings are made of hay and corn husks, which are flammable and cannot carry him away. This image is a metaphor for the farmer's dependence on the land, which is both his source of livelihood and his imprisonment.
Overall, "Lawrence, KS" is a haunting song about the struggles of rural life and the difficulty of breaking free from one's circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Dirt roads and dry land farming might be the death of me
The hardships of rural living may be too much for me to handle
But I can't leave this world behind
Despite the struggles, I can't escape this life
Debts are not like prison where there's hope of getting free
Being in debt is not like being in jail, there's no easy way out
And I can't leave this world behind
I can't escape my financial obligations
I've been from here to Lawrence, Kansas
I've been traveling, trying to escape my thoughts
Trying to leave my state of mind
Attempting to escape my inner turmoil
Trying to leave this awful sadness
Trying to rid myself of my profound sadness
But I can't leave this world behind
Despite my efforts, I can't escape reality
South of Delia there's a patch out back by the willow trees
In the countryside, there is a plot of land by the willow trees
And I can't leave this world behind
Despite my location, I can't escape my thoughts
It's a fenced in piece of nothing where I hear voices on my knees
It's an empty space where I hear voices and contemplate on my knees
Some prophecies are self-fulfilling
Some predictions end up coming true because of our actions
But I've had to work for all of mine
Despite predictions, I have had to work to make them come true
Better times will come to me, God willing
With faith, I believe that things will improve in the future
Cause I can't leave this world behind
I am unable to escape this world
This world must be frightening everybody's on the run
The world is a scary place, and everyone is trying to escape
And my house is a wooden one and its built on a wooden one
My house is not sturdy, and my existence feels shaky
Seems I can't leave this world behind
No matter how hard I try, I am unable to escape reality
Preacher says when the Master calls us
The pastor believes when we are called to heaven
He's gonna give us wings to fly
God will give us freedom from earthly concerns
But my wings are made of hay and corn husks
My faith is fragile and easily broken
So I can't leave this world behind
I am unable to detach from my earthly burdens
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOSH RITTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind