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)
Naked as a Window
Josh Ritter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But a ghost never gives up its sheet, tell me is it the same?
For the rattlin' chains or whatever you wear when you sleep
Do you remember the time
I told you to take off your clothes?
You were naked as a window
I'm just a hallway for ceilings and walls, babe
And emptiness all the way through
You know you're askin' too much
To be held and not touched
But somehow that's just what you do
Do you remember the time
I told you to take off your clothes?
You were naked as a window
But I'll take all that nothin' over nothin' at all
Yeah, I'll take all that nothin' over nothin', over nothin' at all
In Josh Ritter's song, Naked as a Window, he explores the complexities of vulnerability and intimacy in a relationship. The opening lines suggest a struggle to let down one's guard and reveal oneself to another person, however the metaphor of the ghost's sheet implies a sense of protection that may not necessarily be healthy. Ritter questions whether the protection we use when we sleep is the same as the protection we use when we close ourselves off to others. As the song progresses, Ritter acknowledges the fear and risk involved in being vulnerable with someone, but ultimately chooses to embrace it, preferring the feeling of emptiness and uncertainty over nothing at all.
The chorus of the song, "Do you remember the time/I told you to take off your clothes/You were naked as a window," is a powerful moment that exemplifies the theme of vulnerability in the song. Ritter is asking the listener if they remember that moment of complete openness and intimacy, when they were stripped of all defenses and exposed like a window. The repetition of the line, "I'll take all that nothin' over nothin' at all," reinforces the idea that even though it may be scary and uncertain to open oneself up to someone else, it is preferable to the emptiness of isolation and loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
How hard for the covers to be pulled by from their slumbers
It's difficult to disturb the peaceful sleep of blankets and bedsheets.
But a ghost never gives up its sheet, tell me is it the same?
A ghost holds onto its sheet just as tightly, are we the same?
For the rattlin' chains or whatever you wear when you sleep
Even in slumber, we cling to what we can, be it chains or clothing.
Do you remember the time
I told you to take off your clothes?
You were naked as a window
Recalling a moment where someone was stripped of all defenses and vulnerable.
But I'll take all that nothin' over nothin' at all
Having something, even if it seems insignificant, is better than having nothing at all.
I'm just a hallway for ceilings and walls, babe
And emptiness all the way through
Feeling like an empty vessel or abandoned structure with nothing inside.
You know you're askin' too much
To be held and not touched
But somehow that's just what you do
You can't have one without the other: being held and touched go hand in hand.
Yeah, I'll take all that nothin' over nothin', over nothin' at all
Reiterating the sentiment that anything is better than having absolutely nothing.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
luvmycorpsman531
Always an amazing song
Luigi Caputo
wonderful song
Dawn Knepper
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️