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)
Third Arm
Josh Ritter Lyrics
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Someone with your eyes
Someone with your smile
Someone with your smile
We danced
And I regret that she asked me to
'Cause she didn't have your arms
The song "Third Arm" by Josh Ritter tells the story of a man who sees a woman who looks just like his former lover. The singer had perhaps moved on from the relationship but seeing the woman with the same eyes and smile as his ex-lover brings back memories, particularly about how special she was to him. He recalls a time that he danced with the woman who reminded him of his ex-lover, but he immediately regrets it, as the woman didn't have the same physical attributes and thus, he felt like he cheated on his memory of his ex. It highlights how sometimes we hold on to people's memory or things they've done for us because they meant so much to us when they were there, and when we lose them, we yearn for that time again.
The song captures the confusion that comes with the memories of the past and the dilemma of living through them. The man in the story seems to miss how things used to be, and seeing someone who remotely resembles her only served as a painful reminder of what could have been or what he misses. This is understood when he uses the phrase, "I regret that she asked me to" which indicates that he probably didn't want to dance with her, but was sneakily hoping that she was the carbon copy of his ex-lover. The lyrics of the song are poetic and create a melancholic atmosphere, further highlighting the nostalgia and sadness that the man feels.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I saw
I had a vision yesterday
Someone with your eyes
Someone who has similar eyes as yours appeared in my vision
Someone with your smile
Someone who has a similar smile as yours appeared in my vision
Someone with your smile
There was someone with a smile like yours in my vision
We danced
We danced together in my vision
And I regret that she asked me to
I feel sorry that she asked me to dance with her
'Cause she didn't have your arms
Because she didn't have arms like you do
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOSH RITTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind