Justin Townes Earle, born January 4, 1982 in Nashville, TN, was an American alt-country singer-songwriter who walked the line between old-time country and modern acoustic Indie music by breathing new life into early country, blues and gospel forms.
His first release, Yuma, in 2007 was a stark and beautiful set of songs written while Earle was fresh out of rehab and is now re-released by Bloodshot Records, who have a further three albums on their catalogue.
The Good Life, Midnight At the Movies (Americana award nominee) and the latest Harlem River Blues show Earle's characteristic charm, wit and rhythm to the forefront.
2009 saw him touring with Old Crow Medicine Show, The Felice Brothers and Gillian Welch/Dave Rawlings as a member of The Big Surprise tour and he has been touring solidly through 2010 making fans all along the way. In 2011, he received the Americana Music Award in the Song of the Year category for his "Harlem River Blues," from the album of the same name.
His fourth release "Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now", released in 2012 was met with critical acclaim, it was listed at #37 on Rolling Stone's list of the top 50 albums of 2012, saying "The son of country-rock renegade Steve Earle has grown into a songwriter to rival his dad."
Earle died on August 20, 2020, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 38. His death was announced by his label on social media on August 23. The cause of death was not immediately announced, but Nashville police said they were investigating the death as a probable drug overdose. On December 1, 2020, Earle's family confirmed that he died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl-laced cocaine.
Rogers Park
Justin Townes Earle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got no place to be
Moon is hung just right
Shine like diamonds on these streets
Moulin wine and lonesome
It’s cutting clean through my heart
In my window smoking
I come here with hopes and
Guess I came here with dreams
Now I’m all alone
I can’t even get to sleep
So take my heart and break it in
Send me back to the pines
Tired of lying awake at night
Feels like I’m running outta time
See my dreams before my eyes
Shadows on the wall
I ain’t got no place I can fall
Snowing in off the lake
Punching holes in the dark
Through the lonely streets
Of rogers park
So shadow boys I bring it in my
Hear I’m down in the streets
Corner goes our way
For someone to take them all for keeps
There ain’t no hope in leaving them
There ain’t no prayer for the poor
And all that’s lost in stealing
She can’t hold me anymore
See my dream before my eyes
Shadows on the wall
I ain’t got no place I can fall
Snowing in off the lake
Punching holes in the dark
Through the lonely streets
Of rogers park
Oh through the lonely streets
Of rogers park
The song "Rogers Park" by Justin Townes Earle is a reflection on the feeling of loneliness and despair in the middle of the night. The lyrics paint a picture of a dead town with no place to go and the moon shining like diamonds on the empty streets. The singer is smoking alone in his window, feeling the loneliness cuts clean through his heart. The dream of hope and a better life which brought him to this place is now gone, and he is left with the reality of being all alone.
The song speaks to the feeling of being lost in a place where you don't belong and the yearning to go back to where you came from. Take my heart and break it in, Send me back to the pines, the singer pleads, tired of lying awake at night, feeling like he's running out of time. The shadows on the wall and the snowing in off the lake create a beautiful image of the desolation that surrounds the singer. The song ends with the singer feeling hopeless and lost, walking through the lonely streets of Rogers Park.
Line by Line Meaning
This town’s dead tonight
The town is incredibly dull and lifeless tonight.
I got no place to be
The singer is aimless and has nowhere to go.
Moon is hung just right / Shine like diamonds on these streets
The moon is positioned in the sky perfectly and illuminates the streets with a diamond-like glow.
Moulin wine and lonesome / It’s cutting clean through my heart
The singer is feeling lonely and drinking to cope, but the emptiness is still affecting him deeply.
In my window smoking / While the midnights setting in on roger’s park
The singer is smoking a cigarette while watching the night fall on Roger's Park.
I come here with hopes and / Guess I came here with dreams
The singer came to Roger's Park with aspirations and expectations.
Now I’m all alone / I can’t even get to sleep
Despite being in a place he hoped would fulfill him, the singer is still alone and unable to rest.
So take my heart and break it in / Send me back to the pines / Tired of lying awake at night / Feels like I’m running outta time
The singer is tired of his current situation and wants to go back home. He feels like time is running out, and his heart is heavy with disappointment.
See my dreams before my eyes / Shadows on the wall / I ain’t got no place I can fall
The singer is haunted by his dreams and unable to escape them. He has no one to turn to for comfort or support.
Snowing in off the lake / Punching holes in the dark / Through the lonely streets / Of rogers park
The snowfall is heavy and oppressive, punctuated only by the streetlights. The singer feels the loneliness of the town intensely.
So shadow boys I bring it in my / Hear I’m down in the streets / Corner goes our way / For someone to take them all for keeps
The singer is addressing the people who live in Roger's Park. He feels like he's lost control and they have the power to take everything he has.
There ain’t no hope in leaving them / There ain’t no prayer for the poor / And all that’s lost in stealing / She can’t hold me anymore
The singer has lost faith in escape and feels like there is no hope for him. He knows that stealing won't help him either, and he is not bound to his situation by anyone else's will.
Oh through the lonely streets / Of rogers park
The singer repeats the title line as a solemn reminder of his isolation and despair.
Contributed by Adam V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.