A graduate of St. Andrew's School, Wainwright is best known for a 1972 novelty song hit Dead Skunk (in the Middle of the Road), with pianist Teddy Wender and for playing Captain Spalding (the "singing surgeon") on three episodes of the American television show M*A*S*H in its third season (1974-1975), but his musical reputation is much deeper. Using a witty, self-mocking style, Wainwright has recorded over twenty albums on eleven different labels. Two of his albums have been nominated for Grammy awards.
He is also a regular actor in Judd Apatow movies. His biggest role was playing the father on Judd's show, Undeclared.
In 2012 his latest offering Older Than My Old Man Now was released.
Official website : http://www.lwiii.com/
Graveyard
Loudon Wainwright III Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I go to the graveyard where we all must go
Among the dead & the buried there just so I will know
What it's like beneath those trees listening to that wind
I go to the graveyard & I'll be back again
I played in the graveyard when I was just a boy
I'd run among the headstones myself I would enjoy
I played in the graveyard & I'll be back again
I walk through the graveyard I read the headstones
So many dead & buried there, each one all alone
An old man and an infant & a little child of ten
I walk through the graveyard & I'll be back again
My father's in the graveyard, my dear mother too
I viit them with flowers what else can I do
I go to the graveyard to remember them
I'm an orphan in the graveyard & I'll be back again
(! Horus)
The song "Graveyard" by Loudon Wainwright III is a contemplative reflection on mortality and the inevitability of death. The chorus sets the tone for the song, with Wainwright singing about his visits to the graveyard, a place where we all eventually end up. He speaks of the dead and the buried, listening to the wind rustling through the trees, and the eerie silence of the graveyard. The first verse speaks about Wainwright's childhood memories of playing in the graveyard, where he would run among the headstones and enjoy himself. He reflects on his naivety then, not fully understanding the finality of death. In the second verse, Wainwright walks through the graveyard as an adult, reading the headstones and contemplating the lives of those who are buried there. He sees an old man, an infant, and a child of ten, all buried and alone. In the final verse, Wainwright talks about visiting his parents' graves and leaving flowers there. He is reminded that he is now an orphan, with both parents gone.
The song "Graveyard" is a beautiful and somber reflection on the nature of death and how we all must eventually face it. The imagery of the graveyard, with its headstones and trees, creates a hauntingly beautiful backdrop for Wainwright's introspective lyrics. The song is a reminder to cherish and appreciate the people in our lives while they are still with us, and to remember them after they are gone. Wainwright's vocals are emotive and perfectly suited to the song's subject matter, delivering the lyrics with just the right amount of pathos.
Line by Line Meaning
Chorus:
Refrain which repeats after each verse.
I go to the graveyard where we all must go
The singer visits the graveyard, a place where every human being will eventually go after death.
Among the dead & the buried there just so I will know
The singer goes to the graveyard to experience being among the dead and buried, so as to understand the nature of death.
What it's like beneath those trees listening to that wind
The singer wants to feel what it's like to be under the trees in the graveyard, listening to the sound of the wind.
I go to the graveyard & I'll be back again
The singer will return to the graveyard again in the future.
I played in the graveyard when I was just a boy
The singer used to play in the graveyard when he was young.
I'd run among the headstones myself I would enjoy
The singer would run among the headstones in the graveyard for his own enjoyment.
But I was young & hardly knew what would happen then
As a young boy, the singer did not fully understand the implications of playing in a graveyard.
I played in the graveyard & I'll be back again
The singer plans to return to the graveyard to relive this childhood memory in the future.
I walk through the graveyard I read the headstones
The singer takes a walk through the graveyard and reads the inscriptions on the headstones there.
So many dead & buried there, each one all alone
The graveyard is home to many dead people, all of whom are alone in their graves.
An old man and an infant & a little child of ten
The graveyard contains graves of people of all ages, including an old man, an infant, and a young child.
I walk through the graveyard & I'll be back again
The singer will return to the graveyard again in the future to meditate on the inevitability of death.
My father's in the graveyard, my dear mother too
The singer's parents are buried in the graveyard.
I visit them with flowers what else can I do
The singer pays his respects to his deceased parents by bringing flowers to their gravestones.
I go to the graveyard to remember them
The singer goes to the graveyard to remember and honor the memories of his parents.
I'm an orphan in the graveyard & I'll be back again
The singer feels like an orphan in the graveyard, with his parents no longer alive. He plans to return to the graveyard to mourn them again in the future.
Contributed by Jayden E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.