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/
High Wide & Handsome
Loudon Wainwright III Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
High wide and handsome - that's how life should be.
Low skinny and ugly - that's for other people.
High wide and handsome suits me to a tee.
Song, wine, and women - they're my three favorites.
Beer, gin, and whiskey - that's five, six, and four.
Saturday night I like eatin' and dancin'
And I sleep all day Sunday so's I'm ready for more.
High wide and handsome - that's one way to go.
Let's live it up - might as well, we're all dying.
High wide and handsome - let's put on a show.
Can't quit what will kill me, so why even bother'
I love this hard livin', so why even try'
I'll be high wide and handsome when I kick the bucket.
I'll be high wide and handsome on the day that I die.
High wide and handsome - you can call it my motto.
High wide and handsome - call it my creed.
Money's just paper, liquor's thicker than water
High wide and handsome in thought, word, and deed.
Have high wide and handsome carved on my head stone,
With the date I was born plus the date that I died,
Then take one from the other - all that's left is a number.
Just remember I laughed twice as hard as I cried.
High wide and handsome - that's how I like livin'.
High wide and handsome - that's how life should be.
Low skinny and ugly - that's for other people -
High wide and handsome suits me to a tee.
The song "High Wide & Handsome" by Loudon Wainwright III is about a man who loves to live his life to the fullest, indulging in his favorite things - including wine, women, song, and various types of alcohol. He believes that high, wide and handsome is the way to live and refers to it as his motto and creed. He is not concerned about the consequences of his lifestyle choices and says that he will be high, wide, and handsome even on the day that he dies. He wants to be remembered as someone who laughed twice as hard as he cried.
The lyrics paint a picture of someone who is carefree, living in the moment and not worrying about what the future might bring. However, it is also a song about acceptance of oneself - the singer is happy with himself and his "high, wide and handsome" way of life. He is content with who he is and has no desire to change his lifestyle, despite the potential consequences.
In summary, the song explores the idea of living life fully, accepting oneself for who they are, and not worrying about the small things. It is a celebration of life, love, and indulgence in one's favorite things.
Line by Line Meaning
High wide and handsome - that's how I like livin'.
Living life with grandeur, extravagance, and confidence is what I find appealing.
High wide and handsome - that's how life should be.
Living life with grandeur, extravagance, and confidence should be how everyone lives.
Low skinny and ugly - that's for other people.
Living a life of mediocrity, being non-assertive and unremarkable, is for others but not for me.
High wide and handsome suits me to a tee.
Living life with grandeur, extravagance, and confidence is perfect for me.
Song, wine, and women - they're my three favorites.
My three favorite things are music, wine, and women.
Beer, gin, and whiskey - that's five, six, and four.
Other alcoholic drinks like beer, gin, and whiskey rank lower in my preferences compared to my top three favorites.
Saturday night I like eatin' and dancin'
On Saturday nights, I enjoy eating and dancing.
And I sleep all day Sunday so's I'm ready for more.
I sleep all day on Sundays to recharge since I'll be ready for more partying in the upcoming week.
High wide and handsome - you can't take it with you.
You can't take your wealth and material things with you when you die, so might as well enjoy them while you can.
High wide and handsome - that's one way to go.
Living life with grandeur, extravagance, and confidence is one way to live life to the fullest.
Let's live it up - might as well, we're all dying.
We should live life to the fullest since we'll all die anyway.
High wide and handsome - let's put on a show.
Living life with grandeur, extravagance, and confidence is like putting on a show for others to enjoy.
Can't quit what will kill me, so why even bother'
I can't quit my hard and fast lifestyle since it's what I love, so why even try?
I love this hard livin', so why even try'
I love my hard and fast lifestyle, so why even try to change it?
I'll be high wide and handsome when I kick the bucket.
When I die, I want to die living life with grandeur, extravagance, and confidence.
I'll be high wide and handsome on the day that I die.
On the day I die, I want to be living life with grandeur, extravagance, and confidence.
High wide and handsome - you can call it my motto.
Living life with grandeur, extravagance, and confidence is my personal motto.
High wide and handsome - call it my creed.
Living life with grandeur, extravagance, and confidence is my personal belief or guiding principle.
Money's just paper, liquor's thicker than water
Money is just a material possession, and liquor is more valuable and important to me.
High wide and handsome in thought, word, and deed.
My mindset, speech, and actions all embrace living life with grandeur, extravagance, and confidence.
Have high wide and handsome carved on my head stone,
I want the phrase 'High wide and handsome' to be engraved on my headstone.
With the date I was born plus the date that I died,
I want my date of birth and date of death to be engraved on my headstone as well.
Then take one from the other - all that's left is a number.
Subtracting my date of birth from my date of death gives me the years I lived. That's just a number indicating the length of my life.
Just remember I laughed twice as hard as I cried.
I want to be remembered as someone who enjoyed life and made more happy memories than sad ones.
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group
Written by: LOUDON WAINWRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind