Discography
Seductive Reasoning (Columbia, 1975)
I Gave My Love a Kerry (Earth Rock Wreckerds, 2004)
Down the Dream
Maggie and Terre Roche Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the entrance to the highway
On the leg of an underpass
And it was there that George caught up with me
We drank his pint to freedom
Down the dream
I invest my soul in company
First of all for love of thee and
Second all deranged
There ought to be somethin' to fall back on
Like a knife
Or a career
Oh heavy is the heart
That bears a started life
In the dying time of year
In the dying time of year
I left my pots and plans on the landlord's stove
Was drove down through the Texas heat
Threw my love out in the street
George is colored and I'm white
and George could go for me
George was wonderin' if I might
Go for him
Go to Louisianna
Rockin' a banjo on my knee
After a man that said he'd go for me
George, I'm all gone down the dream
George, I'm all gone down the dream
George, I'm all gone down the dream
The lyrics of the song "Down the Dream" by Maggie and Terre Roche are surrealist and poetic, with imagery that evokes a sense of aimlessness and uncertainty. The song tells the story of a protagonist who finds herself at the entrance to a highway underpass, where she meets a man named George. They drink a pint together and speak of freedom, before the singer reflects on her own life choices and the lack of security she feels. She has given up her plans and belongings, driven through the Texas heat, and thrown her love away.
The lyric "There ought to be somethin' to fall back on / Like a knife / Or a career / Oh heavy is the heart / That bears a started life / In the dying time of year" suggests a sense of desperation and despair as the singer considers her options. She feels that there should be something stable to rely on, but all she has is uncertainty and the looming feeling of the end of something. The song ends with the singer leaving with George, uncertain of where they are going, and declaring that she is "all gone down the dream," suggesting that she has given up on the possibility of a stable future and resigned herself to a life of wandering and dreaming.
Line by Line Meaning
I stop to lean
I come to a halt to take a break
At the entrance to the highway
Standing at the place that leads me to a new path of life
On the leg of an underpass
On the side of the bridge pillar, unnoticed and overshadowed
And it was there that George caught up with me
That was the spot where George met me
We drank his pint to freedom
We celebrated our liberation with his drink
Down the dream
Towards an imaginary world, an idyllic vision
I invest my soul in company
I entrust my life to the people around me
I bet the big exchange
I risk everything for some prospect of reward
First of all for love of thee and
Primarily, because of my deep affection for you
Second all deranged
Secondly, recklessly and crazily taking chances
There ought to be somethin' to fall back on
I wish I had something to rely on for security
Like a knife
Could be like a weapon, which I could use to defend myself
Or a career
A stable line of work to rely on
Oh heavy is the heart
It's challenging to confront the pressure
That bears a started life
The weight of one's decisions and actions
In the dying time of year
At the end of autumn, as the year dies out
I left my pots and plans on the landlord's stove
Leaving behind everything I owned with the landlord
Was drove down through the Texas heat
I was transported down in the brutal heat of Texas
Threw my love out in the street
I let go of the one I loved
George is colored and I'm white
George is of a different race from me
and George could go for me
George might be interested in me
George was wonderin' if I might
George was questioning whether or not I would be interested in him too
Go to Louisianna
Travel to the state of Louisiana
Rockin' a banjo on my knee
Playing a banjo in that southern style
After a man that said he'd go for me
Chasing after a man who expressed interest in me
George, I'm all gone down the dream
George, I'm lost in my dreams and fantasies.
George, I'm all gone down the dream
George, I'm wandering aimlessly endlessly in my dreams and illusions.
George, I'm all gone down the dream
George, I've drifted away into the reverie.
Contributed by Micah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.