Catherine's Magic Stone
Patty Griffin Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The simple girl
A raggy dress
A dirty face
She's a mess
Flower on the wall
Waiting to dance
You know
She ain't got a chance
Catherine's magic stone

Only thing she calls her own
It makes her laugh
Seen her cry
I wonder why
Most of her time spent alone

She goes to work
Scouring the town
Searching for cans
Oh she ain't proud
She'd like to take
The world by the balls
String em' up
Laugh at em' all

Catherine's magic stone
The only thing she calls her own
Makes her laugh
Seen her cry
I wonder why
Most of her time spent alone

Her mind splits
With the full of the moon
And her eyes cross
When she's all out of booze
But don't be deceived
By what meets your eye
She knows how to get by

Catherine's magic stone
Only thing she calls her own
It's bigger than you or me
The sky or the sea
It's the world she calls her home
It's bigger than you or me
The sky or the sea




It's the world she calls
Her home

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Catherine's Magic Stone by Patty Griffin are a poignant and moving portrayal of a downtrodden, neglected girl who finds solace and meaning in a magical object. The first verse describes the girl as a "simple girl" with a "raggy dress" and a "dirty face", which suggests that she is poor and not well-loved by society. The line "flower on the wall, waiting to dance" evokes an image of someone who is invisible and ignored, yet yearning to be noticed and appreciated. The chorus introduces us to the titular "magic stone", which is "the only thing she calls her own". The stone is portrayed as a source of comfort and joy - it "makes her laugh" and "seen her cry", implying that it is a constant companion in her lonely life.


The second verse provides more detail about the girl's life and her struggles. She goes to work "scouring the town, searching for cans" - this is likely a reference to collecting cans for recycling as a means of making money. The line "she'd like to take the world by the balls, string em' up, laugh at em' all" suggests that she harbours feelings of anger and resentment towards society and wants to seek revenge. However, the focus remains on the magic stone as a symbol of hope and resilience in the face of adversity. The chorus is repeated, with the added emphasis that the stone is "bigger than you or me, the sky or the sea, it's the world she calls her home". This implies that the stone represents something larger than a mere physical object - it represents the girl's imagination, her dreams, and her sense of self-worth.


Overall, Catherine's Magic Stone is a beautifully written song that captures a sense of sadness and hope at the same time. It is a testament to the power of music to evoke deep emotions by painting vivid pictures with words.


Line by Line Meaning

The simple girl
The girl described is uncomplicated


A raggy dress
She wears tattered clothing


A dirty face
Her face is unclean


She's a mess
Overall, she looks unkempt and disheveled


Flower on the wall
She is unnoticed, much like a forgotten flower growing on a wall


Waiting to dance
She's waiting for an opportunity to live more fully


You know
It is well known


She ain't got a chance
She is unlikely to succeed


Catherine's magic stone
The only possession that brings her joy


Only thing she calls her own
The stone is the only thing she owns


It makes her laugh
The stone brings her happiness


Seen her cry
She has also been emotional while holding it


I wonder why
I am curious about why she has an emotional attachment to the stone


Most of her time spent alone
She spends most of her time in solitude


She goes to work
She is employed


Scouring the town
She searches throughout the area


Searching for cans
She is looking for recyclable cans


Oh she ain't proud
She is not ashamed of her work


She'd like to take
She wishes to take on the world


The world by the balls
She wants to be in control of everything


String em' up
She wants to humiliate them


Laugh at em' all
She wants to mock them


Her mind splits
She has mental instability


With the full of the moon
Her instability increases with the full moon


And her eyes cross
Her vision blurs when she is out of alcohol


When she's all out of booze
She has emptied her alcohol reserve


But don't be deceived
Do not underestimate her


By what meets your eye
She is more than her appearance


She knows how to get by
She knows how to survive


It's bigger than you or me
The stone is significant


The sky or the sea
It surpasses the size of the sky and the sea


It's the world she calls her home
The stone provides her a sense of belonging


It's bigger than you or me
The stone carries importance


The sky or the sea
It is larger in meaning than even the vastness of the sky or sea


It's the world she calls
It is where she finds comfort


Her home
The stone is symbolic of a place of safety and rest




Contributed by Samuel V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@IronRangeOutlawBrigade

Don't let this distract you from the fact that
in 1966, Al Bundy scored four touchdowns
in a single game while playing for the Polk
High School Panthers in the 1966 city
championship game versus Andrew
Johnson High School, including the game-
winning touchdown in the final seconds
against his old nemesis, Bubba "Spare
Tire" Dixon



All comments from YouTube:

@Moist_Capybara

Whoever did this photoshop job shouldn’t quit their day job

@vickipogatshnik377

Agreed.

@sandaramoore9660

They should be fired from their day job!!! People go to far at the expense of others!!!

@melcontent

You give them credit for being at all employable!

@sandaramoore9660

@@melcontent you right…silly me🤣🤣🤣

@rachelsill79

Part of what makes it funny is how rudimentary it is. It's so obviously fake it's funny.😂 The sad part is people clicked on this video wholeheartedly convinced that they would literally see Joe Biden exposing his depends undergarment. The sad part is so many people think so lowly of him. It's sad so many people think Joe Biden literally wears diapers😂😂

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@LRB04

People should be able to sue over this level of fakeness.🧐🙄

@gunnersteve13

You and I should be able to sue for wasting 30 seconds of our lives.

@stephankepley977

@@gunnersteve13 You'd rather see his real diapers? They are shitty and stink.

@jonscrivner9087

My question is how this is not taken down on any media. 😂What is wrong with people. Get a flocking life.

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