After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in New York City's independent music scenes, particularly the anti-folk scene centered on New York City's East Village, Spektor signed with Sire Records in 2004 and began achieving greater mainstream recognition. After giving her third album a major label re-release, Sire released Spektor's fourth album, Begin to Hope, which achieved a Gold certification by the RIAA. Her following two albums, Far and What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, each debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200. 2016's Remember Us to Life peaked at 23 on the Billboard 200.
Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed June 11, 2019, Regina Spektor Day in New York City. Spektor was also inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame on May 18, 2019, by Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.
2.99c Blues
Regina Spektor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somewhere far away
Where I roam
There live my buffalo twin
In our twin buffalo home sweet home
He take good care of my native son
And he, he even lets us drink spring water on Sundays
Hey, 2.99, 2.99 a gallon
2.99, 2.99 a gallon
And somewhere further down the road
Where I also roam
There live my caterpillar cousin
Beneath a fancy engraved tomb headstone
In the middle of a southern town
Beneath a cemetery burial plot
And he, he don't pay rent no more, no more
But he sure likes the, sure likes the spot
Oh, he sure likes, sure likes the spot
Oh, he sure likes the spot, sure likes the spo-aht
Dun-ah, ah, dun-ah, ah, dun-ah-dun-nah
But in the furthest place I've ever known
Where even I so rarely roam
There lives a boy who just come back from war
His flesh was wounded but he made it back home
His mother calls him by his given name
And the neighbors whisper how he prefers to be alone
And he gets, he gets nightmares about boys dripping blood sold for 2.99, 2.99 a gallon
Come on, just 2.99, 2.99 a gallon
Pay up, yeah!
2.99, 2.99, a gah-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-guhhh-guh-guh-guuuh-guh-guh-guuuh-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah
Gah-gah-gah-gah-gahhhw
But when I get me all real tired
And I got no more strength to roam
I catch me a horse-driven carriage ride
From a local man named Ethan Frome
He don't say much as he tips his hat
And he carries his body as heavy as a lead
And he could have been still flying through the snow on his sled
But the wife was in bed and the horses had to be fed
Besides, it's 2.99, 2.99 a story
Come on, it's 2.99, 2.99 a story
Pay up, yo, it's 2.99, 2.99 a story
Come on, baby 2.99, 2.99 a story
Come on, y'alls
2.99, 2.99, 2.99, 2.99, 2.99, 2.99, 2.99, nuh-99, ah, ah!
2.99, 2.99, 2.99, 2.99, 2.99, nuh-99-na-na-na-na-na-nigh
Oh, 2.99, 2.99 a story
Pay up, y'alls 2.99, 2.99 a story
Pay up, it's just 2.99, 2.99 a story
Oh, but it's just 2.99
2.99-na-naa-na-naa-na-naa
Na-na-na-na-naa
A gallon
The song "2.99c Blues" by Regina Spektor is a melancholy and introspective tune that explores the loneliness and isolation that comes with wandering aimlessly through life. The lyrics describe three different individuals living far away from each other, showing glimpses of their lives and struggles. The first person described is the singer's buffalo twin, who takes care of her native son and lets them drink spring water on Sundays. The second person is the singer's caterpillar cousin buried in a fancy engraved tomb headstone. The last person, the furthest one from the singer, is a boy who just came back from war and gets nightmares about boys dripping blood sold for 2.99 a gallon.
The song's chorus, "2.99, 2.99 a gallon," seems to be a reference to the price of gasoline. However, the line could also be interpreted as a metaphor for the cost of human life and suffering. The repetition of the price could be a way of showing how little value society places on human suffering and the trauma of war.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere far away
Where I roam
There live my buffalo twin
In our twin buffalo home sweet home
In a distant place where the singer wanders, there is a buffalo who is like their twin living in a home they share together.
He take good care of my native son
And he call me by my native name
And he, he even lets us drink spring water on Sundays
Hey, 2.99, 2.99 a gallon
2.99, 2.99 a gallon
The buffalo takes care of the singer's child and uses the singer's native name. They also get to drink spring water on Sundays. The last two lines are a repeated comment about the price of gas.
And somewhere further down the road
Where I also roam
There live my caterpillar cousin
Beneath a fancy engraved tomb headstone
Continuing on the journey, there is a caterpillar who is the singer's cousin buried beneath an ornate headstone.
In the middle of a southern town
Beneath a cemetery burial plot
And he, he don't pay rent no more, no more
But he sure likes the, sure likes the spot
The caterpillar is buried in a cemetery in the middle of a southern town and no longer has to pay rent. However, they clearly enjoy the spot they are in.
Oh, he sure likes, sure likes the spot
Oh, he sure likes the spot, sure likes the spo-aht
Dun-ah, ah, dun-ah, ah, dun-ah-dun-nah
These repeated lines emphasize how much the caterpillar enjoys the spot they are buried in.
But in the furthest place I've ever known
Where even I so rarely roam
There lives a boy who just come back from war
His flesh was wounded but he made it back home
In the furthest place the singer has ever been there is a boy who has returned home from war with physical wounds.
His mother calls him by his given name
And the neighbors whisper how he prefers to be alone
And he gets, he gets nightmares about boys dripping blood sold for 2.99, 2.99 a gallon
Come on, just 2.99, 2.99 a gallon
Pay up, yeah!
The boy's mother uses his given name, while others around him talk about how he likes to be alone. The last three lines reference the nightmares he has about the cost of war and how it is sold for such a cheap price like gas.
But when I get me all real tired
And I got no more strength to roam
I catch me a horse-driven carriage ride
From a local man named Ethan Frome
When the artist is too tired to keep roaming, they take a horse-drawn carriage ride with a man named Ethan Frome.
He don't say much as he tips his hat
And he carries his body as heavy as a lead
And he could have been still flying through the snow on his sled
But the wife was in bed and the horses had to be fed
Ethan Frome is a quiet man who tips his hat and carries a heavy load. The last two lines give a potential reason why he is not on his sled - his wife is in bed, and the horses need to be fed.
Besides, it's 2.99, 2.99 a story
Come on, it's 2.99, 2.99 a story
Pay up, yo, it's 2.99, 2.99 a story
Come on, baby 2.99, 2.99 a story
These repeated lines are another reference to the price of gas, except now it's the price of a story told by Ethan Frome.
Come on, y'alls
2.99, 2.99, 2.99, 2.99, 2.99, 2.99, 2.99, nuh-99, ah, ah!
2.99, 2.99, 2.99, 2.99, 2.99, nuh-99-na-na-na-na-na-nigh
This section repeats the price of gas-- and now the price of a story -- emphasizing its low cost with humor and rhythm.
Oh, 2.99, 2.99 a story
Pay up, y'alls 2.99, 2.99 a story
Pay up, it's just 2.99, 2.99 a story
Oh, but it's just 2.99
2.99-na-naa-na-naa-na-naa
Na-na-na-na-naa
A gallon
Returning to the cost of a story, the song emphasizes its low price again, emphasizing how cheap so many things are - even less than the price of gas.
Contributed by Mason S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gastón Calfinier
"2.99 Cent Blues"
Somewhere far away where I roam
There live my buffalo twin in our twin buffalo home
He calls me by my native name
And takes good care of my native son
He even lets us drink spring water on Sundays 2.99 a gallon
And somewhere further down the road where I also roam
There lives my caterpillar cousin beneath a fancy engraved tomb head stone
In the middle of his southern town
Beneath a cemetery burial plot
He don't pay rent no more
But he sure likes the spot
But in the furthest place I've ever known
Where even I so rarely roam
There lives a boy who just come back from war
His flesh was wounded but he made it back home
His mother calls him by his given name
And the neighbors whisper how he prefers to be alone
And he gets nightmares about boys dripping blood sold for 2.99 a gallon
But when I get me all real tired
And I got no more strength to roam
I catch me a horse driven carriage ride
From a local man named Ethan Frome
He don't say much as he tips his hat
And he carries his body as heavy as lead
And he could have been flying through the snow on his sled
But he wife was in bed and the horses had to be fed
Besides it's 2.99 a story
Pay up it's just 2.99 a story...
2.99 a gallon
Zayades
I love her!
Her music is so colorfull, so emotional. For every single moment in my life there is a song that fits just perfectly.
Billy Boks
Zayades I love that she's not afraid to sound weird she's one of the few original artists of our time
G Roxby
Her vocals are annoyingly amazing. Im glad she used them in this song, its really good. If i could sing, then it would totally be this on my list to learn.
lunamoth
regina spektor is a genre
Lolli Popper
agreed
Theodozie Guinevere
***** My favourite genre. :-)
Older And Taller
I see you every regina spektor song, it's so funny😂
Older And Taller
I could comment on every one I see you
lunamoth
Axel Olivares Hahah yeah, its kind of embarrassing really
Luciano Benotto
WHY IS THIS ALBUM SO UNDERVALUED!!!!!!!!!????