Forster met McLennan during drama classes at the University of Queensland and, inspired by a mutual love of Bob Dylan and the New York music scene, they formed the Go-Betweens in 1977. In addition to his work with the Go-Betweens, Forster has released several solo albums, including: Danger in the Past, recorded in Berlin in 1990; Calling from a Country Phone, recorded at Sunshine Studios, Brisbane, in 1993 with members of local pop group Custard; I Had a New York Girlfriend, a collection of cover versions recorded in Melbourne in 1994; Warm Nights, recorded in London in 1996 and produced by Edwyn Collins; and The Evangelist, recorded (all but one track - "A Place to Hide Away") at Good Luck Studios, London, September - November 2007 with long time collaborators Glenn Thompson and Adele Pickvance.
Critically-acclaimed internationally as a songwriter, Forster reveals a strong literary influence in his work. In 2005, Forster began writing for the Australian magazine, The Monthly. Prior to this he had virtually no print experience, with only a column on hair care for a fanzine in the 1980s to his credit. On 25 October 2006, it was announced that Forster was the winner of the Pascall Prize for Critical Writing for his columns.
On 6 May 2006, Grant McLennan died in his sleep at his home in Brisbane. Forster picked three songs co-written by Grant McLennan, including "Demon Days", which is the last song the pair wrote together, and recorded them alongside some of his own material to produce his first album in 11 years. The Evangelist was released on April 26, 2008 through Yep Roc Records.[5]
Forster announced his return to live performance with four nights at the Queensland Music Festival in July 2007.
On a Street Corner
Robert Forster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In my hometown
That's when I first saw you and I regret that
Day now
There was sun on that morning
As I lay in my single bed
The bed at the back of the family home
Black shoes and old jeans
A favourite shirt of faded blue
Blue, blue, blue
That's what I had on
The day I first saw you
That's what I was wearing
The day I first saw you
And baby tell me
What childhood crime
Made you so narrow
So hard all the time
Your old lines your harshness
Of what others should do
I did not know
What hit me when I came
To know you
I did not know
What hit me when I came
To know you
The city was beneath me then
It was glittering like a star
Throwing up its suggestions
Of who it thinks you are
Who it thinks that you are
And what it thinks you could be
Could be, could be, could be
That's how it was
The day you walked past me
That's how it was
The day you passed me
And baby tell me
What is it like
To always be so narrow
And always so right
To carry your fury
And to always lay it down
I did not know
About these things
In my hometown
It was on a street corner
And I regret that day now
The song “On a Street Corner” by Robert Forster has a nostalgic tone throughout the lyrics. The song depicts the story of a man who is reminiscing about his past memory of encountering someone special who passed by him on a street in his hometown. He regrets not approaching the person, and he wonders what life would have been like if he had. The song starts by saying “It was on a street corner, in my hometown, that's when I first saw you, and I regret that day now.” The singer vividly recalls what he was wearing on that day, black shoes, old jeans, and a favorite shirt of faded blue with yellow curtains over his head. In the following lyrics, the singer describes his struggle to understand the person he saw.
The singer continues by asking the woman about her past and how she became so harsh and narrow-minded. He explains how he did not know what hit him when he came to know her. The city, which was beneath the singer, was glittering like a star, but he was more interested in the person who passed him by. In the final lines of the song, the singer ruefully remembers their meeting on a street corner in his hometown.
Line by Line Meaning
It was on a street corner
The place and time when the singer first saw the person being addressed.
In my hometown
The singer's familiar surroundings where the encounter took place.
That's when I first saw you and I regret that Day now
The singer regrets the day they met the person being addressed.
There was sun on that morning
The weather condition on the day the artist met the person being addressed.
As I lay in my single bed
The artist's state while recalling the memory of meeting the person being addressed.
The bed at the back of the family home
The location of the singer's bed at the time of the memory.
Those yellow curtains over my head
The color of the curtains surrounding the singer at the time of the memory.
Black shoes and old jeans
The clothing items worn by the artist at the time of the memory.
A favourite shirt of faded blue
A shirt that the artist liked to wear and had a faded blue color.
Blue, blue, blue
Repetition of the color blue, emphasizing its importance in the memory.
That's what I had on
Referring to the clothing the singer wore on the day they met the person being addressed.
The day I first saw you
Referring to the day the artist first encountered the person being addressed.
And baby tell me
Addressing the person the singer is talking to.
What childhood crime
Asking about a possible negative experience in the person's past.
Made you so narrow
Suggesting that the person's past experience made them inflexible and rigid.
So hard all the time
Referring to the person's demeanor as being unyielding and stubborn.
Your old lines your harshness
Referring to the person's frequently used statements and their severity.
Of what others should do
Implying that the person frequently judges and criticizes others.
I did not know
Admitting a lack of knowledge or understanding.
What hit me when I came
Acknowledging that something impactful happened upon meeting the person being addressed.
To know you
Referring to getting to know the person being addressed on a deeper level.
The city was beneath me then
Describing a view of a city from above or from a higher perspective.
It was glittering like a star
Metaphorically describing the city as shiny and alluring.
Throwing up its suggestions
Implying that the city gives off a message of what it thinks is desirable.
Of who it thinks you are
Suggesting that the city paints a certain picture of the person being addressed.
And what it thinks you could be
Implying that the city has an expectation of what the person being addressed could become.
That's how it was
Referring to the scene when the person being addressed passed by the singer.
The day you walked past me
Referring to the day when the person being addressed walked by the artist.
And baby tell me
Addressing the person the artist is talking to.
What is it like
Asking about the person's experience.
To always be so narrow
Implying that the person is rigid and inflexible.
And always so right
Suggesting that the person always believes they are correct.
To carry your fury
Suggesting that the person frequently feels and expresses anger.
And to always lay it down
Implying that the person shares their anger with others.
I did not know
Admitting a lack of knowledge or understanding.
About these things
Referring to the negative demeanor and tendencies of the person being addressed.
In my hometown
Implying that these experiences and behaviors are new to the singer and not common in their hometown.
It was on a street corner
Recalling the exact location of the memory when the singer first saw the person being addressed.
And I regret that day now
Expressing regret for meeting the person being addressed on that day.
Writer(s): Robert Derwent Garth Forster
Contributed by Dominic K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.