Robert Pollard (born October 31, 1957) is a Dayton, Ohio singer-songwriter,… Read Full Bio ↴Robert Pollard (born October 31, 1957) is a Dayton, Ohio singer-songwriter, who is the leader and creative force behind indie rock group Guided by Voices. During his high school years, he was a successful basketball and baseball player. Pollard was a fourth grade schoolteacher until 1994, when Guided by Voices first broke into the national consciousness with the release of the album Bee Thousand. With over 1300 songs registered to his name with BMI, Pollard is among the most prolific songwriters of his time. In 2006 Paste Magazine listed him at the 78th greatest living songwriter.

Pollard began releasing solo records in 1996, alongside regular releases from Guided by Voices. These albums were typically recorded with a small group consisting of current or former Guided by Voices members, and they were generally considered to informally be part of the Guided by Voices canon, as that band would regularly perform selections from the solo releases in concert.
After the dissolution of Guided by Voices in 2004, Robert Pollard launched his official solo career with the release of From a Compound Eye in February 2006. Pollard's recent studio work has eschewed the live-band format, instead relying on the multi-instrumental talents of Todd Tobias, who produced several Guided by Voices albums. In 2006, he resumed touring with a new band informally dubbed "The Ascended Masters", which featured Tommy Keene on lead guitar and keyboards, Dave Phillips on guitar, Jon Wurster on drums, and Jason Narducy on bass. After Normal Happiness was released, the band returned to the road but subsequent to the cancellation of some 2006 dates due to a leg injury, Pollard announced his retirement from touring. Pollard, however, has since toured with Boston Spaceships.

Pollard resides just outside of Dayton, OH. with his wife, Sarah.

I'm a Widow
Robert Pollard Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I want you no love
And if you wanna laugh into my eyes
Ok I will wait to borrow
You would
Tomorrow you will lose
Today is lost
But I want you to say it now
According to the star observers, yes

You can kiss the ground or just accept
Your ship's on time

I'll come through, oh yes
I found
How you looked and where
The worst time ever I saw your face
But with each new cigarette, baby
I care
We'll keep building till we fall apart
But I'll give you a running start
Where both of us have need
I do indeed
Let the living escape
Let the dying bleed
From wisdom teeth

I'm a widow and I'm hot to do you

Overall Meaning

In Robert Pollard's song, "I'm a Widow," the singer speaks of his desire towards someone, who he wants to borrow from, but he doesn't want their love. He's willing to wait and the person would lose tomorrow and today is already lost, but he wants them to say it now. The singer acknowledges that the star observers say "yes," and the person can either kiss the ground or accept that their ship is on time.

The singer then speaks about finding how the person looked and where, but remembers the worst time being when they saw their face. However, with each new cigarette, the singer cares more about the person. The two will keep building towards falling apart, but the singer is willing to give the person a running start. The singer believes they both need to let the living escape, while the dying bleed from wisdom teeth. The singer ends the song by declaring that they are a widow and they are hot to do the person they were describing.

The song likely speaks to the idea of wanting to have sex with someone, but without the commitment of love. The use of "widow" in the title could also be interpreted as someone who has lost their love and now seeks to find it in a different way. The lyrics about building towards falling apart and letting the dying bleed from wisdom teeth could be seen as a reference to trying to prolong or hold onto something that's already ending.

Line by Line Meaning

I want you no love
I don't want your love

And if you wanna laugh into my eyes
And if you want to make fun of me to my face

Ok I will wait to borrow
Okay, I'll wait to borrow something from you

You would
You probably would

Tomorrow you will lose
Tomorrow you will regret losing me

Today is lost
Today is over

But I want you to say it now
But I want you to tell me now

According to the star observers, yes
Yes, according to astrology

You can kiss the ground or just accept
You can grovel or just accept my offer

Your ship's on time
Your ride is here on time

I'll come through, oh yes
I'll be there for you, no question