In 1999, Rocky Votolato branched out from his work with Waxwing, having written a handful of songs which did not really fit in with their more aggressive, fast tempo syle. Along the way he has toured with the likes of Damien Jurado, Small Brown Bike, The Get Up Kids, The New Amsterdams, Owen and The Casket Lottery, members of the latter having provided assistance as backing musicians on occasion. His studio albums have also been littered with appearances from some of Seattle's finest musicians (including players in the bands Red Stars Theory, Sharks Keep Moving, The Blood Brothers, Death Cab for Cutie, Pedro the Lion and Sub Pop solo artist Rosie Thomas). On the production side, Votolato has worked with Matt Bayles (Pearl Jam, Botch, Murder City Devils, Hayden), along with Chris Walla (of Death Cab for Cutie). It is a creative input which has helped see Rocky progress sylistically with every release, from his low key self-titled album released in 1999 - all pretty much recorded live, right through to his recent, alt-country, folk-esque offering, 'Makers'. A video was shot for the first track of Makers, "White Daisy Passing", a song which also appears on the soundtrack of the forthcoming Seattle indie feature film Cthulu.
Rocky also starred in the film 'The Edge of Quarrel', which he worked on with Dave Larson from Excursion Records. It also includes members of the Murder City Devils and Botch, and is about a gang war between straightedgers and punk rockers.
He is married with two children, and lives in Seattle.
Portland Is Leaving
Rocky Votolato Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dying to tell you
The best of the worst things that you never
Needed to know
This is the kind of comedy where no one's
Laughing, cause it's hard to
I'm a punch line who's punch-drunk
There's a party nearby
I can hear
Laughter in the distance and it all comes clear
Sounds to simple
Love is the only answer
Everything else is just a train wreck
I'm gonna stay up all night every night for the rest of my life
'Til
The lines around my eyes grow deeper and more defined
You might
Ask me aren't you dead inside and so damn tired
I'll say I have no
Idea I'm not sleeping until after the dying is over
I can hear laughter
In the distance and it all comes clear
Sounds to simple
Love is the
Only answer
When love's a train wreck you're a mistake
The lyrics to Rocky Votolato’s “Portland is Leaving” are poignant and reflective, detailing the artist’s struggle with self-doubt and the overwhelming nature of life. The opening lyrics, “Come along with me now cause there are things I've been dying to tell you / The best of the worst things that you never needed to know,” set the tone for the rest of the song, as we see the singer move through the different emotions that come with introspection.
Votolato speaks to the idea of feeling like a joke or a “punch line” that no one is laughing at. He’s “punch-drunk with [his] fist in a broken mirror,” alluding to the struggles with self-acceptance and self-worth. There’s a party nearby and he can hear the laughter in the distance, but he feels disconnected from it. He knows that he should be laughing too, but he can’t bring himself to do it.
However, despite the introspective sadness of the song, there is a glimmer of hope. Votolato states that “Love is the only answer, everything else is just a train wreck.” He acknowledges the pain and messiness of life but recognizes that love will always guide the way. Even if love is a “train wreck” and he feels like a mistake, the singer is not giving up. As he says, he’s “gonna stay up all night every night for the rest of my life.”
Overall, “Portland is Leaving” is a beautiful and powerful song about the ups and downs of life, the struggles with self-acceptance and self-worth, and the enduring power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Come along with me now cause there are things I've been Dying to tell you
I have something important to say to you, something that's been bothering me and I need to get it off my chest
The best of the worst things that you never Needed to know
It's something that I don't know if you want to hear it, but it's necessary for me to tell you anyway
This is the kind of comedy where no one's Laughing, cause it's hard to
It's like a joke that's not funny because it's actually sad, and I'm struggling to find humor in it
I'm a punch line who's punch-drunk With my fist in a broken mirror
I feel like life keeps taking hits at me, and now I'm at a point where I'm disoriented and lost, like I'm looking in a shattered reflection of myself
There's a party nearby I can hear Laughter in the distance and it all comes clear Sounds to simple
I can hear the sounds of other people having a good time, but something about it feels too easy, too superficial
Love is the only answer Everything else is just a train wreck I'm gonna stay up all night every night for the rest of my life Til
At the end of the day, love is the only thing that really matters, and everything else just feels like a disaster. I'm willing to put in the time and effort to find that love, no matter how long it takes
The lines around my eyes grow deeper and more defined You might Ask me aren't you dead inside and so damn tired I'll say I have no
I'm getting older, and the effects of all the struggles are starting to show physically. People might assume that I'm exhausted and devoid of feeling, but in reality, I just don't know what to think anymore
Idea I'm not sleeping until after the dying is over I can hear laughter In the distance and it all comes clear Sounds to simple
I can't rest until all the pain and hurt has passed, and I can finally move on. It's frustrating to hear others so easily enjoying life while I'm still trying to make sense of everything
Love is the Only answer When love's a train wreck you're a mistake
Even though love is the most important thing, sometimes it can be destructive and harmful, and if you're not careful, it might be better to avoid it altogether than to put yourself through that kind of pain
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Rocky Votolato
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind