Sexsmith started his first band at 14. After moving to Toronto he formed the Uncool and released his cassette Out of the Duff, and a year later, There's a Way. Meanwhile, he worked as a courier, and released Grand Opera Lane in 1991. On the strength of this album he earned a contract which led to the self-titled album Ron Sexsmith of 1995. Between 1997 and 2001, Sexsmith released three more albums before the acclaimed Cobblestone Runway in 2002.
Strawberry Blonde
Ron Sexsmith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the girl from 'round the corner
It was at the tail end of grade four
When she came to school one morning
And all eyes were upon her as she took her seat
Her name was Amanda with pretty eyes of green
And hair of blonde, strawberry blonde
And summer 'round the corner
Was at the tail end of age nine
With a million dreams before her
She lived with her mother in an old decrepit house
If there was trouble she kept it to herself
All summer long, the strawberry blonde
And by her face there was no way to tell
It seemed like all was well in her world
But the neighbours said
Her mother had lost her will
To gin and sleeping pills
It was no life for a little girl
Still I see her face framed in blue sky
At the top of a slide coming down
And when the sirens wailed
(her mother had failed to rise)
All the neighbors stood outside
As Amanda just stared at the ground
Time flies and years are piled
I'd forgotten all about her
When I saw her down the aisle
Of a streetcar with her daughter
Then I heard Amanda say as she got up
"See'mon Samantha, girl, this is our stop"
And they were gone
Two strawberry blondes
The song "Strawberry Blonde" by Ron Sexsmith tells the story of a girl named Amanda who was not from the neighborhood but lived nearby. She arrived at school with pretty green eyes and hair of blonde, strawberry blonde. She was just nine years old and full of dreams, living with her mother in an old decrepit house where issues were kept to themselves. Amanda was always seen with a smile on her face, but her mother's dependence on gin and sleeping pills was mentioned by the neighbors. One night, when the sirens wailed, and her mother had failed to rise, Amanda just stared at the ground. The years went on, and Ron Sexsmith had forgotten about her when he saw her again with her daughter on a streetcar. They were both strawberry blondes, and as they got up, she excitedly told her daughter that it was their stop.
The story of Amanda, a young girl with a smile and a dream, is a heartbreaking one. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a girl who lived in a decrepit house with an ill mother. Despite her troubles, Amanda remained strong and hopeful, always keeping a smile on her face. However, the reality of her situation was unknown to most, and her mother's issues contributed to their struggles. It is a poignant reminder that everyone has their battles to fight, no matter how well they seem to be getting on.
Line by Line Meaning
She was not the girl next door
She wasn't the type of girl you'd normally see around.
But the girl from 'round the corner
She lived close by, but not next door.
It was at the tail end of grade four
It happened towards the end of the fourth grade.
When she came to school one morning
That was when she first arrived at school.
And all eyes were upon her as she took her seat
Everyone was looking at her when she sat down.
Her name was Amanda with pretty eyes of green
Her name was Amanda, and she had beautiful green eyes.
And hair of blonde, strawberry blonde
Her hair was a mix of blonde and strawberry blonde.
Springtime and dandelions
It was spring, and dandelions were in bloom.
And summer 'round the corner
Summer was just around the corner.
Was at the tail end of age nine
She was almost ten years old.
With a million dreams before her
She had a lot of dreams and aspirations.
She lived with her mother in an old decrepit house
She and her mother lived in a run-down, dilapidated house.
If there was trouble she kept it to herself
If there were any problems, she didn't talk about them.
All summer long, the strawberry blonde
The entire summer, Amanda enjoyed her time as a young girl with strawberry blonde hair.
And by her face there was no way to tell
You couldn't tell from her face that anything was wrong.
It seemed like all was well in her world
Everything appeared to be okay in her life.
But the neighbours said
However, her neighbours had a different perspective.
Her mother had lost her will
Her mother had lost the motivation to live.
To gin and sleeping pills
She resorted to drinking gin and sleeping pills to numb her pain.
It was no life for a little girl
It wasn't a healthy or happy life for Amanda to live in.
Still I see her face framed in blue sky
The artist fondly remembers Amanda's face with the blue sky behind her.
At the top of a slide coming down
He remembers her at the top of a slide coming down with excitement.
And when the sirens wailed
When the sirens went off one day.
(her mother had failed to rise)
It was because her mother had passed away.
All the neighbours stood outside
All the neighbours came out of their houses.
As Amanda just stared at the ground
Amanda stood there, staring at the ground in shock and grief.
Time flies and years are piled
Years have gone by and time has passed.
I'd forgotten all about her
The artist had forgotten about Amanda until now.
When I saw her down the aisle
When he saw her walking down the aisle of a streetcar.
Of a streetcar with her daughter
She was on the streetcar with her own daughter.
Then I heard Amanda say as she got up
As she got up, he heard Amanda say something.
"See'mon Samantha, girl, this is our stop"
She said, "Come on Samantha, this is where we get off."
And they were gone
Then they got off the streetcar and left.
Two strawberry blondes
They were two women with strawberry blonde hair.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ron Sexsmith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michaelobrien8392
How can Ron not be recognized as one of the greatest songwriter/singers of this age?
@silver1man
Elvis Costello said -- in a concert 15 years ago in Tokyo-- he was the best songwriter on the planet.
@michaelobrien8392
@@silver1man Hi, Scott and thank you. I think it was a comment by Elvis Costello on Ron's album (disc) "Retriever" that prompted me to buy the disc of someone I'd never heard of before in 2004. It was a great choice. Ron's performances on Elvis's "Spectacle" show are some of my favorites.
@themistermax
Beautiful song! Sometime in the early 90s, I went to see Cry Cry Cry at Town Hall in NYC. My girlfriend (now wife) and I were having drinks in the lobby, waiting for the main act to come on. Decided to wander in and see what the opener was like. Ron Sexsmith. Became lifelong fans immediately. Probably contributed to our falling in love and marrying. Still love his music today.
@NagoyaHouseHead
This is brilliant, literally as good as the singer songwriter genre gets. Why isnt he massive ?
@joikee
In my opinion, Ron Sexsmith is the most captivating singer songwriter of all time. i have listened to countless artists in my life but no other draws me in like this guy does.I listen to his music at least 300 days out of the year. Every cd of his i've played countless times and never get tiring to me..he is magic in every sense of the word..Thanks Ron
@anthonyriley7517
10 years late with a response but I fully agree, fabulous songwriter!
@iancamone
one of the most beautiful songs ever written!rons out there on his own!
@anthonyriley7517
My favourite ever songwriter, wonderful 😊
@markdeming6224
This was the first of Ron Sexsmith's songs that I ever heard, and it hooked me immediately. Beautiful melody, and brilliant storytelling. He's one of the best.