Regarding the band's name, Adams stated that he "suggested the Cardinals because it was my high school football team". Initially, The Cardinals consisted of Ryan Adams, Brad Pemberton, JP Bowersock, Catherine Popper, and Cindy Cashdollar. The band toured in 2004 and recorded Cold Roses. Cashdollar left in 2005 and was replaced by Jon Graboff.
The band toured worldwide without Cashdollar to promote Cold Roses, and during this period returned to the studio to record their second album, Jacksonville City Nights. Bowersock left after the album was recorded, and was replaced by Neal Casal.
In 2006, Popper left the band and was replaced by Chris Feinstein prior to a European tour in 2006. In 2007, The Cardinals joined Ryan Adams to record his new album, Easy Tiger, and the album's producer, Jamie Candiloro, was added to the lineup on piano. Follow the Lights appeared later in the year, once again produced by Candiloro. The album, Cardinology, was released in October 28, 2008; III/IV followed in 2010.
On December 15, 2009, bassist Chris Feinstein died. A posthumous EP, Class Mythology, featuring Feinstein was released on April 16, 2011
Band members:
Ryan Adams – vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica and banjo (2004–2009)
Brad Pemberton – drums and percussion (2004–2009)
Neal Casal – guitar, piano and vocals (2005–2009)
Jon Graboff – pedal steel, mandolin, guitar and vocals (2005–2009)
Chris Feinstein – bass guitar and vocals (2006–2009); died December 15, 2009
Catherine Popper – bass guitar, vocals and piano (2004–2006)
J. P. Bowersock – guitar (2004–2005)
Cindy Cashdollar – steel guitar, lap steel, guitar and vocals (2004–2005)
Jamie Candiloro – piano and keyboards (2006-2007)
www.myspace.com/ryanadamsandthecardinals/
Cherry Lane
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Holding roses in the pouring rain
But the ending's tore up, trying to hail a cab
Think no one can read you, but I can
Well we move into a house down on Cherry Lane
And watch the world go by
Am I'm missing a page
I want to be the one who walks you home
Who walks you home tonight
Staring into her eyes and then try and explain it
But it's written in a language that was meant to fuck you up
And I can never get close enough
But I lie
But I lie down on her pillow
And you feel like you was going away
Going away when you got no place to go
But back in her arms lying on her pillow
Curled up with a book down on Cherry Lane
The glass it hits the floor and you're walking away
But I want to be the one who walks you home
Who walks you home anyway
Stare into her eyes and then try to explain it
Try to explain it away
I want to be the one who walks you home
Who walks you home tonight
Stare into her eyes and then try to explain it
Try to explain it away
But that shit just fucks you up
And I can never get close enough
I can never get close
I can never get close enough
I can never get close enough to you
The song Cherry Lane by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals is a beautiful love song which talks about the intense feelings and emotions one has for a particular person. In the beginning, the singer talks about reading a novel about someone, possibly the person he loves, every night. He visualizes holding roses in the pouring rain, but the ending of the novel is torn up, which could mean that they have been in a complicated situation. However, he says that he can read that person, which means he knows them very well.
Then, the song moves into the present where the singer and his love interest move into a house on Cherry Lane. They watch the world go by, but still, something feels incomplete, and he feels like he's missing a page from his novel. He wants to be the one to walk her home, stare into her eyes, and try to explain his emotions, but he feels like he can never get close enough to her. The song talks about how the singer lies down on her pillow, but she feels like she's going away, even when there's no place for her to go. In the end, he says how he can never get close enough to her, and he finds it challenging to express his deep love for her.
Overall, Cherry Lane is a song that beautifully describes intense love and emotions. It talks about how sometimes, even when two people are so close to each other, there's still something that's missing, and how love is a language that's difficult to understand completely.
Line by Line Meaning
Every night I read this novel about you
Every night I think about you and imagine different scenarios in my head.
Holding roses in the pouring rain
I am going through a tough time trying to express my feelings to you.
But the ending's tore up, trying to hail a cab
I am struggling with my emotions because I don't know how this will end, and I am feeling lost.
Think no one can read you, but I can
I know you better than most people, even if it seems like you are hiding something from everyone else.
Well we move into a house down on Cherry Lane
We are starting a new chapter of our lives together by moving into a new home.
And watch the world go by
We are enjoying the simple pleasures of life together and appreciating the beauty in the world.
Am I'm missing a page
I feel like there is something missing in our relationship or our lives together, and I am not sure what it is.
I want to be the one who walks you home
I want to be the one who takes care of you and makes you feel safe and loved.
Who walks you home tonight
I want to spend time with you and be there for you whenever you need me.
Staring into her eyes and then try and explain it
I want to express my feelings to you, but it's difficult to put into words.
But it's written in a language that was meant to fuck you up
My emotions are complicated, and it's hard to share them with you because I don't want to hurt you or cause any confusion.
And I can never get close enough
I feel like there is always a distance between us, no matter how much time we spend together.
But I lie
Sometimes I pretend everything is okay even if I am struggling inside.
But I lie down on her pillow
I find comfort in being close to you, even if I can't express my true feelings.
And you feel like you was going away
Sometimes I worry that we are drifting apart, even if it's just in my head.
Going away when you got no place to go
Sometimes I feel lost or adrift, even when I am with you.
But back in her arms lying on her pillow
Despite my fears and worries, I find comfort and safety in being close to you.
Curled up with a book down on Cherry Lane
We are enjoying the simple pleasures of life together by spending time reading and relaxing in our new home.
The glass it hits the floor and you're walking away
Sometimes we have disagreements or misunderstandings that can push us apart, even if only briefly.
But I want to be the one who walks you home
No matter what happens, I want to be there for you and take care of you.
Who walks you home anyway
I want to spend time with you and take care of you, no matter the circumstances.
Try to explain it away
I struggle to find words to express my feelings, even if I try to explain things to you.
But that shit just fucks you up
My emotions are complicated and can be difficult to handle, especially if they are not communicated clearly.
And I can never get close enough
I always feel like there is something missing in our relationship, even if we are physically close.
I can never get close
Despite my desires, I always feel like we are separated by something intangible.
I can never get close enough
No matter how much we spend time together or how close we become, I always feel like there is something missing.
I can never get close enough to you
I always feel like there is something intangible that separates us, even if we are physically close.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRADLEY SMITH PEMBERTON, CATHERINE ANNE POPPER, CINDY CASHDOLLAR, JOHN P BOWERSOCK, RYAN ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind