Grace
The Bacon Brothers Lyrics
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"A song about thanksgiving - not the holiday, just the act of giving thanks." KB
Bobby's lyin' round like the wakin' dead
He's got a big black cloud hangin' over his head
I want to get him up, get him out the door
I'd like to get him drunk, but he don't drink no more
Tell me what happened, 'cause we were havin' so much fun."
Some of us will live in love, and some will watch love die
There but for the grace of you, go I
Girl but for the grace of you, go I
Teddy married Betty, when they were still in school
And he never was her first choice, she never was his fool
50 years together, that was somethin' less than bliss
Rarely did they tell the truth and rarely did they kiss
Pass the fish sticks, and tell me what you did today
And the clock ticks, they're runnin' out of things to say
I've seen ashes in the wind, and I've never seen him cry
There but for the grace of you, go I
Girl but for the grace of you, go I
Off we go in a cloud of dust, let the chips fall where they must
Girl you turned my life around, in the time it takes a heart to pound
Some of us will live in love, and some will watch love die
There but for the grace of you, go I
Girl but for the grace of you, go I
The Bacon Brothers’ song “Grace” is about giving thanks and being grateful for the people, events and things in our lives. In the opening verse, the singer wants to motivate Bobby, who is tired and sad, to move on from a lost relationship or love. The singer tries to get Bobby to drink, but Bobby doesn't drink. As they speak, Bobby expresses his frustration, remembering the good times with his past love. The chorus employs a somewhat familiar phrase, “There but for the grace of God go I,” but changes it to “There but for the grace of you go I” to allude that it was the person being addressed that saved the singer from the same fate. The second verse tells the story of Teddy and Betty, two people that got married young but didn’t have a happily ever after together. The pair led an uneventful life while trapped in an unsuccessful marriage. Every day was like the one before, but Teddy and Betty kept their promises to each other, and their faith kept them from falling apart. The singer reflects on his own experiences in the bridge, commenting on how much he has changed since meeting the person that he is singing about - what seems to be a transformative and fruitful relationship. The song ends by repeating the chorus, magnifying the overall theme of being grateful and thankful.
Line by Line Meaning
Bobby's lyin' round like the wakin' dead
Bobby is laying around feeling lifeless and depressed
He's got a big black cloud hangin' over his head
He is feeling very down and negative
I want to get him up, get him out the door
I hope to motivate Bobby to get up and move on
I'd like to get him drunk, but he don't drink no more
I wish to make him forget his sadness but he no longer drinks
He says, 'Oh, buddy, I really thought she was the one. Tell me what happened, 'cause we were havin' so much fun.'
Bobby is wondering why his relationship failed when they were enjoying their time together
Some of us will live in love, and some will watch love die
Love is unpredictable and not everyone gets to experience it in the same way
There but for the grace of you, go I
Without the love of the person singing the song, the situation could have been much worse
Teddy married Betty, when they were still in school
Teddy and Betty got married very young
And he never was her first choice, she never was his fool
Teddy married Betty even though she wasn't his first pick and Betty wasn't foolish enough to fall for someone who didn't fully love her
50 years together, that was somethin' less than bliss
Teddy and Betty may have been married a long time, but it wasn't always happy
Rarely did they tell the truth and rarely did they kiss
Teddy and Betty hardly opened up to each other and rarely showed affection
Pass the fish sticks, and tell me what you did today
Their conversation has become mundane and they have little to talk about
And the clock ticks, they're runnin' out of things to say
As time passes, the couple is losing things to converse over
I've seen ashes in the wind, and I've never seen him cry
The person has seen difficult times, hardships and eruptions but has never seen Bobby cry
Off we go in a cloud of dust, let the chips fall where they must
The singer and his partner are taking off together and letting fate take its course
Girl you turned my life around, in the time it takes a heart to pound
The artist's partner transformed his life and emotions in a short amount of time
Some of us will live in love, and some will watch love die
Love is different for everyone and some succeed but some do not
There but for the grace of you, go I
Without the grace and love of his partner things might have not been as good for him
Contributed by Camilla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.