Toronto-based trio The Rural Alberta Advantage (Nils Edenloff, Amy Cole, an… Read Full Bio ↴Toronto-based trio The Rural Alberta Advantage (Nils Edenloff, Amy Cole, and Paul Banwatt) play indie-rock songs about hometowns and heartbreak, born out of images from growing up in Central and Northern Alberta. They sing about summers in the Rockies and winters on the farm, ice breakups in the spring time and the oil boom’s charm, the mine workers on compressed, the equally depressed, the city’s slow growth and the country’s wild rose, but mostly the songs just try to embrace the advantage of growing up in Alberta.

The Dethbridge in Lethbridge
The Rural Alberta Advantage Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I left your heartbeat in this town
I left your heartbeat in the ground
& when there's nothing for us now
You let me down I let you down
When your Grandfathers in the ground

We live in this old aching town
Our creaking bones won't make a sound

You felt the old bridge weigh us down
Let's try to turn our love around
& take the Dethbridge out of town

I left your cold heart in this town
With family headstones all around
& when there's nothing for us now

You let me down I let you down
with your Grandfather in the ground

Overall Meaning

The Rural Alberta Advantage's song The Dethbridge in Lethbridge is a melancholic and introspective reflection on the main character's relationship with their loved one after the death of their grandparents. The opening line "I left your heartbeat in this town" suggests that the singer has left a piece of their heart in the town where they shared memories with their partner, and that their partner is now associated with the place of their grandparents' burial. The repetition of "You let me down I let you down" highlights the mutual feelings of separation and disappointment that the characters have come to feel. As the song progresses, the chorus "Let's try to turn our love around/And take the Dethbridge out of town" hints at a potential reconciliation between the characters, as they try to overcome their lost love and move away from the painful memories associated with their hometown's surroundings.

Line by Line Meaning

I left your heartbeat in this town
I left behind the memories of our love in this town

I left your heartbeat in the ground
I left behind the memories of our love buried in the ground with my shattered dreams

& when there's nothing for us now
Our love is over and there is nothing left for us here

You let me down I let you down
We both disappointed each other in this relationship

When your Grandfathers in the ground
When you are grieving the loss of your Grandfather

We live in this old aching town
We are still stuck in this town that reminds us of our past hurts

Our creaking bones won't make a sound
We are tired and worn out, and we no longer have the energy to fight

You felt the old bridge weigh us down
You felt the weight of our problems and the burden of the past affecting our relationship

Let's try to turn our love around
Let's attempt to fix our relationship and make it work again

& take the Dethbridge out of town
Let's leave this town and all its painful memories behind

I left your cold heart in this town
I left behind the memories of your icy and distant nature in this town