Navajo Rug
Tom Russell & Ian Tyson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And home fries on the side
Wash it down with the road house coffee
Burns up your insides
Just a Canyon-Colorado Diner
And a waitress I did love
I sat in the back neath an old stuffed bear
And a worn out Navajo rug
Well Old Jack, the boss, he left at six
And it's Katie bar the door
She'd pull down that Navajo rug
And she'd spread it across the floor
Hey, I saw lightning cross the sacred mountains
Saw woven turtle doves
I was sittin' next to Katie
On that old Navajo rug
[Chorus]
Aye, Aye, Aye, Katie
Shades of red and blue
Aye, Aye, Aye, Katie
Whatever became of the Navajo rug and you
Katie, shades of red and blue
Well I saw old Jack about a year ago
He said the place burned to the ground
And all I saved was this old bear tooth
And Katie, she's left town
Oh, but Katie, she got her souvenir too
Jack spat a tobacco plug
Well you should have seen her a-coming through the smoke
Draggin' that Navajo rug
[Chorus]
So every time I cross the sacred mountains
And lightning breaks above
It always takes me back in time
To my long lost Katie love
But everything keeps on a-moving
Yeah, everybody's on the go
You don't find things that last anymore
Like an old woven Navajo
[Chorus: x2]
The lyrics of Tom Russell and Ian Tyson's song Navajo Rug exude nostalgia and longing for a time and a place long gone. The song is a tribute to a diner called Canyon-Colorado Diner, where the singer sat in the back under an old stuffed bear and a worn-out Navajo rug, eating a good meal and admiring the waitress named Katie. After the boss, Old Jack, left for the day, Katie would pull down the Navajo rug and spread it across the floor, and the singer would sit next to her, contemplating the sacred mountains and the woven turtle doves on the rug. The singer and Katie had a brief romance that ended when the diner burned down, and Katie left town with the Navajo rug as a souvenir. The song ends with the singer reminiscing about the past and lamenting the transience of things, except for the memories and emotions that endure.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it's two eggs up on whiskey toast
The singer is describing the meal he's having at the Canyon-Colorado Diner – two eggs on top of toast drenched in whiskey and home fries.
And home fries on the side
As described earlier, the singer's meal at the diner comes with home fries on the side.
Wash it down with the road house coffee
To quench his thirst, the singer drinks road house coffee in addition to his meal.
Burns up your insides
The singer describes the coffee as being so strong that it feels like it's burning up his insides.
Just a Canyon-Colorado Diner
The Canyon-Colorado Diner is a place where the singer is currently having his meal.
And a waitress I did love
The singer is reminiscing about a past encounter with a waitress at the diner whom he loved.
I sat in the back neath an old stuffed bear
The singer sat in the back of the diner, near an old stuffed bear.
And a worn out Navajo rug
The diner's floor was covered in a worn out Navajo rug.
Well Old Jack, the boss, he left at six
The boss of the diner, Old Jack, left at six in the evening.
And it's Katie bar the door
The phrase 'Katie bar the door' is used as a warning that things are going to get heated or out of control.
She'd pull down that Navajo rug
After Old Jack leaves, the waitress named Katie pulls down the Navajo rug and spreads it across the floor.
And she'd spread it across the floor
As previously mentioned, Katie spreads the rug across the floor after Old Jack leaves.
Hey, I saw lightning cross the sacred mountains
The singer recalls seeing lightning striking mountains that were considered sacred.
Saw woven turtle doves
The singer saw the image of woven turtle doves on the Navajo rug.
I was sittin' next to Katie
The singer was sitting next to the waitress, Katie, when he saw the lightning and the turtle doves on the Navajo rug.
On that old Navajo rug
The same Navajo rug that Katie had pulled down and spread across the floor.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the phrase 'Aye, Aye, Aye, Katie / Shades of red and blue' multiple times.
Well I saw old Jack about a year ago
The singer had a conversation with Old Jack around a year ago.
He said the place burned to the ground
Old Jack informed the singer that the diner had burned down completely.
And all I saved was this old bear tooth
The only thing the singer was able to save from the fire was an old bear tooth that he found among the ruins.
And Katie, she's left town
The waitress named Katie had left the town for some reason.
Oh, but Katie, she got her souvenir too
Despite leaving town, Katie had also gotten a souvenir from the diner before the fire destroyed it.
Jack spat a tobacco plug
Old Jack spat out a lump of tobacco from his mouth when he told the singer about Katie's souvenir.
Well you should have seen her a-coming through the smoke
The singer imagines how Katie would have looked while coming through the smoke during the fire while carrying her souvenir, the Navajo rug.
Draggin' that Navajo rug
Katie carried the Navajo rug with her as she fled from the fire-destroyed diner.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the phrase 'Aye, Aye, Aye, Katie / Shades of red and blue' multiple times.
So every time I cross the sacred mountains
The singer reminisces about his past love, Katie, every time he crosses the sacred mountains.
And lightning breaks above
The singer is reminded of seeing the lightning when the weather is turbulent and lightning strikes.
It always takes me back in time
The memories of his past love always take the singer back in time.
To my long lost Katie love
The singer remembers his past love, Katie, who he has lost and cannot find.
But everything keeps on a-moving
The singer laments the fact that everything in life keeps moving on and changing, including him and his circumstances.
Yeah, everybody's on the go
The singer observes that everyone is also on the move and changing, just like himself.
You don't find things that last anymore
The singer says that it's rare to find things that are able to last in today's transient world.
Like an old woven Navajo
One of the things that are able to last, according to the singer, is an old woven Navajo rug.
[Chorus: x2]
The chorus repeats the phrase 'Aye, Aye, Aye, Katie / Shades of red and blue' multiple times, twice in total.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: THOMAS GEORGE RUSSELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
2500vtg
Beautiful song! Thank you, Ian ! Indeed there are not many things that last anymore in our planned obsolescence world we live in.
lonesomeStu
' And you don't find things that last anymore like a double woven Navajo' - What a line, get's me every time I hear this song.
Robert & Kris Meyer
Happy happy happy. Love this.