Firstly, the photo is not Tom Tally. It is Peter Grant, a pedal steel & dob… Read Full Bio ↴Firstly, the photo is not Tom Tally. It is Peter Grant, a pedal steel & dobro player I toured with. He set this up on last.fm. Now I am here to post the correct photo.
Tom Tally is a classical violist working in the recording industry in Los Angeles as performer and arranger. He has produced circa 50 albums for Vitamin Records under the name Tallywoodstrings. Details of his resume can be found at www.tomtally.com. Influences: rock, classical, cajun, Grappelli.

On a Plain
Tom Tally Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'll start this off
Without any words
I got so high that
I scratched 'til I bled

Love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong

So what should I do?

The finest day
That I ever had
Was when I learned
To cry on command

Love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?

I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain

My mother died
Every night
It's safe to say
Don't quote me on that

Love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?

The black sheep got
Blackmailed again
Forgot to put
On the zip code

Love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?

I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain

Somewhere I have heard this before
In a dream my memory has stored
As defense I'm neutered and spayed
What the hell am I trying to say?

It is now time
To make it unclear
To write off lines
That don't make a sense

Love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?

One more special
Message to go
And then I'm done
And I can go home

Love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?

I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
I can't complain

I'm on aplain
I can't complain

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Tom Tally's On a Plain are somewhat cryptic, but they seem to address several themes, including drug addiction, self-love, and emotional numbness. The opening lines suggest that the singer turned to drugs to cope with some kind of emotional pain, leading him to harm himself through scratching. He then confesses to loving himself more than anyone else, acknowledging that this is morally wrong but unsure of how to change. The line "I'm on a plain, I can't complain" is perhaps a reference to a sober state of mind, signifying contentment with sobriety.

The song also touches on the singer's traumatic past, hinting that his mother died and that every night brings painful memories. The line "the black sheep got blackmailed again" could allude to the singer feeling like he is always at the mercy of others or being used as a scapegoat. There is also mention of being neutered and spayed as a form of defense, which could represent the singer feeling emotionally numb as a way of protecting himself from further hurt.

Overall, the lyrics of On a Plain are enigmatic and open to interpretation. The song seems to describe a person struggling with addiction, mental health issues, and a difficult past, trying to come to terms with their own self-destructive behavior and lack of meaningful connections with others.

Line by Line Meaning

I'll start this off
I will begin this song

Without any words
Without using any language

I got so high that I scratched 'til I bled
I got so intoxicated that I harmed myself

Love myself
I have affection for myself

Better than you
I am superior to you

I know it's wrong
I understand that it's incorrect

So what should I do?
What action should I take?

The finest day that I ever had
The best moment of my life

Was when I learned to cry on command
Was when I figured out how to fake my tears

I'm on a plain
I am on an even level

I can't complain
I have nothing to protest about