Hold On Magnolia Lyrics
To that great highway moon
No one has to be that strong
But if you're stubborn like me
I know what you're trying to be
I hear that station bell ring
You might be holding the last light I see
Before the dark finally gets a hold of me
I know what a true friend you've been
In my life I have had my doubts
But tonight I think I've worked it out with all of them
to the thunder and the rain
To the lightning that has just signed my name
to the bottom line
to that great highway moon
No one has to be that strong
But if you're stubborn like me
I know what you're trying to be
I hear that lonesome whistle whine
I think it's almost time
I think it's almost time
this song is just exactly what i need, whenever i need it most
My interpretation is that the song is a dying man consoling his lover. I get really vivid imagery of her holding his hand as he tells her how much she means to him.
I agree with Carolus - this song - one of the greatest and saddest you will ever hear - is most certainly a deathbed conversation that a devastated man is professing to his lover. The fact that Jason Molina died so young makes this beautiful track even more heartbreaking and poignant. A few important things to note - and they are tragic - this man has a ton of sad regrets, and on his deathbed, in referencing his life, he does not describe happy, prosperous thoughts, he instead mentions "a highway moon", a "station bell", The "last light", "the darkness", a "lonesome whistle", "thunder, rain, darkness." His recollection of his life's existence is not a pleasant one, but conversely - it is interesting that he repeats the line "Hold On Magnolia" so many times. This is unlike Jason Molina -- this is specifically intentionally done to describe how -- he is less concerned with his own death than he is about his lover's sadness and despair concerning his death. In essence, he is more worried about her, even though he is the one dying. This is a brilliant, brilliant, underrated masterpiece by one of the greatest artists to have ever lived, and if only people were strong enough to understand and accept this dark, genuine genius, he may still be alive today.
this song has so much personal meaning to me....i could never articulate it. i'm so glad it was made.
This song makes me think of taking a train or a bus across the country, especially through the big middle of the country, through the deserts and Texas and the south.
magnolia is another word for a southern woman.