☝️ Key Points
- The person doesn't feel truly belonging on Grafton Street and feels like a stranger in the city.
- The world keeps spinning even though the loved one is not there.
- The person finds a smile when thinking about the loved one.
- The person remembers the sisters she knew and prays for the loved one.
- Grafton Street evokes memories of the loved one even though the person now lives far away.
Interpretation
The song lyrics "On Grafton Street" by
Nanci Griffith are about a person who is on Grafton Street during Christmas, a street in Dublin. Although the street is bustling and crowded with people, the person doesn't really feel like they belong. They feel like a stranger in this city. The faces of the people seem familiar and they recognize the songs being played, but they close their eyes and suddenly find themselves thousands of miles away.
It's interesting how the world keeps turning without the beloved person, even though they never thought they could live without them. However, the person has found a smile when they think of that person. It's like a Saturday night, far away from the crowd.
The street musicians sing by candlelight in front of Bewleys Store. A young nun offers the person a seat at a table by the door. The person feels compelled to tell her about the sisters they knew. When those sisters lit their candles, the person prayed for the beloved person.
The church bells ring at the holy hour and the person is back in the rain. It has been over twenty years since they last spoke the name of the beloved person. They hear that the beloved person now lives near Dallas, in a house on the plain. Why Grafton Street evokes memories of the beloved person, the person cannot explain.
The song lyrics express the longing and feeling of alienation that the person feels while being in a place that was once associated with the beloved person. It is a reminder of times past and a reflection on how life goes on even when one misses an important person. It also shows how memories can bring us back to specific places, even if we are physically far away.