Song Meaning

James McMurtry's "Long Island Sound" isn't a postcard from suburbia; it's a complex snapshot of a life lived just slightly off-kilter. The song meaning revolves around a sense of displacement and the quiet compromises that define adulthood. The opening lines, with New Mexico lost in Austin and Carolina's silence, establish a theme of disconnection and unspoken feelings. This sets the stage for the narrator's own sense of being adrift, despite outward appearances. He's transplanted himself and his family to Long Island, a far cry from his Tulsa origins, chasing the American dream, or at least a stable approximation of it. He has the "bay boat and a 401-K," the trappings of success, yet there's a persistent undercurrent of something missing. That verse he "wrote for the kids but never did sing" speaks volumes about unspoken artistic aspirations, now relegated to the same closet as the childhood shotgun. McMurtry masterfully contrasts the narrator's comfortable, if somewhat hollow, present with glimpses of a more authentic past. The memory of his grandmother singing hymns, "til she shook down the shingles," is vivid and full of life, a stark contrast to the sterile, soccer-mom present. Even the mundane act of changing a tire becomes a moment of reflection, as he finds "old picks and a twenty-gauge shot-shell" in the glove box – relics of a life less ordinary. The recurring chorus, "These are the best days," feels less like a celebration and more like a mantra, a way to convince himself (and perhaps us) that the compromises were worth it. It's a toast to the community of "strangers," united by geography and a shared pursuit of happiness, however defined. The mention of the Mets and Rangers roots the song firmly in its Long Island setting, highlighting the local culture that the family is assimilating into. The specter of a "long secret love" adds another layer of complexity. Where is she now? Is she somebody's love or somebody's wife? This wistful query underscores the quiet ache of unfulfilled potential and roads not taken. Ultimately, "Long Island Sound" is a portrait of a man caught between two worlds: the vibrant, messy past and the carefully constructed present. It's a song about the subtle trade-offs we make in the name of security and the lingering questions that haunt us long after we've settled down. The return to the opening lines in the outro emphasizes the cyclical nature of this quiet discontent, suggesting that the search for belonging is a lifelong journey, even when you're thriving on the Long Island Sound.

James McMurtry - Country, Rock

Long Island Sound

2 Plays

Duration: 3:29

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[Verse 1] New Mexico's lost on the back streets of Austin Carolina keeps all her thoughts to herself Tennessee's tight and he will not stop talking Somebody shush him 'fore I have to myself [Verse 2] Wrote that verse for the kids but I never did sing it I filed it away and forgot it in time My old guitar sits in the back bedroom closet Next to the shotgun I got when I was nine [Verse 3] And if I had any sense I'd be way 'cross the Whitestone I might as well as sit here a while 'fore I start 'Cause when the 5:30 rush hits the Cross Island Parkway It's not for the squeamish or the gentle of heart [Verse 4] I'd be stuck on the bridge in the right lane at sunset Watchin' the boats with their snowy white sails Watchin' the sun sinkin' over the projects Laundry hung out off the balcony rails [Verse 5] And where are you now, my long secret love? Where have you gone in your glamorous life? Where are you now as the moon comes a-risin'? Are you somebody's love? Are you somebody's wife? [Chorus] These are the best days, these are the best days Y'all put your money away, I got the round Here's to all you strangers, the Mets and the Rangers Long may we thrive on the Long Island Sound [Verse 6] I don't know what goes on in those crumblin' brick buildings They're on the same planet in a whole 'nother world I've got a bay boat and a 401-K Two cars in the driveway, two boys and a girl [Verse 7] It doesn't seem like that long since we came up from Tulsa Been here six years and I reckon we'll stay The comp'ny's not bad as companies go They've still got the health plan and they're raisin' my pay [Verse 8] And the kids all play soccer like nobody's business My grandmother says we're just lettin' 'em fall through They don't go to church and we're not gonna make 'em They all drop their "r"s like the islanders do [Chorus] These are the best days, these are the best days Boys put your money away, I got the round Here's to all you strangers, the Mets and the Rangers Long may we thrive on the Long Island Sound [Verse 9] I remember her singin' from that dusty old hymnal Smelled like tobacco from Grandaddy's pipe That old rugged cross 'til she shook down the shingles You never heard such a noise in your life [Verse 10] I had a tire run low so I dug through the glove box I needed the manual to locate the jack Found a couple old picks and a twenty-gauge shot-shell Left from a dove hunt a couple years back [Chorus] These are the best days, these are the best days Y'all put your money away, I got the round Here's to all you strangers, the Mets and the Rangers Long may we thrive on the Long Island Sound Long may we thrive on the Long Island Sound [Outro] New Mexico's lost on the back streets of Austin Carolina keeps all her thoughts to herself

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Writers: James McMurtry

Long Island Sound

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James McMurtry Live

Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound

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James McMurtry Live