Kimbie

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of a restless narrator and a woman named Kimbie, whose desires seem simple yet unattainable for him. Kimbie wants a "nine dollar shawl," a modest item, but the narrator contrasts this with his own need for "Mackinaw," suggesting a more rugged or perhaps unattainable necessity. The repeated plea for Kimbie to "let your hair hang down" feels like a desperate request for her to relax, to be present, or perhaps to reveal something vulnerable before the narrator's inevitable departure. The central tension arises from the narrator's impending absence and his own confinement, literal or metaphorical. He states plainly, "cause come the morning I'll be gone," immediately followed by a question about Kimbie's whereabouts, "Well Kimbie where you been so long." This suggests a disconnect, a lack of shared experience or understanding between them. His explanation for his own absence is stark: "I've been down in your state pen / With those rough and rowdy men," implying a history of trouble or imprisonment that he must return to. The most striking image is the narrator's wish to be "a mole in the ground." This isn't just a desire for escape; it's a yearning for a hidden, subterranean existence, a complete removal from the surface world and its demands. The accompanying desire to "tear this mountain down" suggests a destructive impulse born from this deep-seated frustration, a wish to obliterate the obstacles that keep him trapped or separated from Kimbie. The repetition of this wish emphasizes its profound hold on him. This song resonates because it captures a feeling of being stuck between desires and realities, between connection and isolation. The narrator's simple requests for Kimbie are overshadowed by his own grim circumstances and his overwhelming desire for a radical, almost violent, form of escape. The contrast between Kimbie's small wants and the narrator's profound, destructive wishes creates a palpable sense of yearning and resignation.