Away from the Sky

Song Meaning

Rickie Lee Jones's "Away from the Sky" isn't a straightforward narrative; it's a collage of evocative images and fragmented thoughts, piecing together a feeling more than a story. The song meaning resides in its haunting atmosphere, reflecting themes of loss, resilience, and the search for solace in the face of disillusionment. The opening lines, with the "chicken-headed man" feathering the rain, immediately establish a surreal, almost dreamlike quality, suggesting a world where the ordinary is twisted and made strange. This sets the stage for the emotional core of the song – a sense of abandonment and the aftermath of something significant. "The last bus is tired, and everybody's gone" – these lines paint a picture of emptiness, a void left by departures both literal and metaphorical. The repeated phrase "after the fair" suggests a time of decline, the end of a period of excitement and abundance, leaving behind a sense of faded glory. The 'fair' could represent a relationship, a period of life, or even a state of mind. The lyrics hint at a relationship fraught with complexity. The lines "Come into my trailer, we'll toast a little bread / Oh look, you've left a hole where you laid on my bed" suggest intimacy and vulnerability, but also a sense of damage and absence. The phrase "you keep what you can keep / When you dive into the deep" speaks to the need for self-preservation in difficult circumstances, clinging to what remains when faced with emotional turmoil. The repetition of "away from the sky" acts as a mantra, a desire to escape or find refuge from something oppressive or overwhelming. The sky, typically associated with freedom and limitlessness, here becomes a source of discomfort, suggesting a yearning for grounding or a different perspective. The image of painted horses on the lawn and turning the carousel on after hours evokes a sense of childlike wonder tinged with melancholy. It's like trying to recapture a lost innocence or find joy in the remnants of a past that's slipping away. This is not a song of resolution, but rather an exploration of the lingering emotions that remain after a significant shift or loss. The final verses, with their references to "vacuums in the hall" and "planes up in the air," bring the song back to a tangible reality, suggesting that even in the midst of the mundane, the echoes of the past can still be heard. Ultimately, "Away from the Sky" is a poignant and evocative meditation on the complexities of human experience, capturing the bittersweet beauty of resilience and the enduring search for meaning in a world that often feels fragmented and uncertain.