Josh Ritter - Girl in the War
The first time I attentively listened to this song I was driving through the desert in Nevada. Something about the lyrics and the atmosphere hit me hard. I didn’t know what the lyrics meant but I liked them. I’ll admit that I still don’t know. It could be about America’s current situation in wars. Or maybe about someone losing a woman they know to an illness. Or less specifically, a song about struggling with faith. My pal John Callaway, who was in the desert with me that day, made the suggestion after one listen that it might be about Mary Magdalene. I thought that was very brilliant and plausible as well. I haven’t dug deep enough to find out if Josh Ritter has ever provided a more concrete interpretation of the song, and if he has, I don’t want to know. I’m afraid it might ruin it for me.
Here are the lyrics:
Peter said to Paul you know all those words we wrote
Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go
But now talking to God is Laurel begging Hardy for a gun
I got a girl in the war man I wonder what it is we done
Paul said to Peter you got to rock yourself a little harder
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire
But I got a girl in the war Paul the only thing I know to do
Is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through
Because the keys to the Kingdom got lost inside the Kingdom
And the angels fly around in there but we can’t see them
I got a girl in the war Paul I know that they can here me yell
If they can’t find a way to help her they can go to Hell
If they can’t find a way to help her they can go to Hell
Paul said to Peter you got to rock yourself a little harder
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire
But I got a girl in the war Paul her eyes are like champagne
They sparkle bubble over and in the morning all you got is rain
