Some of these songs are just fun to play. But some of them have an emotional connection that makes them necessary to play. Jacksonville Skyline is one of those songs. And although I have never been to the town that this is about (Jacksonville, North Carolina), I know what this song is about. I feel this song every day. There's a certain heartache and longing that this song contains, and I feel it every time I hear it, and every time I play it. This isn't just a song that I love to play...it's a song that is part of me. "I was born in an abundance of inherited sadness" may be the single most personal line to me in any song written by someone who is not me. And that's important. It's important to me to remember that there are people who get what lives inside of me, because it also lives inside of them.
"Jacksonville Skyline" was written by Ryan Adams while he was in the band Whiskeytown. The album, Pneumonia, almost didn't see the light of day other than as a bootleg, as the band was broken up before they could release it. It should have come out in 1999, but didn't see the light of day until 2001, when it was released as a kind of a boost to the Adams solo album Gold. It's a beauty of a record, and well worth having. And it contains "Jacksonville Skyline", one of my favorite songs to play at live shows. Because it's a beautiful song...and because it's become personal to me.
So, here's my version of "Jacksonville Skyline". I hope you enjoy!
JACKSONVILLE SKYLINE
words and music by RYAN ADAMS
The banks of the river run through my hometown
'Boarded on the dirt roads, and I scraped my knees
Well they paved the roads eventually
With neon signs and car dealerships and diners
The soldiers fill the hotels on the weekends
I saw the pretty women as I walked through town
Well, I moved away soon as I turned sixteen
Figured I was old enough to go and work a job
Well I floated down main street, pools of car lights
Woe became me, wishing I was still back home
The soldiers fill the hotels on the weekends
I saw the pretty women as I walked through town
Well, Jacksonville's a city with a hopeless streetlight
Seems like you're lucky if it ever change from red to green
I was born in an abundance of inherited sadness
And .50 cent picture frames bought at a five and dime
I ended up a soldier on the weekend
Looking for a vacancy I was NEVER to find
Somewhere the night sky hangs like a blanket
Shoot it with my cap gun just to make it
Seem like stars
© Ryan Adams
