This song is about growing up in a small town in upstate New York, and going back to visit as an adult. We had one traffic light. Didn't get a McDonald's until after I grew up, but that's not a bad thing. The one movie theater in town had a 16 mm projector and got films 8 months after everyone else. No bowling alley. Nothing much to do.
The big thing was sports. If you weren't an athlete, you were definitely less valued. Probably because sports was about all there was to do. I was not an athlete.
Small town life wasn't all that bad, but it was not the experience that other artists have glorified. It was boring and we had to make our own fun, which we did.
Going back and visiting, which I do from time to time, I feel totally out of place there. The peaceful, quiet, slow pace is enough to drive me out of my ever loving mind. To each his or her own.
lyrics
I grew up slowly in this small town
and life was difficult for me
Once we outgrew playing with toy guns
we eventually grew up to see
Your personality and interests
had better be straight off the rack
That wasn't me and I had few friends
And that's why I don't wanna go back
So don't mind me, I'm passing through, I don't belong here
Yeah don't mind me, I'm passing through, I don't belong here
Keep your small town values, shops on main street
That's just fine for you
Don't mind me, I'm passing through
There weren't a lot of people like me
I found the few people that were
We stuck together and we made it through
not as easily as I would prefer
And some of us we grew up angry
A life of boredom and control
Our small town life was just a sentence
and you had to grow up for parole
So don't mind me, I'm passing through, I don't belong here
Yeah don't mind me, I'm passing through, I don't belong here
Keep your small town values, shops on main street
That's just fine for you
Don't mind me, I'm passing through
And there used to be nothing to do
And I can see that it's still true
And all the people stop and stare at my out of state license plate
And they're probably wondering about me
And they don't recognize my face
So they'll go back to their small town gossip and all their small town ways
Jody Stephens of Big Star and Luther Russell of the Freewheelers team for a radiant LP packed full of slide guitar and pop smarts. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 11, 2019
Keith Richards, Rosanne Cash, Lucinda Williams, Joan Jett, and more pay tribute to the enduring and visionary music of Lou Reed. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 23, 2024
Winter McQuinn mixes soft rock and psychedelic folk for a sound reminiscent of classic pop purveyors like Cut Worms and the Lemon Twigs. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 16, 2024
Rundgren-esque rock with big hooks and a hint of the baroque, recommended for fans of Jon Brion and post-Kill Rock Stars Elliott Smith. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 20, 2024
Juxtaposing poetic balladry with roaring feedback and warped piano lines, the Vermonter's music is as stunning as it is unsettling. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 21, 2024