Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: psych-rock
Song Meaning of “17 Pine Avenue” by New Riders of the Purple Sage
17 Pine Avenue is a song about the struggle of returning home after a long time away. The protagonist is lonely and overwhelmed with the prospect of coming back. He yearns for the familiarity of the neighborhood he grew up in and yet feels like a stranger in a place that should feel like home.
The anxiety of returning to the place he once knew and loved fills him with a sense of vulnerability and sadness for what once was. He wonders if those memories of his past are still alive, left unchanged in the home he once knew. The song speaks of the pain of coming home to an empty home void of childhood memories, yet there is still hope that he will be able to make new memories and experience the same feelings of warmth and security once felt in the home.
The chorus speaks to the longing of how he wishes he can get back to the wonderful times he shared with friends and family. He longs for the feeling of being home again, but he knows that the journey of return will be a difficult one with many questions and uncertainties.
In the end, the person in this song realises the importance of reconnecting with the things he once knew and loves, and that even though it might not be easy, the hope and strength of 17 Pine Avenue will eventually help him find his way home.