Clementine

Elliott Smith

Another track from his self-titled LP — one of these stunners that you can’t believe exists. A million to one song that’s just perfect and emotional and exponential in meaning.

A cinematic beginning as our hero wakes up on a stool with the bar closing. It’s raining outside and the bartender’s singing the tragic folk song Oh My Darling, Clementine.

And we don’t know who’s lost exactly — him or his girlfriend. Maybe both. And maybe her name is ironically Clementine? Or maybe the song just reminds him of her. But we know this much..he’s alone and drunk in a bar at 2AM and should probably be with her right now.

Though you’re still her man
It seems a long time gone
Maybe the whole thing’s wrong.
What if she thinks so
and just didn’t say so?

And the song has such a beautiful melody, you just want to keep playing it. And it has one of my favorite Elliott Smith couplets —

You drank yourself in slo mo
Made an angel in the snow

❤️