James McMurtry's song Charlemagne's Home Town explores the experience of being alone, both physically and emotionally. The lyrics paint a picture of a solitary figure sitting in a dark room, smoking black tobacco and measuring out their life with coffee grounds. The trees outside are described as "the color of ashes," adding to the sense of desolation. Despite claiming not to fear distance, the speaker admits that hearing a loved one's voice across the water is "nowhere near enough." They plead for their companion to cross the ocean and take a train to be with them, as the loneliness of the night in Charlemagne's home town grows. The song also touches on themes of fortune-telling and the awareness of one's own mortality. The fortune-teller provides no new information, merely taking the speaker's money and leaving them with the realization that the odds are "long and stacked against us." The reference to a saint's bones buried beneath a church floor suggests that even the most revered among us will be forgotten. Towards the end of the song, a lonely child on a carousel is observed by the speaker. This interaction seems to intensify their feelings of isolation and uncertainty about the future. The final line, "what will I do when it comes to nothing in Charlemagne's home town," suggests resignation and hopelessness. Overall, the song captures the experience of struggling with loneliness and searching for connection in a world that often feels indifferent.
