Tom T. Hall：Meaning of The Letters Songmeaning

The Letters by Tom T. Hall is a story about a traveler who gets stranded in West Virginia in the deepening snow. He finds lodging in a small room with no entertainment except for a Bible. As he flips through the pages of the Bible, he discovers a stock of letters tied in blue that belonged to a young girl who used to live there. The letters are from a boy in Detroit who sent for her as soon as he got work. The first few letters talk about the girl's expected baby and how the boy might send for her. The later letters reveal that the boy wants to marry her and offers her his name. However, the last letter is tear-stained, revealing that the boy had married someone else. The next morning, the traveler feels guilty when he checks out because he never read the letters. He asks about the girl who used to live there and is told that she passed away three weeks ago. The traveler keeps the letters but never reads them. The meaning behind the song is the fleeting nature of time and love. The girl and the boy both had dreams and plans for their future, but circumstances changed, and their love story did not have a happy ending. The traveler understands the pain and loss that the girl and boy experienced, and they are the only two who appreciate the depth of their love.