The song is named I-89, after an interstate that runs from New Hampshire to the Canadian border at Vermont. It’s about a person in an abusive relationship who builds up the courage to leave and just gets in a car and drives away to start a new life elsewhere.
More generally, the song deals with the...
[Chorus: Aoife O'Donovan & Sarah Jarosz]
If there was another way out I'd take it
If there was another way down I'd go
If there was another way other than the highway
Show me on a map, point out the road
[Verse 1: O'Donovan]
Waitin' for the sight of headlights flashin'
Fussing with the dial on the radio
Burning through the pages of the Rand McNally
Fire in my belly gonna keep you warm
[Chorus: O'Donovan & Jarosz]
If there was another way out I'd take it
If there was another way down I'd go
If there was another way other than the highway
Show me on a map, point out the road
[Bridge: O'Donovan]
Everybody wants a piece of me
Everybody wants to see what I see
Everybody wants a piece of me
Yeah, everybody wants to see what I see
But I can't just give it to you
[Verse 2: O'Donovan]
I'm sick of this routine baby
Shake yourself out of your drowsy sleep
Leaving you the keys on the kitchen counter
Aren't you getting tired of the passenger seat
[Verse 3: O'Donovan & Jarosz/O'Donovan]
Take a minute to remember, baby
Think of my hand pressing on your back
When you said you hoped no one would ever love me
I'll never forgive you
[Chorus: O'Donovan & Jarosz]
If there was another way out I'd take it
If there was another way down I'd go
If there was another way other than the highway
Show me on a map, point out the road
[Outro: O'Donovan/O'Donovan & Jarosz]
Everybody wants a piece of me
Everybody wants to see what I see
But I can't just give it to you like that
Say you want a piece of me
Say you want to see what I see
But I can't just give it to you like that
Everybody wants a piece of me
Everybody wants to see what I see
But I can't just give it to you like that
I-89 was written by Aoife O’Donovan & Sara Watkins & Sarah Jarosz.
I-89 was produced by Ethan Johns & I’m With Her.
I’m With Her released I-89 on Fri Feb 16 2018.
In 2018, NPR ranked this as the #166 greatest song by a female or nonbinary artist in the 21st century, saying:
Aoife O'Donovan, Sarah Jarosz, and Sara Watkins joining forces as I’m With Her was a revelation in roots music circles. Not only do their vocal and instrumental talents blend together bea...