“Interstate Love Song” by Stone Temple Pilots is a song written from the perspective of lead singer Scott Weiland’s girlfriend, Janina, as he imagined her seeing through his lies. Weiland was in Atlanta recording Purple while she was back in California. He’d tell her he was fine while hiding the fact that he was using heroin.
Below is a section-by-section interpretation of the lyrics in “Interstate Love Song.”
- Song: Interstate Love Song
- Artist: Stone Temple Pilots
- Songwriters: Robert DeLeo, Scott Weiland
- Released: 1994
- Album: Purple
- Genre: Grunge, Alternative rock, Hard rock, Country rock
What is “Interstate Love Song” About?
Verse 1: Reading Between the Lines
Waitin’ on a Sunday afternoon
For what I’ve read between the lines
Your lies
She’s sitting at home and has already figured out what’s really going on.
She knows that what he says and what’s really going on are two different things.
You have to assume that he either sounded off because of the drugs, or she just knew when he wasn’t being honest.
Verse 2: The Shame
Feelin’ like a hand in rusted shame
So do you laugh or does it cry?
Reply?
“Rusted shame” probably means that this is something he’s done before (the drugs and lies), so he’s felt the shame, and she’s heard the lies.
He’s wondering how she’s actually processing it. Is she laughing at herself for believing things would be different, or is she just incredibly sad?
Chorus: The Lies
Leavin’ on a southern train
Only yesterday you lied
That train could be a literal train (or bus) the band was on, or it could be a metaphor for falling deeper into drug addiction.
This could also be her leaving on the train, which would make sense since the song is from her perspective.
Regardless, he lied about his drug use to her.
Promises of what I seemed to be
Only watched the time go by
She must have questioned him about it, and he promised that he was fine and not using drugs.
All of these things you said to me
She’s thinking about all of the lies he’s told her. Again, remember that all of this is what Weiland is imagining she’s doing.
At the end of the song, this line changes to “All of these things I said to you,” which flips the perspective back to him. He owns what he said, taking full responsibility for it.
Verse 3: The End of It
Breathin’ is the hardest thing to do
With all I’ve said and all that’s dead for you
He knows that all of his lies have destroyed her.
The relationship, the trust, maybe the version of him she believed in, is all dead to her now.
You lied, goodbye
He feels like all of this is going to lead to her breaking up with him.
“Interstate Love Song” Song Meaning: The Liar Imagines Being Seen Through
“Interstate Love Song” is about Scott Weiland lying to his girlfriend about his heroin use while recording Purple in Atlanta. He’d call her from across the country and tell her he was fine when he definitely wasn’t.
He wrote the song from her perspective, imagining what it felt like to be on the other end of those calls.
The “interstate” in the title refers to the miles between them and the large gap between what he was saying to his girlfriend and what was actually happening.
Songs Like “Interstate Love Song”
Here are some songs with similar themes to “Interstate Love Song”:
1. “Needle and the Damage Done” by Neil Young
This 1972 track is about watching heroin ruin someone you care about, written after Young saw it happen to multiple people around him, including members of his band.
2. “How to Save a Life” by The Fray
The Fray’s 2005 hit is about watching someone you care about spiral while every attempt to get through to them hits a wall.
Related: “How to Save a Life” Song Meaning
3. “Hate Me” by Blue October
This 2006 rock song is written from the perspective of an addict asking the person he hurt most to hate him for what his addiction put her through, knowing that’s probably easier than forgiving him.
Related: “Hate Me” Song Meaning
Final Thoughts
I’ve loved “Interstate Love Song” since the first time I heard it, but that had a lot more to do with its sound than the lyrics. I always thought it was told from his perspective, and someone had lied to him. Knowing the actual meaning definitely elevates it for me since this is the only song that I’ve heard in which an addict imagines their partner’s thoughts, which is a fantastic theme for a song.
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