The Meaning Behind “The Governor’s Waltz” by Phoebe Bridgers and a Haunting Episode From Her Past

“The Governor’s Waltz” finds Phoebe Bridgers recalling a haunting episode from her past. Taken from her latest album, Lost Weekend, the folk lament feels more like a disoriented chapter. And it begins with an iconic scene from a horror masterpiece.

“Wendy, I’m Home”

Bridgers recalls her negative experience performing at the Governor’s Ball in 2021. Driving home just how horrific the experience was, Bridgers compares the memory to Shelley Duvall’s role as Wendy Torrance in The Shining, hiding in the bathroom from her deranged husband, Jack Torrance, portrayed by Jack Nicholson.

I was the belle of the Governor’s Ball,
Hiding in the bathroom like Shelley Duvall.
You had a nosebleed, you were in my way,
And you didn’t remind me of anything.

The story’s timeline covers Bridgers’s relationship with Paul Mescal. And in the chorus, the couple gives up physical intimacy. All is not well as the cycling guitar chords seem to foreshadow the relationship’s downward spiral.

So let’s see how long we can go without touching,
Why don’t you sing me to sleep?
I know you’ll never actually think about jumping,
But do it for me.

The second verse finds them listening to LCD Soundsystem’s “Dance Yrself Clean” on New Year’s Eve. You can hear a faint dance groove enter and quickly fade out as Bridgers falls emotionally into self-loathing.

Two kids in a trench coat living alone,
I was too happy to feel at home.
Dancing ourselves clean late New Year’s Eve,
You deserved better, you wanted me.

You’re Next To Nothing

Now they are no longer talking. Bridgers continues to attack herself as he’s yet to realize that there’s nothing left of the relationship but the shredded strands of a former bond.

So let’s see how long we can go without talking,
Watch me pretending to sleep.
I’m next to you, you’re next to nothing.

Finally, some listeners have speculated that the following verse is Bridgers dissing Gracie Abrams. But whoever takes her place in this story, Bridgers sings, being herself wasn’t easy. So, “Do it for me.”

Now, let’s see how far I can run without stopping,
And she can pretend to be me.
Since she took my place in my bed on that stage,
I have not lost any sleep.

Photo by Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images