The Toadies - Possum Kingdom - Lyrics Meaning

The song Possum Kingdom by The Toadies was recorded for their first full length album, Rubberneck in 1994. The band is from the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Possum Kingdom is a large lake in that region of Texas. There are many stories about this lake in local folklore and the lead singer, Todd Lewis, has stated that the lyrics for the song have come from a mixture of local legends and his own fabrication. This is a dark song about a man who brings a woman to the lake and seduces her under false pretenses. His real intention is to murder her. This is indicated in the song when Lewis sings, "Behind the boathouse, I'll show you my dark secret." Through the lyrics of the song the man goes on to promise the woman that she will remain beautiful forever and calls her an angel, which means she will not age or lose her looks, but will be remembered eternally in her current state because she will in fact be dead. The song builds to a crescendo as the bass and drums come to the forefront and the song culminates in the man's fury as he implores the woman, "do you wanna die!" As the song ends, it is apparent that the man has acted on his urges and asks for forgiveness as the music trails off.