You Are Who You Are (Hopefully You're Not Tony Though)

The song "Diggin' Up The Heart" by Brandon Flowers is about a young man, Tony, who returns to his hometown after being in jail and his struggle to reconnect with his emotions. After being away for so long, he realizes that he missed his sister growing up and his girlfriend moved on and the song chronicles his reflection on this and if he has, or can, change for the better. In the end, however, the song implies that Tony, and people in general, can't change who they truly are.

The chorus of the song goes:

Digging up the heart

Digging up the heart

Well it ain't that strange

Any boy can change

Digging up the heart

 The speaker is describing Tony's experience remembering what his life was like before he went to jail and trying to find the "heart" he left behind in his hometown. While he was in jail he was also imprisoned emotionally, he could "hear the train," "smell the rain," and "see the sagebrush" but he couldn't "drive," or feel anything. So now that he's out, Tony is finally able to get back to being the person he used to be. However, this comes with a caveat. As he reverts to the person he once was, he also runs the risk of repeating the mistakes that landed him in jail.

As the song progresses, Tony's situation becomes worse as it transitions from hearing his mother defend him as "only human" to his older brother tell Tony he's lying to himself if he thinks he's changed. The last verse of the song goes:

Well the clerk’s got his hands up 

And his mind’s on the mark

The 38 beneath the register 

He’s digging up the heart

Here the narrator implies not only that Tony went back to stealing, he presumably was also killed (or at least shot) during this hold-up. Near the end of the song there is also a repetition of "any boy can change" which begins as a hopeful declaration but over the course of the song seems to become a reassurance that implies the exact opposite. The verse and repetition combined make the listener realize the impossibility of change for Tony, and the rest of us too.