"Washington Square" is the seventh track on Counting Crows

Counting Crows

Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...

' 2008 album Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings

Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings

Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings is the fifth studio album by Counting Crows, released in the United States on March 25, 2008. It is thematically divided into two sides: the rock music of Saturday Nights and the more country-influenced Sunday Mornings. Vocalist and lyricist Adam Duritz states that...

, and the track that opens the Sunday Mornings half of the album.

Song Meaning

In early 2008, Duritz explained the meaning of the song in concert:
One lyric in the song (And I heard the songbirds of Ballyporeen...) is a reference to friend and fellow songwriter Gemma Hayes

Gemma Hayes

Gemma Claire Hayes is an Irish singer-songwriter and member of The Cake Sale.-Early life:...

, who previously co-wrote the track "Hazy" with Duritz for Counting Crows' 2003 live album New Amsterdam: Live at Heineken Music Hall.