This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
You know sometimes, I don't know why
But this old town just seems so hopeless
I ain't really sure, but it seems I remember the good times
Were just a little bit more in focus
But when she puts her arms around me
I can somehow rise above it
Yeah, man when I got that little girl standin' right by my side
You know, I can tell the whole wide world to shove it, hey
Here comes my girl
Here comes my girl
Yeah, and she looks so right
She is all I need tonight
Every now and then I get down to the end of the day
I have to stop and ask myself why I've done it
It just seems so useless to have to work so hard
And nothin' ever really seems to come from it
But then she looks me in the eye and says
"We're gonna last forever"
And man, you know I can't begin to doubt it
No, 'cause it just feels so good, so free and so right
I know we ain't never goin' to change our minds about it, hey
Here comes my girl
Here comes my girl
Yeah, and she looks so right
She is all I need tonight (watch her walk)
Every time it seems like there ain't nothin' left no more
I find myself having to reach out and grab hold of something
Yeah, I just catch myself wondering, waiting, worrying
About some silly little things that don't add up to nothin'
And then she looks me in the eye, says
"We're gonna last forever"
And man, you know I can't begin to doubt it
No, 'cause it just feels so good, so free and so right
I know we ain't never gonna' to change our minds about it, hey
Here comes my girl
Here comes my girl
Yeah, and she looks so right
She is all I need tonight
(That's right)
But this old town just seems so hopeless
I ain't really sure, but it seems I remember the good times
Were just a little bit more in focus
But when she puts her arms around me
I can somehow rise above it
Yeah, man when I got that little girl standin' right by my side
You know, I can tell the whole wide world to shove it, hey
Here comes my girl
Here comes my girl
Yeah, and she looks so right
She is all I need tonight
Every now and then I get down to the end of the day
I have to stop and ask myself why I've done it
It just seems so useless to have to work so hard
And nothin' ever really seems to come from it
But then she looks me in the eye and says
"We're gonna last forever"
And man, you know I can't begin to doubt it
No, 'cause it just feels so good, so free and so right
I know we ain't never goin' to change our minds about it, hey
Here comes my girl
Here comes my girl
Yeah, and she looks so right
She is all I need tonight (watch her walk)
Every time it seems like there ain't nothin' left no more
I find myself having to reach out and grab hold of something
Yeah, I just catch myself wondering, waiting, worrying
About some silly little things that don't add up to nothin'
And then she looks me in the eye, says
"We're gonna last forever"
And man, you know I can't begin to doubt it
No, 'cause it just feels so good, so free and so right
I know we ain't never gonna' to change our minds about it, hey
Here comes my girl
Here comes my girl
Yeah, and she looks so right
She is all I need tonight
(That's right)
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More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Does it seem to anyone else that a lot of Petty's music from the 70s/80s is about his wife. Especially this song. It's sad because it seems like he really loved her. Now he has to sing all these songs that seem to be about her all the time.