In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Violent skies, 10 am
Falling on my knees again
Outside in the underground
Proud in the rain
I'm walking a straight line
Stepped on all of the cracks this time
I don't care, I'm not moving aside for anyone
PRE-CHORUS
Outside in the underground
Proud in the rain
Outside in the underground
There's no way out of here today
CHORUS
I raise my head up to the sky again
And make my way alone
I'm never home but I've stopped searching
Cause the city told me so it all comes down
Down to me
Oh, I've got a hundred lives
Oh, I've got to get it right
Oh, who knows someday I might
Outside in the underground
PRE-CHORUS
Outside in the underground
Proud in the rain
Outside in the underground
There's no way out of here, oh, no way
CHORUS
I raise my head up to the sky again
And make my way alone
I'm never home but I've stopped searching
Cause the city told me it all comes down
Down to me
Oh, I've got a hundred lives
Oh, I've got to get it right
Oh, who knows someday I might
Oh, I've got to get it right
Falling on my knees again
Outside in the underground
Proud in the rain
I'm walking a straight line
Stepped on all of the cracks this time
I don't care, I'm not moving aside for anyone
PRE-CHORUS
Outside in the underground
Proud in the rain
Outside in the underground
There's no way out of here today
CHORUS
I raise my head up to the sky again
And make my way alone
I'm never home but I've stopped searching
Cause the city told me so it all comes down
Down to me
Oh, I've got a hundred lives
Oh, I've got to get it right
Oh, who knows someday I might
Outside in the underground
PRE-CHORUS
Outside in the underground
Proud in the rain
Outside in the underground
There's no way out of here, oh, no way
CHORUS
I raise my head up to the sky again
And make my way alone
I'm never home but I've stopped searching
Cause the city told me it all comes down
Down to me
Oh, I've got a hundred lives
Oh, I've got to get it right
Oh, who knows someday I might
Oh, I've got to get it right
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
This is more or less what John says during his intro to Outside in the Underground from his show at Eddies Attic in Atlanta on 6-15-99. It's not quite exact, cause I can't type fast enough, but it's really close.
"So I'm flying up to boston in July which is great, I have quite a kinship with that city. I wrote most of these songs, well about half of them, up in boston. This song is, uh, If you have the five song demo, this song is called 'Outside in the Underground'. I hardly ever play it, but I'm starting to feel like it means something more; it's not a pop hit, but sometimes, when you go out in the rain, most of the time, we run, because you don't want to get hit by the rain, but other times you walk through the rain, and you just walk. You don't react to the rain, you let it happen, you don't back down. I think I wrote this song after i filled out my withdrawl form at berkley. And I had the idea for this song, it's raining, it's laid out in the city, and you have to walk a couple blocks to get around, and I didn't feel running, like opening up the umbrella or putting up the hood, and I just looked up and accepted it. This songs called 'Outside in the Underground'."
It always helps to see the artists explanation of a song.