Its your bed,
So please choose a side.
I'll take the one closest to the door.
And you start to speak
The words that try to justify do far more wrong
Than anything you do,
So grab the coat, the keys,
The tension speaks but we're singing it

I'll tap the break while you crack the window
The smell of smoke is making my lungs explode
The 51 is backed up and too slow,
Let's tune out by turning on the radio

And this town is dead
We've been caught in these sheets way too long
Let's just see who's up on this screen
No one I know is more depressing than me,
Or should I say the two of us
'Cause after all we're all we've got
And tension speaks but we're singing it

I'll tap the break while you crack the window
The smell of smoke is making my lungs explode
The 51 is backed up and too slow
Let's tune out by turning on the radio

And oh my love you're all I need
Backed behind a frequency
They played this song an hour ago
Let's tune out
Let's tune out by turning on the radio

Oh, haven't we heard this song
About a thousand times before
Oh well, after a while it all sounds the same
I guess it's better than silence and better then shame

I'll tap the break while you crack the window
The smell of smoke is making my lungs explode
The 51 is backed up and too slow
Let's tune out by turning on the radio

And oh my love you're all i need
Backed behind a frequency
They played this song an hour ago
But lets tune out
Let's tune out
Let's tune out by turning on the radio


Lyrics submitted by Hera, edited by TheFormatSaves

Tune Out song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

19 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    The chorus sounds like their on the 51 while its all backed up and their just hanging out smoking and listening to the radio to tune out all the traffic and stuff..haha i dont know great band tho.

    cato11087on July 25, 2005   Link

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

Album art
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Album art
Dreamwalker
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.
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Page
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.