Despite everything you've heard
You still get what you deserve
The world just can't find the words
To tell you what they think about you
The bus comes every morning
Under long lists of reasons
Everyday you're still sleeping
And everyday it leaves without you

Now you're talking on the phone with all your angry friends
It really doesn't matter what you say to them
Because when you hang up
Everything will feel just like a dream
But until you do
Let's keep it between you and me

Despite everything you heard
From the bumblebees and the mockingbirds
There still aren't any words
To all the songs they wrote about you
The bus comes early in the morning
You are forever sleeping
And even with your reasons
It's still gonna leave without you

Now I see you going out with all your useless friends
You know it doesn't matter what you do with them
Because when you come home
Everything will just have been a dream
But until you do
Let's keep it between you and me

I hear your conversations with your boring friends
It really doesn't matter what you're telling them
Cause you'll be sleeping over when the party ends
And we'll wake up tomorrow and we'll start again
And anything outside of that is just pretend
And if you tell them different then you're lyin'

The things that people say don't make no difference
Now we can talk it over or just go to bed
Or we can go to all the places where the money's spent
And buy whatever new distraction that the suits invent
They know the demographic that we represent
Because they heard all of our secrets through the heating vent
So write another song about your discontent
And wax nostalgic for a time less turbulent
With metaphors like closet doors that won't open
And you can use your list of words that rhyme with 'opulent'
Now someone said that you should throw in 'malcontent'
Maybe somebody can tell us where the liquor went
And we can raise our glasses while they raise our rent
And search for a solution that's more permanent
But there isn't any doctor or a medicine
That's gonna make you feel less insignificant
Another bunch of words that you can soon forget
Another bunch of crooks disguised as gentlemen
Now you wonder why the notes are always bruised and bent
You think that it's your song but it's your instrument
You want to turn invisible and try again
I'll kiss you in the kitchen and I'll count to ten
And then when you wake up
All of this will just have been a dream
But until you do
Let's keep it between you and me


Lyrics submitted by michaelbondy

When the Party Ends Lyrics as written by

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING

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When the Party Ends song meanings
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5 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    This is one of my favorite songs. I spent about 30 minutes typing out the lyrics ready to submit them before I found that they were already here.

    I think that this song is making a statement about a person trying to escape their life by trying to be rebellious, skipping school, work, and going out and talking with their "friends", who are really just stupid assholes. "When you wake up everything will just have been a dream" is a statement that the life said person is trying to lead is artificial and they know it but don't want to acknowledge it, and so they continue to live a false, ungratifying life. I don't quite understand how everything ties into it though.

    iusebigwordson August 31, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The last part of the song, where the singer begins to speed up and the music builds up layer by layer, is just profoundly touching.

    "Now you wonder why the notes are always bruised and bent You think that it's your song but it's your instrument"

    This song is probably my favorite off "Every Night."

    evergreenon April 24, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i love it.

    'They know the demographic that we represent Because they heard all of our secrets through the heating vent'

    cromartyon May 03, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think this song shows a dualistic view on life. On one hand he is saying how society (angry friends) and the materiastic life (distractions that the suits invent) all mean nothing. However, whatever reason you have you still have to (get on the bus) live life. But, i'm no expert...i just love this song and I have had the end of it in my head for a week.

    Imcuckooon January 26, 2007   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    This song is about someone who could easily be most people. They are caught up in the trivialities of life that the powers of this world would have you believe are important such as the many social constrants we as a western society feel to be justified.

    The song describes the person sensing the walls of the mind prison without actually being able to see them and hence not knowing how to escape.

    The person is lacking serious spiritualism or conception of their place within a world which, even with all its human constructed rules and laws, ultimately doesn't make sense.

    The line: "Let's keep it between you and me"

    Is the singer explaining how to actually express these inner concerns could be dangerous as people are likely to pass you off as different or (for fear of sounding sterotypical), non-conformist. Being percieved as such is likely to increase anxiety so he's suggesting that you just keep it between those who understand these issues.

    HonourableBoneson July 02, 2009   Link

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