This pavement feels cold on my face
And my bones have seen better days
Be a friend, pick me up off the ground
Nice and easy, oooh
I got a scar, you can see it from afar
Like cigarette burns on the top of my guitar
If you wish me luck, don't tell me to break a leg
I coulda been walking on a peg

And at the end of the day I will return to the city of lakes
Where the real people roam close to where all the real waves break

I got a girl, she got lots of style
You can see every tooth in her mouth when she smiles
She's prettier than you, and you, and you
Yeah, she's prettier than you
I got a dream, I hope that it comes true
And if it don't, don't know what I'm gonna do
I got a dream, I got a dream

And at the end of the day I will return to the city of lakes
Where the real people roam close to where all the real waves break

I lost a friend here in this past year
I miss his guitar playing in my ear
Be a friend, take away all my fears
Nice and easy, nice and easy, nice and easy



Lyrics submitted by nerd_rock

City of Lakes Lyrics as written by Matt Mays

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

City Of Lakes song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

13 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    woo, dartmouth!

    imgunnin4uon March 31, 2006   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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
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.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Punchline
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.