Due to a publisher block, we are not authorized to display these lyrics.


Lyrics submitted by ADimeADexter

The Boys of Summer (Don Henley cover) song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

113 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +8
    General Comment

    This song is about youth and a young love. At first, I really didn't think so, primarily you can see its about wanting someone back but it has a deeper meaning than that. "The boys of summer" is a metephor for his past. Summer is his past. The best times he had were with the boys of summer. His friends etc. "I can tell you my love for you will still be strong after the boys of summer has gone" means he'll still love her after all his best years have gone "Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach ... the summer's out of reach..." etc. refers to how the past is over. "I'm driving by your house though I know you're not home" to his love being gone too. "Out on the road today, I saw a black flag sticker on a cadillac" is a metephor for how things have changed too. A Black Flag sticker (or Dead Head as it was originally) used to be a sign of rebelling and there it is on a nice car that a lot of people want; exactly what the flag was rebelling against. It's ironic. It's not longer a sign of rebelling. It's now become part of the consumer world. Ultimately, he doesn't want to look back to his love because that means looking back onto his past too. It's too late to look back kind of. But he can still see her. He still loves her

    Jenezzyon February 17, 2006   Link
  • +2
    Song Meaning

    "Black Flag sticker on a Cadillac" - I know why they changed it.

    Black Flag was a famous punk band in the 80's, they're still well known today and no doubt judging by the age of the band members, they listened to Black Flag when they were in their teens.

    The Ataris have taken this song and made it about their past instead of Don Henley's. It's a really interesting transition, I can see this song being covered for generations.

    Amazing song, I love driving to it.

    GodzillaDannyon April 17, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    i think this is a great cover..and im horribly harsh on covers haha. but its just..amazing. the ataris are amazing :D

    orgasmicon March 13, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Great song... It's a Don Henley Cover...

    -Stix-

    ADimeADexteron March 12, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    incredible cover. i've been listening to it all day.

    oofuson March 14, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I didn't know it was a cover till now, but its frickin awsome, very well done. I think if you never knew, you can't tell its a cover, they do it perfectly. Ataris rock! SDHFR!!

    djdanon March 16, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Wow. This is a great cover! The Ataris completely rock this song... The Ataris are awesome!

    xinxwinterxon March 16, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Perfect song for them.. better than the original song! THE ATARIS ROCK!

    AtarisTimPagnottaon March 17, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this song. Just wanted to say how awesome it is that "Deadhead" got replaced with "Black Flag". Look who's driving the Cadillacs now...

    Invader_Zymon March 19, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I absolutely love this song!! Best cover song i've ever heard!! Rock on!!

    jamesfisher21on March 19, 2003   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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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
Gentle Hour
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,
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.