The Gaslight Anthem – Boomboxes and Dictionaries

"Boomboxes and Dictionaries" as written by and Brian Fallon....
I took a drive today
I thought about you
I thought about a friend who passed
And how much we just went through

I saw the sun shine off the hood of a Cadillac
I thought about some things I said
And some I would take back
I thought about how fortunate I feel to be alive

And if you're scared of the future tonight
We'll just take it each hour one at a time
It's a pretty good night for a drive
So dry up those eyes, dry up those eyes

Because the radio will still play loud
Songs that we heard as our guards came down
Like in the summertime when we first met
I'll never forget, and don't you forget
These nights are still ours

I still love the way you smile
I still love the ocean
We should remember to slow down more often
And maybe we will

Now here's a lot of good things coming our way right now
A lot of bad has passed
But we survived the breakdowns
All is forgiven, water under bridges now

And if you're scared of the future tonight
We'll just take it each hour one at a time
It's a pretty good night for a drive
So dry up those eyes, dry up those eyes

Because the radio will still play loud
Songs that we heard as our guards came down
Like in the summertime when we first met
I'll never forget, and don't you forget
These nights are still ours


Lyrics submitted by VoiT

"Boomboxes and Dictionaries" as written by Brian Fallon

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Boomboxes and Dictionaries song meanings
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9 Comments

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  • +1
    General CommentI love this song, one of my favorites from Gaslight.

    I'm thinking this song is about a death, a crumbling relationship, just a huge shit storm in general going on for the narrator. But he's just trying to see everything through with some optimism; trying to save his relationship, not letting that death of a friend be the end of him and/or his girl, just standing his ground through the hard times.
    koolmcron April 21, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI think this song is being sung to a friend that's having just as hard of a time as the singer with life and its consequences. As he addresses both death and relationships, i think the song is a general reflection on their lives, and appreciation for having gotten through some rough patches.
    gablegroveon July 04, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI think "Dictionaries and Boomboxes" is a reference to the movie Say Anything. There's a part where Lloyd (John Cusack) and Diane (Ione Skye) are in Diane's room and Lloyd points out Diane's "mother dictionary" and Diane tells him that when she was little she used to look up a new word in the dictionary every day. And then there's the famous boombox scene, where Lloyd stands under Diane's window blasting "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel after they fought. If the song title is a reference to Say Anything, then the guys in TGA did a great job of picking out objects that show what make the characters tick. In Diane's case, it's language and academics, and Lloyd has his music.
    My apologies if I focused too much on the movie rather than the song.
    formerlyknockouton October 12, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Commentsink florida sink
    iancurtison September 22, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Commentiancurits: yeah, that was the first thing I thought when I first heard this song. The "whoa's" in this song is a little TOO similar to the chorus of "Sink, Florida, Sink".

    Maybe it's an homage? I mean, these guys salute their idols many times on the record. And you can tell that they've taken lots of inspiration from Against Me! (as well as the clash, bob dylan, bruce springsteen and others)
    Filbunkeon July 05, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General CommentObviously, "sink, florida, sink".
    but also the chorus sounds like ramones' "Poison Heart".
    c
    ummm12on August 24, 2008   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General CommentI think it's
    "And if you're scared of the future tonight,
    We'll just take it each ALBUM one at a time."

    Given the references to letting the radio play loud, and also the general music-centricness of the album.
    antisinecuriston August 10, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Commentthese are amazing.
    alinamatterson September 20, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Commentno, guys. It's hour. It doesn't have anything to do with the references to the volume, it has to do with the previous line, "if you're scared of the FUTURE tonight", we'll break down Time and take it one HOUR at a time.

    That said, I like "album" a lot more :)
    gablegroveon October 30, 2009   Link

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