Lights out, boys sleepwalking on the weekend
Black out, two nights killing off a best friend
Fall out like soldiers walking off the deep end
Hands out, don't stop marching till the hearts rend

The time goes by and sets the stage
They play their parts and act their age
They never forget the lines that they say
Speaking slowly

I promise you one day
I promise you always
We'll make it out one day
I promise you always

Nights out, girls keep walking on the East End
White out, two lights shining on a dead end
Drawn out like circles trailing off the pavement
Stand out, don't stop marching till the hearts mend

As time goes by, we set the stage
We play the parts and act our age
We'll never forget the words that they'd say
Talking slowly

I promise you one day
I promise you always
We'll make it out one day
I promise you always

I promise you one day
I promise you always
We'll make it out one day
I promise you always


Lyrics submitted by anastasia_gloom

Weekend Lyrics as written by Deborah Harry Charles Farrar

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, O/B/O DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Weekend song meanings
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10 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    Lights out Boys sleepwalking on the weekend. Black out Two nights killing off a best friend

    "Lights out" signifies nighttime, or darkness. I picture boys out in the streets late into the night on a weekend. They are part of a gang, and part of being in it is to beat up people which may be what "black out" means. They are "sleepwalking" because they go throughout life without thinking about it; they go through an endless cycle where they don't have to think about what you're doing. "Two nights killing off a best friend." The weekend consists of two days obviously and this is the time where they turn to violence, even if it means turning against friends to stay in the gang, to stay tough, to keep the cycle going.

    Fall out like soldiers walking off to the deep end Hands out Don't stop marching til the hearts rend

    Soldiers in war may walk off to the "deep end," literally or metaphorically. In the literal sense, they could be crossing the border into enemy territory. Metaphorically, they could be going very far to fight mindlessly against men that are just like them. Brave soldiers or forced soldiers alike will keep marching into battle until they fall and cannot get up. The boys described in the beginning may be doing the same: they continue doing what they do until it causes their destruction.

    The time goes by And sets the stage They play their parts And act their age They never forget the lines that they say

    As life goes on, there is a "stage" where they each have a duty. Like a play, they will remember the events in their lives just as an actor would remember their lines and movements.

    Speaking slowly

    I promise you one day I promise you always We'll make it out one day I promise you always

    This is kind of a promise, a possibly hopeless promise. A promise that everything will be okay in the end.

    Nights out Girls keep on walking on the east end White out Two lights shining on a dead end

    The scene of the boys switches to the girls. They're feeling hopeless and lonely, so they take a walk late into the night. As they reach a dead end, there are cars which have "two lights shining" on them.

    Drawn out Like circles trailing off the pavement Stand out Don't stop marching til the hearts mend

    Just like the light that stands out, the girls stand out as well. When it says "don't stop marching till hearts mend" I think these girls are turning to sex and prostitution. They take those late night walks in hopes of finding freedom, sex, and money to mend their hearts by filling in the void.

    So after looking at each part and putting it all together, I think the song kind of speaks out to young people that are feeling lost and hopeless. Boys turn to violence and girls turn to sex. They turn to these things to fill in the void. Hopefully they will have some kind of happy ending someday, but when the promise is weighed out against the rest of the song, it seems more like an empty promise.

    silentstrangeron October 29, 2007   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    It just feels to me that this song is about youth and how the young ones are full of hopes and dreams, and though they may feel out of place and disappointed of the world and society surrounding, they keep "marching 'til the hearts rend", in the hope of that promise that may never be fulfilled.

    Elarienon October 10, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The verses in this song completely rip off Sailor by IAMX.

    Then you hear the chorus...

    and you think...

    motherfucker, that's Sunday Bloody Sunday by u2!

    rabbithowlon November 13, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    lol, rabbithowl i could kind of agree with you for U2 but i haven't heard the other song ...

    dustybreezeon May 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    See, that entire second verse to me paints a very vivid picture - some girls wandering around late at night, trying to find a way to live in a small town, when all of a sudden out of nowhere they are blinded (white out) by 'two lights shining on a dead end' - or a pair of headlights from a car. 'Drawn out like circles trailing off the pavement' just gives me that white chalk feeling, like the girls' bodies where traced after they died when the car hit them.

    Y/N?

    AnIndigoMoonon June 03, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I would like to point out that this song is also subtitled (NYC 77) So maybe it has something to do with that famous blackout and the crime wave that followed... It also kinda reminds me of Bananarama's Cruel Summer as well as Sunday Bloody Sunday.

    DoroteaRojaon December 28, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yes the chorus does sound kind of like Sunday Bloody Sunday but I don't see how they rip off Sailor by IAMX. The lyrics aren't at all the same. The tune is very similar but its a popular melody Sailor isn't the only song with a verse that sounds like that. For the meaning of the song I agree with silentstranger. However, I think the "The time goes by and sets the stage" part was saying that they knew their lines and acted their age but they were really just acting, not actually living. Also "Drawn out like circles trailing off the pavement" I think it was the circles of headlights trailing off the pavement, but I'm not sure why it says "like" then. I think the next lines mean the girls stand out in the bright headlights, and it feels like they've been caught almost, but they won't stop, only because they feel like they need to fill in the void and don't know how else to.

    maneatingmangoon November 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    i think its about these two lovers are trapped in a seperated areas & wants 2b together & find a way out. bcuz it says " Ipromise you always, We'll make it out one day" signifies that they want 2b free & be in love with each other without their friends or parents tearing them apart. sorta like romeo and juliet.

    just thinking idk if its rite or not.

    zekwolf13on May 30, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    This is my most favourite song by TBM. It really relates to me, personally. I'll break it down. Basically, in the chorus 'I promise you one day, I promise you always, we'll make it out one day, I promise you always' it kinds of says how one will save another from isolation, from being kept away from depression, for them to be free. I'm not sure about the versus but the chorus really speaks to me.

    BaileyJon January 11, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I think this song is about teenage boys and girls get caught up in the dating game, how their perspectives differ (i.e., boys want sex, girls want love), and how the emotional impacts can last into adulthood.

    I think that both verses describe the same cycle. The first verse is from the boys' point of view, and the second verse is from the girls' point of view. If we compare the respective lines from each verse, they seem to go together.

    "Lights out, boys sleepwalking on the weekend" and "Nights out, girls keep walking on the East End"

    I think "weekend" and "nights out" refer to the dating scene. The boys are up to no good ("lights out" - doing what they do under cover of darkness) and "sleepwalking" suggests there is no feeling to what they are doing; they are just going through the motions of their game. For the second verse, I think the "East End" refers to the pool of sleazy boys who only want to use the girls, so by continually choosing to date these types of boys, the girls "keep walking on the East End".

    "Black out, two nights killing off a best friend" and "White out, two lights shining on a dead end"

    The boys fail to notice or care ("black out") that their brief flings (or subsequent rejections of the girls) will destroy their friendships with the girls they are using. The boys catch the girls off guard ("white out") by abruptly leaving, and it then becomes clear ("lights shining") to the girls that they have been used and that the relationship is over ("dead end"). This is symbolized by a car stopping at an unexpected dead end. Additionally, the contrast of "black out" and "white out" further suggest that the boys feel nothing while the girls are overwhelmed with emotion.

    "Fall out like soldiers walking off the deep end" and "Drawn out like circles trailing off the pavement"

    The boys simply leave ("fall out") and move on to the next conquest ("like soldiers"), emotionally unscathed. "Off the deep end" could also suggest a sudden change in personality (warm and loving to cold and uncaring). The boys move on quickly ("fall out") while the girls spend a long time ("drawn out") trying to get over it. I think "circles trailing off the pavement" suggests that the cycles (for both boys and girls) extend beyond childhood into adulthood.

    "Hands out, don't stop marching til the hearts rend" and "Stand out, don't stop marching til the hearts mend"

    The boys move on and continue with their "conquests", breaking more girls' hearts along the way. The girls continue trying to find true love (possibly in hopes that it will undo the pain they have incurred).

    I think the lead-in to the chorus says that as men and women grow up, men continue to exploit women's dire for love ("They never forget the lines that they say"). However, women recall their past experiences become weary of this ("We'll never forget the words that they'd say").

    The chorus is what the boys tell the girls to win them over. To the boys, this is just a meaningless script. To this girls, this is a promise that they will get married and run away together.

    allgood2000on February 04, 2012   Link

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