Like ships in the night
You keep passing me by
Just wasting time
Trying to prove who’s right
And if it all goes crashing into the sea
If its just you and me
Trying to find the light

Like ships in the night letting cannonballs fly
Say what you mean and it turns to a fight
Fists fly from my mouth as it turns south
You’re down the driveway
I’m on the couch
Chasing your dreams since the violent fifth grade
Trying to believe in your silent own way
'Cause we’ll be okay, I’m not going away
Like you watched at fourteen as it went down the drain
Your pops stayed the same and your moms moved away
How many of our parents seem to make it anyway
We’re just fumbling through the gray
Trying to find a heart that’s not walking away

Turn the lights down low
Walk these halls alone
We can feel so far
From so close

Like ships in the night
You keep passing me by
Just wasting time
Trying to prove who’s right
And if it all goes crashing into the sea
If its just you and me
Trying to find the light
Like ships in the night
You're passing me by
You're passing me by
Like ships in the night

I’m at the airport waitin’ on the second plane
Had to pack, you had cramps,
And I was late heading to a red carpet
They wont know my name
Riding in silence
All that we wanna say
'Bout to board when you call on the phone
You say I’m sorry I’ll be waitin’ at home
Feels like we’re burning this out on our own
Trying to find our way down a road we don’t know

Turn the lights down low
Walk these halls alone
We can feel so far
From so close

Like ships in the night
You keep passing me by
Just wasting time
Trying to prove who’s right
And if it all goes crashing into the sea
If its just you and me
Trying to find the light
Like ships in the night
You're passing me by
You're passing me by
Like ships in the night

I’m gonna find my way
Back to your side

I’m gonna find my way
Back to your side

Like ships in the night
You keep passing me by
Just wasting time
Trying to prove who’s right
And if it all goes crashing into the sea
If its just you and me
Trying to find the light
Like ships in the night
You're passing me by
You're passing me by
Like ships in the night


Lyrics submitted by jshack26

Ships In the Night Lyrics as written by Robert Marvin Joshua Crosby

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Spirit Music Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Ships In The Night song meanings
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10 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment

    Solid song by Mat.

    To me this song is about relationships and fighting, trying to learn as you go and not make the same mistakes your parents made (in this case - divorce). It's a feeling almost every single person experiences many times in their lives, I know I have.

    England34on August 04, 2011   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I think this song states more about seeing someone very less often, and with only emotions held within the people. 'like ships in the night, you keep passing me by' states itself how we barely see is gone away within a short period of time, unknown of the fact that we want them to stay.

    kyakpamyaaon February 27, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion

    Totally dig his voice and vibe in this song.

    bellababyon March 20, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion

    This is a ridiculous song. It's ridiculously beautiful, ridiculously inspiring, and ridiculously real. I agree it can be about divorce and/or distance driving relationships to straining point, but what matters in the end is the desire to connect anyway. Props to Mat K for penning this beautiful thing.

    Tsuppion January 11, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I didn't get it until I read the lyrics. I think it's about divorce...like honestly I agree with the first comment and how "14, you went down the drain" because of the split ups and how in the song he didn't want this to happen like he watched happen

    xxluvizintheairxxon June 16, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I didn't get it until I read the lyrics. I think it's about divorce...like honestly I agree with the first comment and how "14, you went down the drain" because of the split ups and how in the song he didn't want this to happen like he watched happen

    xxluvizintheairxxon June 16, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I listened to the story of the song on one of the radio stations. Mat Karney said it is about a couple trying to work things out, then they are able to do so and it ends that they are back in love. Basically, about my marriage.

    jibrinkleyon August 13, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I think it comes down to anything dealing with relationships and how we deal with them from what we learned- growing up. This artist has a tendency to write from experience--his father was abusive--causing alot of pain in his life and maybe his wife dealt with family issues as well. Not sure if this is specifically about his life. But maybe about two people who grew up in a messed up home. "Like you watched at fourteen as it went down the drain Your pops stayed the same and your moms moved away How many of our parents seem to make it anyway We’re just fumbling through the gray Trying to find a heart that’s not walking away" Its easy to become lukewarm to this world, to not be noticeable. “Like ships in the night, just passing by”. A lot of us can grow hearts that are angry and bitter and we take that into marriage. And when it gets to be too much we shut off. We don’t listen to the ones close to us who are hurting as well. We just want to be right and bitter at times. Which disconnects us from each other. “Chasing your dreams since the violent fifth grade Trying to believe in your silent own way” During certain times in our life we make “silent” vows or judgments that we believe will change our situation. (that to we can take into marriage down the road). We start depending on our own knowledge (maybe connected to fear) and not depend on God and connecting with others. It leads to the feeling of “We can feel so far, From so close”. “Turn the lights down low Walk these halls alone” Life is hard and its easy to think were walking it alone (in marriage). But when it says "And if it all goes crashing into the sea If its just you and me Trying to find the light" I believe hes talking about in the end if all ‘your ways’ go crashing into the sea and its just you two- was being right and fighting really worth it? Rather than working it out. But we try to do it our own way. We may repeat what are parents did. We may have a heart thats easy to walk away because of all the pain. But this person wants to make it work out. They both do. Their just broken. But they'll find each other again. This can also relate to a relationship with God. We try to go our own way, we didn’t grow up with the best examples. Ships in the night just passing by (living half hearted for God). But in the end hes going to find his way back to Gods side. This can sound kind of a sad interpretation of it but I think the artist was just being real with how life can sometimes be. But he has a positive prospective of overcoming the obstacles of life. Working it out in marriage is totally worth it when you both lay your “cannons” down. (:

    Thats just my take on it.(: I think its a beautiful song.

    Lamar64on December 03, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion

    I feel the one saying "like ships in the night you keep passing me by, just wasting time trying to prove whos right" is actually God, stating that your too busy arguing and not seeking Me (the lighthouse). The part where Mat says "Trying to find our way down a road we don’t know" i feel means the woman and him cant expect to walk down a road they dont know without the one that leads the way! Jesus! for without him we go astray. and so at the end mat realizes that if he wants to fix the relationship he needs to 'find his way back to His side'. I could be wrong,but just stating my personal opinion. God bless

    johnwayne123on July 28, 2014   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think it's a mix of the top 2 comment he is talking to someone he cares about he keeps leaving and she has to stay at home but she had parents divorce when she was 14 and he wants to keep it working while they both are trying to find the light (Jesus) in their relationship and in this world wheee it is so easy to get lost

    Jesusfreak43on November 02, 2016   Link

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