This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
It takes a fast car, lady, to lead a double life
It takes a slow star, lady, if you wanna do it twice
You take your backseat rumble, take your front seat wife
Takes a fast car, lady, to lead a double life
It takes a light foot, lady, to lead a double life
It takes a good book, maybe, if you wanna do it nice
When you idle at the stop light, better get the signal right
Light foot, lady, you need a double life
Well, lift me from the wonder maze
Alienation is the craze
And it's all gonna happen to you
You think it's a phase
And it's all gonna happen to you
When you drive in the haze
It takes a freeway, lady, to lead a double life
It takes leeway, lady, if you wanna it twice
Neon blinking on the street, everyone is bittersweet
Freeway, lady, to lead a double life
Well, lift me from the wonder maze
Alienation is the craze
And it's all gonna happen to you
You think it's a phase
And it's all gonna happen to you
When you drive in the haze
It's all
Gonna happen to you
It's all gonna happen to you
That's right I said
Well, it's all gonna happen to you
That's right, well
Gonna say it to you
It's all gonna happen to you
Well that's right, oh
Well, it's all gonna happen to you, well
I said, it's all gonna happen to you, ooh-ooh, yeah
Gonna tell you again, I said
It's all gonna happen to you, well
It takes a slow star, lady, if you wanna do it twice
You take your backseat rumble, take your front seat wife
Takes a fast car, lady, to lead a double life
It takes a light foot, lady, to lead a double life
It takes a good book, maybe, if you wanna do it nice
When you idle at the stop light, better get the signal right
Light foot, lady, you need a double life
Well, lift me from the wonder maze
Alienation is the craze
And it's all gonna happen to you
You think it's a phase
And it's all gonna happen to you
When you drive in the haze
It takes a freeway, lady, to lead a double life
It takes leeway, lady, if you wanna it twice
Neon blinking on the street, everyone is bittersweet
Freeway, lady, to lead a double life
Well, lift me from the wonder maze
Alienation is the craze
And it's all gonna happen to you
You think it's a phase
And it's all gonna happen to you
When you drive in the haze
It's all
Gonna happen to you
It's all gonna happen to you
That's right I said
Well, it's all gonna happen to you
That's right, well
Gonna say it to you
It's all gonna happen to you
Well that's right, oh
Well, it's all gonna happen to you, well
I said, it's all gonna happen to you, ooh-ooh, yeah
Gonna tell you again, I said
It's all gonna happen to you, well
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Double Life Lyrics as written by Ric Ocasek
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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It took me a while to figure out what these lyrics specifically meant. Sure, it was about cheating on your spouse, but I thought for the longest Ocasek was just plugging in whatever rhymed. Not true, these are excellent, though somewhat cryptic lyrics that I will help you interpret.
In summary, 90% of this song is about providing advice to the woman he is about to have the affair with. Warnings, about what life will be life. The other 10% he speaks to the listener about himself. I will identify the latter.
It takes a fast car lady to lead a double life
It takes a light foot lady to lead a double life
Well, lift me from the wonder maze
And it's all gonna happen to you You think it's a phase And it's all gonna happen to you When you drive in the haze
It takes a freeway lady to lead a double life
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