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"
Engine's running hot
But now it's burnin' down
Everyone says that this is going well
But I can hear every sound
Four gray walls
Make it all seem right
But everything looks wrong
In these cheap hotel lights
[Chorus]
Going up and down
Down and out
Cheap cologne and expensive perfume
I've never seen so many lost souls in my life
Air so thick, so busy and loud
One crazy young man standing out in the crowd
[Chorus]
One of these days when the sun comes up and I'm tossin' and turnin' alone
I'm gonna pull myself up outta this state
I'm gonna make everything seem alright, alright
Know how it feels with the sun in my eyes, still that heartbroken wind's at my door
One of these days I'm gonna wreck myself and this engine won't run no more, no more
[Chorus: x2]
But now it's burnin' down
Everyone says that this is going well
But I can hear every sound
Four gray walls
Make it all seem right
But everything looks wrong
In these cheap hotel lights
[Chorus]
Going up and down
Down and out
Cheap cologne and expensive perfume
I've never seen so many lost souls in my life
Air so thick, so busy and loud
One crazy young man standing out in the crowd
[Chorus]
One of these days when the sun comes up and I'm tossin' and turnin' alone
I'm gonna pull myself up outta this state
I'm gonna make everything seem alright, alright
Know how it feels with the sun in my eyes, still that heartbroken wind's at my door
One of these days I'm gonna wreck myself and this engine won't run no more, no more
[Chorus: x2]
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
East Nashville Easter Lyrics as written by Todd Daniel Snider Jeff Austin
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.