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"
Her mom found her brother
Then she found the container wrapped up in a newspaper Stuffed in a duffel bag with hockey pads and seven grand in rubber bands
We didn't speak at the service but later a message from a number that wasn't familiar said
"Hey it's Charlie's sister
Would you do me a favor?
There's unfinished business
It's roughly the size of a baseball"
I said I wasn't totally sure, but yeah I could probably call someone
I knew this kid from my dorm when I went to school in Wisconsin
My two semesters were a total disaster and he was part of the problem
Hadn't talked in forever
But Wayne from Winnetka picked up on the first ring
I explained the situation
He said he'd be interested but we'd have to come to him
We said lunch time on Wednesday
A Mexican restaurant a mile north of Midway
He worked for his father's shipping company out west of the city
Right now I’m not working
She said we could split it
Just glad to be finished and not even tempted
But it's so goddamn sad in her house right now
He’s still here in everything
She just needs a break from it
Said she wants to come with
We left really early
Went from St. Paul to Cicero in my Chevrolet that didn’t have any radio
Had a boombox in the back seat that was running on batteries
Played 1999 into Led Zeppelin III
When the tape deck got all wobbly she still sang the harmonies
The transaction was easy
My buddy looked similar just a little bit heavier
And counting all the money in front of him seemed silly
This isn’t the movies
It was over so quickly
Wayne got in his car
Drove into the sunset, turned left onto Cermak
And she turned to me and said:
I’ve never been to Chicago
I got nothing going on tomorrow
Maybe we could stay here tonight
Lose ourselves in the glass and light
Never been to Chicago
I’ve got nothing going on tomorrow
Maybe we could stay here tonight
Lose ourselves in the glass and light
We got a room at the Hyatt
Michigan Avenue I can still picture you
We each got a toothbrush from Walgreens
We drank in the taverns, we ate somewhere Italian
Then she’s on the sidewalk trying to ask for a cigarette from oncoming traffic
I felt God in the buildings
The light from the skyscrapers showing up in the river
And four years didn’t seem like much anymore
We both want the same things
We kissed on the corner
We kissed in the corridors
We fumbled with clothing
We all want the same things
And then it was morning
We drove back all hungover
And all the way to Eau Claire she played with her hair
Came up on St. Paul and she was sobbing
Then she found the container wrapped up in a newspaper Stuffed in a duffel bag with hockey pads and seven grand in rubber bands
We didn't speak at the service but later a message from a number that wasn't familiar said
"Hey it's Charlie's sister
Would you do me a favor?
There's unfinished business
It's roughly the size of a baseball"
I said I wasn't totally sure, but yeah I could probably call someone
I knew this kid from my dorm when I went to school in Wisconsin
My two semesters were a total disaster and he was part of the problem
Hadn't talked in forever
But Wayne from Winnetka picked up on the first ring
I explained the situation
He said he'd be interested but we'd have to come to him
We said lunch time on Wednesday
A Mexican restaurant a mile north of Midway
He worked for his father's shipping company out west of the city
Right now I’m not working
She said we could split it
Just glad to be finished and not even tempted
But it's so goddamn sad in her house right now
He’s still here in everything
She just needs a break from it
Said she wants to come with
We left really early
Went from St. Paul to Cicero in my Chevrolet that didn’t have any radio
Had a boombox in the back seat that was running on batteries
Played 1999 into Led Zeppelin III
When the tape deck got all wobbly she still sang the harmonies
The transaction was easy
My buddy looked similar just a little bit heavier
And counting all the money in front of him seemed silly
This isn’t the movies
It was over so quickly
Wayne got in his car
Drove into the sunset, turned left onto Cermak
And she turned to me and said:
I’ve never been to Chicago
I got nothing going on tomorrow
Maybe we could stay here tonight
Lose ourselves in the glass and light
Never been to Chicago
I’ve got nothing going on tomorrow
Maybe we could stay here tonight
Lose ourselves in the glass and light
We got a room at the Hyatt
Michigan Avenue I can still picture you
We each got a toothbrush from Walgreens
We drank in the taverns, we ate somewhere Italian
Then she’s on the sidewalk trying to ask for a cigarette from oncoming traffic
I felt God in the buildings
The light from the skyscrapers showing up in the river
And four years didn’t seem like much anymore
We both want the same things
We kissed on the corner
We kissed in the corridors
We fumbled with clothing
We all want the same things
And then it was morning
We drove back all hungover
And all the way to Eau Claire she played with her hair
Came up on St. Paul and she was sobbing
Lyrics submitted by withinyourreach
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I love this song. No big thoughts on meaning, just love it.
I don't know how Craig can make never being to Chicago so tragically beautiful. But that is his genius. But I live in upstate New York and have a friend who wistfully tells me going to MOMA is his dream. Weird it's like a fifty dollar train ride. The unknown seems beautifully impossible until you do it.