Fifteen minutes to six and fourteen floors to go
Thirteen suited strangers make a crowded elevator slow
And I've got a million words and phases on the tip of my tongue
For the only non-stranger next to me, soon she'll know
(let ?em stare)

If I could
I think I would give in
And let you in on how I feel
I need to spill
Let it all out right now
And expose every inch in front of them

Twelve more floors
And your eyes in mine are all I need to come clean
Or should I wait until the lobby
And spare the lives of some twenty-six nervous eyes
Being occupied by the little red numbers passing by?
If I wait one minute longer
I think I will die
(let ?em stare)

If I could
I think I would give in
And let you in on how I feel
I need to spill
Let it all out right now
Expose every inch in front of them

You help me to feel, see and know why all the while I've been so inquisitive
I can't go back ?cause now I know
How it feels to open up and breathe


Lyrics submitted by Gobsow, edited by piercemonk

Crowded Elevator Lyrics as written by Brandon Boyd Alex Katunich

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Crowded Elevator song meanings
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39 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    Alright..the story behind this song is that it was originally planned for Make Yourself, but for some reason, production and managment issues, and maybe album space they cut it..which is a terrible mistake, this is by far one of the best incubus songs and more people should know about it - but unfortunatley many don't..just figured I'd give everyone a little history about the song :)

    migon August 27, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It seems to me like this song is about brandon and his girl in a ''crowded elevator'' and he's like lets make out who cares if theyre here. come on someone else post on this song. this is one of my favorite incubus songs!

    Edvicstefleckon May 04, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i dunno if this song he wants to make out, i think he has something to tell her, but i dont think its too make out. He may possibly be breaking up with her. its a great song, possibly one of my faves. But i think its more he wants to tell her some shit but knows its not the right time and place to do so, but at the same time he needs to confront her with something. I dunno i could be wrong.

    LiveUrLifeon May 07, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I like when how he displays his affection towards this stranger when he is in this elevator of people breathing the same air it's very profound. I'd wait till the lobby too :)

    incubus_gigbutton May 14, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is an awesome song! Unfortunately, I only have the burn of this cd, but it's still great!

    goodriddance4on May 30, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    If i was in a crowded elevator with brandon boyd, i wouldn't wait till the lobby... ;)

    squeezeon June 11, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    haha, me either.... but i think the song is about him having to tell someone (the non-stranger) something really important, and the other people in the elevator are going to have to deal with it, cuz he really needs to say whatever it is

    smallthoughtson June 19, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It sounds really Soundgarden-esque this song. I can't believe it's onlt on the Scream 3 soundtrack, it is so good, it's worthy to be on a proper Incubus album!

    Harry Manbackon July 19, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    it should be a word! lol. I think this song is about how Brandon met the that girl whom he wrote Stellar and I Miss You about; Joanna Bourne Taylor. He met her in Cannes, France in a bar on a day off. She is an actress and quite pretty and 'normal' looking (she's that woman in the Stellar video) whereas at the time that he met her Brandon still had those fantastic dreadlocks. So he could be expressing the way he feels about going up to this woman in the bar (the bar being the 'crowded elevator') He may also feel that because of their different appearances, people may think that they are completely incompatible ("Let them stare") Brandon being a hippy surfer dude and this woman being an English actress. Does that make sense?

    Harry Manbackon July 25, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    ps. I can't get any sense out of the 1st line of the chorus. Can anyone help me? It doesn't make sense grammatically

    Harry Manbackon July 29, 2002   Link

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