You've got a dangerous background
And everything you've dreamed of
Yeah, you're the Dark Angel
It don't show when you break up
And I'm the one who oughta know
Yeah, I'm the one left in the dust
Yeah, I'm the brokenhearted fool
Who was never quite enough

Oh, I'm an insider
I've been burned by the fire
Yes, and I've had to live with some hard promises
I've crawled through the briers
I'm an insider

It's a circle of deception
It's a hall of strangers
And it's a cage without a key
You can feel the danger
And I'm the one who oughta know
yeah, I'm the one you couldn't trust
Yes, I'm the lonely silent one
I'm the one left in the dust

Oh, I'm an insider,
I've been burned by the fire
Yes, and I've had to live with some hard promises
I've crawled through the briers
I'm an insider

I'll bet you're his masterpiece
I'll bet you're his self-control
Yeah you'll become his legacy
His quiet world of white and gold
And I'm the one who ought to know
Yeah, I'm the one you left to rust
And not one of your twisted friends
I'm the one you couldn't love

Oh, I'm an insider
I've been burned by the fire
Yes, and I've had to live with some hard promises
I've crawled through the briers
I'm an insider

I'm an insider


Lyrics submitted by oofus

Insider [Live at Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville,] Lyrics as written by Tom Petty

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Gone Gator Music

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Insider song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment

    This was written for Stevie Nicks to sing, but she turned it down, saying that it wasn't a woman's song. So TP recorded it himself, and that made it a song about a man whose lover has left him for someone richer.

    He calls himself an insider because he (now) understands all the planning and scheming she did, and that she never really loved him as she said she did. That's why he's 'the one who oughta know'. He's now sadder and wiser - but she left him with nothing and he doesn't seem to know what to do next.

    treefrogdemonon September 13, 2011   Link

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