You know we've both nowhere to go
Yeah, daddy had to crash
He was always halfway there you know
And no, I don't pretend there's any more of that
They say one day, you'll look up and laugh and hear
Yeah, the same sad echo when you talk loud and clear
It's the same as the same sad echo around here
I will worship you like gold
And ride your train forever
Electric fortunes to be told
And I don't want to question or even celebrate
All the joy you took and then gave back too late
It's the same sad echo when you try to be clear
It's the same as the same sad echo around here
In a pool of sweat
With a box of pills and you
Yeah, and I'm gonna keep my head
I'm gonna keep my cool
Oh, I'm so in love with you
Yes and in another world nothing was like this
There may have been a girl
There never was a kiss
She was naked all the time
And no one could explain it
It was all between the lines
And I don't seem to trust anyone no more
It could be faith I'm just not sure
Yeah the same sad echo another way
When you call
It's the same as the same sad echo most of all
You just gave in
You took it hard
Then you just quit
You let me down
You dropped the ball
You fell on your face most of all
And I don't want to mean anything to you
I don't want to tempt you to be true
It's the same sad echo all around in my ears
It's the same as the same sad echo around here
Amazing song. Very dark and haunting, but you can tell Tom Petty is singing his heart out. I'm assuming its about his divorce with his wife. Really hard times for him. Great song though.
There's so much pain in this song. I don't know what it is, but there are so many Tom Petty songs that make me wanna just cry out.
As with the rest of the album "Echo," this song is about Tom Petty's divorce. This song basically means that the feelings will always be there even if his wife is now gone, hence the relationship to the ever lasting echo. Overall very very well written and deep.
This song is absolutely beautiful and sad at the same time. "Echo" is one of my favorite TP albums.
This song is absolutely beautiful and sad at the same time. "Echo" is one of my favorite TP albums.
I agree that the song is inspired by TP's divorce but I don't think it's literally about it - the verses each seem to tell a different story in which one half of a divorced couple is trying to explain what went wrong, sometimes making excuses for him/herself, and sometimes pleading with the other person for another chance. Hence the "same sad echo" refrain, which echoes through (!) reminding us that although the stories are so different they do have one thing in common - the dreadful pain of loss.
The bit about "the poison came in liquid" might mean alcohol, don't you think? Someone got drunk and did something they shouldn't have done...
I agree that this is a great song and Tom sings and plays with emotion. But, I need help with some of these lyrics! The last verse is pretty clear, but what's with "The poison came in liquid, she was naked all the time..."? Not sure what this song is really saying, but it feels heavy all the same.
Do you think that song is about his opioid addiction? If the other thing in the relationship is dope, some of the symbolism makes a little more sense. From his life timeline, this song would have been during his addiction period, maybe? It is a very good Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song, and one of my favorite albums.
What a sad song. I think this song about himself and addiction, his relationship with drugs. He is talking to himself. He describes being in a dark place but promises himself to get clean and start over. "I promise you this winter (the promise addicts make about quitting ((eg."monday im quitting")) I will worship you like gold (im going to start taking care of myself and get healthy)
And ride your train forever, Electric fortunes to be told (maybe a reference to playing rock-((electric guitar))- music.
"The poison came in liquid She was naked all the time"- not pretty packaginging, just drugs in a sack.
The Echo: (just replace the you with I)
"Well I just got tired
i just gave in
I took it hard
Then I just quit
I let me down
I dropped the ball
I fell on my face most of all"
Isnt this what we all do? Negative self talk is the Echo we all hear. And for somebody like Tom Petty, so driven, determined and tenacious its even more painful to feel ike this.
and the saddest part:
"And I don't want to mean anything to (me)
I don't want to tempt (myself) to be true"
Just my take. Beautiful song.
damn i can't believe no one has commented on this song! one of my favorites!
Just want to applaud TP for a song that truly makes you think about what can go wrong with a relationship and why things don't work out despite love.
I think the first paragraph is so telling. It's a warning about being haunted by love. Everyone learns this lesson and is destined to crash.
This song, heart wrenching. so crushed.