Don't Lose My Number Lyrics
Shadows were on the ground
Nobody knew where to find him
No evidence was found
"I'm never coming back"
They heard him cry
And I believe him
Well he never meant to do anything wrong
It's gonna get worse if he waits too long
'Cos you're not anywhere
That I can find you
Oh now Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cos you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh no
They wouldn't stop till they found him
They didn't know him and they didn't understand
They never asked him why
"Get out of my way"
They heard him shout
Then a blinding light
Ooh all I could see was him running down the street
Out of the shadows and into the night
'Cos you're not anywhere
That I can find you, oh
Now Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cos you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh
Keep running, keep hiding
Don't give up
Billy, if you know you're right
Don't give up
You know that I am on your side
Don't give up
Oh Billy, you better, you better, you better run for your life
'Cos you're not anywhere
That I can find you, oh
Now Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cos you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh
Shadows were on the ground
Nobody knew where to find him
No evidence was found
"I'm never coming back"
They heard him cry
And I believe him
He never meant to do anything wrong
It's gonna get worse if he waits too long
'Cos you're not anywhere
That I can find you, oh
Now Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cos you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh
"The lyrics might seem like nonsense, but that's because they came from stream-of-consciousness writing sessions. Collins himself says there is no real story or message in the song. The MTV-friendly video spoofs the Police, the Cars, Michael Jackson, David Lee Roth and many other stars of the day."
This song describes an outcast ("they didn't know him"), well-meaning ("He never meant to do anything wrong") character probably being wrongly ("You know that I am on your side") accused by the society for an act they consider "wrong." This has been going on for a while ("It's gonna get worse if he waits too long"), and in all likelihood it's going to end badly for him ("Oh Billy, you better, you better, you better run for your life"). It is probably about a crime for which he's the primary suspect, and he flees jurisdiction the night the cops came to take him into custody. I haven't seen the video.
Hm, never thought about it in that way. It seems like a close friend is trying to bring a young boy, going astray, back to reality or to doing right. And the older friend says "don't lose my number" to let the boy know that, even if he does wrong, he's there for him to call on.
I know this may not be what the song was intended to be about, but to me this song always seemed what Faber would have said to Montag in Fahrenheit 451.
According to the notes and back cover of the album "No Jacket Required," on which this was originally released, the song is actually called "Don't Lose My Number." That's okay though, because "Billy Don't Lose My Number" is probably a better title, the one that most people would think of. It's interesting that he omits the character name in the title.
Sounds simply like a mother dealing with a teen running away from home. It is a common theme in Genesis and Collins music.
Gang related? Billy's had enough, bins off one of them. That winds him up, on the run, from the scum and the scum in uniforms. Everyone knows he was provoked but "The Law Is The Law".
That's the skill of the best songwriter. Drag a bunch of lines and themes that will strike chords to as many folk as possible.
Find stuff that sounds good. Wrap it in some catchy tunes and bingo! It's a thing! To as many pilgrims as possible....and that fills the bank at the end of the month.
I still like it.
It makes me think of a young boy being kidnapped
I always think of the movie The Legend of Billie Jean. To me it fits perfectly.
Except of course the fact that that particular 'billie' was a woman. To me, its the classic, wrong place wrong time story.