No one looked, I walked by
Just an invitation would have been just fine
Said no to him again and again
First he took my heart, then he ran
No one knows how I feel
What I say unless you read between my lines
One man walked away from me
First he took my hand
Take me home
Stand back, stand back
In the middle of my room, I did not hear from you
It's alright, it's alright
To be standing in a line (standing in a line)
To be standing in a line
I would cry
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la
La, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
Do not turn away, my friend
Like a willow, I can bend
No man calls my name
No man came
So I walked on down, away from you
Maybe your attention was more than you could do
But one man did not call
He asked me for my love and that was all
Stand back, stand back
In the middle of my room, I did not hear from you
It's alright, it's alright
To be standing in a line (standing in a line)
To be standing in a line
I would cry
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la
La, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
Doo-doo, doo-doo, oh
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la
Da-da-da-da
La, la, la, la, la, whoa-oh
So I walked, walked down the line, away from you
Maybe your attention was more than I could do
One man did not call
Well, he asked me for my love, that was all
Stand back, stand back
In the middle of my room, I did not hear from you
It's alright, it's alright
To be standing in a line (standing in a line)
To be standing in a line
I could cry
Need a little, I need a little sympathy
Well, I need a little sympathy
Well, I need a little sympathy
Well, you could be standing in (stand back)
Well, you could be standing in (stand back)
Well, you could be standing in (stand back)
Take me home
Take me home (stand back)
Won't you take me home?
Well, I need a little sympathy (stand back)
Well, you could be standing in (stand back)
Why don't you take me home?
Why don't you take me home? (Stand back)
Take me home (alright)
Take me home (alright)
Just an invitation would have been just fine
Said no to him again and again
First he took my heart, then he ran
No one knows how I feel
What I say unless you read between my lines
One man walked away from me
First he took my hand
Take me home
Stand back, stand back
In the middle of my room, I did not hear from you
It's alright, it's alright
To be standing in a line (standing in a line)
To be standing in a line
I would cry
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la
La, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
Do not turn away, my friend
Like a willow, I can bend
No man calls my name
No man came
So I walked on down, away from you
Maybe your attention was more than you could do
But one man did not call
He asked me for my love and that was all
Stand back, stand back
In the middle of my room, I did not hear from you
It's alright, it's alright
To be standing in a line (standing in a line)
To be standing in a line
I would cry
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la
La, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
Doo-doo, doo-doo, oh
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la
Da-da-da-da
La, la, la, la, la, whoa-oh
So I walked, walked down the line, away from you
Maybe your attention was more than I could do
One man did not call
Well, he asked me for my love, that was all
Stand back, stand back
In the middle of my room, I did not hear from you
It's alright, it's alright
To be standing in a line (standing in a line)
To be standing in a line
I could cry
Need a little, I need a little sympathy
Well, I need a little sympathy
Well, I need a little sympathy
Well, you could be standing in (stand back)
Well, you could be standing in (stand back)
Well, you could be standing in (stand back)
Take me home
Take me home (stand back)
Won't you take me home?
Well, I need a little sympathy (stand back)
Well, you could be standing in (stand back)
Why don't you take me home?
Why don't you take me home? (Stand back)
Take me home (alright)
Take me home (alright)
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great great song
~Stevie Nicks, Radio Interview, WMGK Radio, July 1998
I got married the day I wrote this song. We were driving to Santa Barbara and a new song by Prince came on, so we pulled over somewhere and got the tape. It just gave me an incredible idea, so I spent many hours that night writing a song about some kind of crazy argument, and it was to become one of the most important of my songs. I've been doing this song for years, Fleetwood Mac does it also, and I never get tired of it. 'Stand Back' has always been my favorite song onstage, because...when it starts, it has an energy that comes from somewhere unknown...and it seems to have no timespace. I've never quite understood this sound....but I have NEVER questioned it.
I become a different person, and I like that, because usually I make up my OWN characters...but the lady in 'Stand Back' was not my idea. By the way, Prince did come into the studio the night I called him and told him about the song, and he played incredible synthesizer on it...and then he just walked out of my life, and I didn't see him for a long time.
It was extraordinary...
~Stevie Nicks, Timespace Liner Notes, 1991
I phoned Prince out of the blue, hummed a melody, and he listened," says Nicks of the latter hit's gestation. "I hung up, and he came over within the hour. He listened again, and I said, 'Do you hate it?' He said, 'No,' and walked over to the synthesizers that were set up, was absolutely brilliant for about twenty five minutes, and then left. He was so uncanny, so wild, he spoiled me for every band I've ever had because nobody can exactly re-create - not even with two piano players-what Prince did all by his little self.
~Stevie Nicks, Rock Lives, by Timothy White,1991
I can't even really tell you what Stand Back is about. Stand Back's kinda about more than one thing. There was a lot going on when Stand Back was written so it kinda pulled together all the things that were happening so it wasn't about one thing. It was written very quickly and I really did hum along to Little Red Corvette. ...and of course, now you can go home and do it too. If you search you will be able to find it. So, it was kinda more built around that whole thing, you know? Stand Back and Dreams are my two favorite songs to perform on stage.
~Stevie Nicks, Jim Ladd Interview, 1998
[On what the lyrics You'll be standing in a line mean] To be standing in a line…like a welfare line… to be standing in a line waiting to get money or something… to be standing in a line waiting… you'll be standing in a line. It was another angry song! (laughs)
~Stevie Nicks, Jim Ladd Interview, 1998
Standback comes from a place unknown even to me. A hush surrounded it from the very beginning~and a feeling that it had always been was there from the first. 'Standback' lives in it's own timespace. It never belonged to me, it has always belonged to the world~and to Prince, who inspired the entire song.
~Stevie Nicks, Timespace Tourbook, 1991