Hello, everyone, it's nice to be here
I've come so far to see you all
I can see your deep blue eyes
They sleep beneath the open sky
Before you stands one like your brother
Swear to God he needs no other
But how can I afford to be
Here with you so carelessly
You know what you did was so unkind
You search for the life we need to find
There's right and there's wrong
And there's good and there's bad
And there's an answer to this I wish I had

Oh, you know what I mean, yes you do
Oh, you know what I mean, yes you do

Well we had a party in our hotel last night
It ended up in an awful fight
My friend left me and my heart too
I hope I don't end up like you

Oh, you know what I mean, yes you do
Oh, you know what I mean, yes you do

Your country is a wonderful place
It pales my England into disgrace
To buy a drink that is so much more reasonable
I think I'll go there when it gets seasonable
You know what you did was so unkind
You search for the life you need to find
There's right and there's wrong
And there's good and there's bad
And there's an answer to this I wish I had

Oh, you know what I mean, yes you do
Oh, you know what I mean, yes you do


Lyrics submitted by numb

Sooner Than You Think Lyrics as written by Peter Hook Stephen Paul David Morris

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Sooner Than You Think song meanings
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3 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    Great song. Unfortunate message. Nostalgia, hits me in a spot I've tried to get over for the past 6 years and counting; so when I hear the words "Oh, you know what I mean, yes you do", it hits too close to home. Although, here I am writing about it, listening to it, God only knows if I will ever learn.

    Mode000on December 18, 2007   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    I was listening to this song in my car this morning, and couldn't quite work out the "your country is a wonderful place, it pales my England into disgrace" line - now I know.

    To me this song is about Barney being on tour - probably the US - and having a relationship with someone - but in turn, she's having a relationship with someone else, or alternatively, she's wants more than he's prepared to give and won't accept anything less.

    But, knowing Barney, it could easily be about Alcoholics Anonymous as well (or some kind of drug rehab).

    mcdazzon July 28, 2011   Link
  • -1
    General Comment

    I think it has something to do with when they went to the US and he is struck by how meaningless everyone's life is. I'm not saying Americans are more shallow than English, I just think that maybe when you're in an unfamiliar place you feel more disconnected and you can see things like this better. The lines, "But how can I afford to be/Here with you so carelessly" suggest to me that the speaker thinks he is wasting his time and "You search for the life we need to find/There's right and there's wrong/And there's good and there's bad/And there's an answer to this I wish I had" seem to be expressing a general sort of confusion like what's the point of it all and trying to find meaning. Every time I hear "To buy a drink that is so much more reasonable/I think I'll go there when it gets seasonable" it makes me laugh. Barney is such a dork, nobody even says seasonable in real life!

    thebodiesobtainedon April 18, 2008   Link

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