15 Meanings
Add Yours
Share
Q&A

Smalltown Boy Lyrics

You leave in the morning
With everything you own in a little black case
Alone on the platform
The wind and the rain
On a sad and lonely face
Mother will never understand
Why you had to leave
For the love that you need
Will never be found at home
Pushed around and kicked around
Always a lonely boy
You were the one
That they'd talk about around town
As they put you down
And as hard as they would try
They'd hurt to make you cry
But you'd never cry to them
Just to your soul
No you'd never cry to them
Just to your soul
Questions and Answers

Ask specific questions and get answers to unlock more indepth meanings & facts.

15 Meanings

Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.

Cover art for Smalltown Boy lyrics by Bronski Beat

Beautiful and poignant song about being gay in a not-so-gay-friendly world.

Cover art for Smalltown Boy lyrics by Bronski Beat

This song is obviously about running away from home, and though the lyrics are honest, and not particularly poetic but striking, his most haunting voice gives this song real feeling and meaning.

Cover art for Smalltown Boy lyrics by Bronski Beat

The video's brilliant but pretty difficult to watch, consisting chiefly of Jimmy Somerville looking sad and getting his ass kicked by a homophobic diver on a motorcycle (?!), and later by his own dad in front of a cop.

Cover art for Smalltown Boy lyrics by Bronski Beat

One of the great gay anthems, right up there with Erasure's "Hideaway" and Pet Shop Boys' "A Red Letter Day" and...okay, so what I would know, as a straight boy?

What I do know is that my state's Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage today, and while there's still much to be hashed out, the world just became a slightly better place. Keep the faith, y'all.

Cover art for Smalltown Boy lyrics by Bronski Beat

smalltown boy is about running away from home and finding yourself or thats the way i interpret it. sitting at home all day everyday will only may you depressed so you gotta get out in the world and find your place ;)

Cover art for Smalltown Boy lyrics by Bronski Beat

I think it is about a young man who is gay and can't stay in his hometown, because he can't come out to his mother.

Cover art for Smalltown Boy lyrics by Bronski Beat

This song is so sad. Whats even worse is that i happens now a days. Kids runaway cause they are gay and no one would accept them. Well...most are kicked out because they are gay, but thats a different story. Very sad and powerful.

@Shadow_Kyubi very late reply, but: 11 years since you posted this, and it sinks in a little more every day, even as "Da Drumpf" was sworn in last Friday, that it won't be one by until the dinosaurs who want to deny human rights and decency to people (for religion or whatever reason) will soon be a very small minority, and while the kids of succeeding generations will have their faults, simple humanity seems to be something they have in adequate supply. The stupidity of the Cavemen will be gone when there are enough voters to get rid of the...

Cover art for Smalltown Boy lyrics by Bronski Beat

its about a gay kid running away from his home town because he is discriminated and bullied. moving song

Cover art for Smalltown Boy lyrics by Bronski Beat

the original 12" version starts with the whole song sung with very little music and his voice is really heard - full of emotion. worth downloading this version if you can. My 12" is rather scrathched now..

Cover art for Smalltown Boy lyrics by Bronski Beat

I heard the Paradise Lost version and thought it was sad... but this one is waaaaayyyyy more depressing... even the peppy bits toward the end can't bring it up