The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
She got out of town
On the railway New York bound
Took all except my name
Another alien on Broadway
There's some things in this world
You just can't change
Some things you can't see
Until it gets too late
And baby, baby, baby
When all your love is gone
Who will save me
From all I'm up against out in this world
And maybe, maybe, maybe
You'll find something
That's enough to keep you
But if the bright lights don't receive you
You should turn yourself around
And come on home
I got a hole in me now
Yeah, I got a scar I can talk about
She keeps a picture of me
In her apartment in the city
Some things in this world
Man, they don't make sense
Some things you don't need
Until they leave you
And they're things that you miss, you say
Baby, baby, baby
When all your love is gone
Who will save me
From all I'm up against out in this world
And maybe, maybe, maybe
You'll find something
That's enough to keep you
But if the bright lights don't receive you
You should turn yourself around
And come on home
Let that city take you in, come on home
Let that city spit you out, come on home
Let that city take you down, yeah
For God sakes turn around
Baby, baby, baby
When all your love is gone
Who will save me
From all I'm up against in this world
Now well, maybe, maybe, maybe
You'll find something
That's enough to keep you
But if the bright lights don't receive you, well
Turn yourself around, girl
Come on home
Yeah, come on home
Baby, baby, baby, baby
Come on home
Yeah, come on home
Yeah, come on home
Yeah, come on home
Baby, baby, baby, baby
Come on home
On the railway New York bound
Took all except my name
Another alien on Broadway
There's some things in this world
You just can't change
Some things you can't see
Until it gets too late
And baby, baby, baby
When all your love is gone
Who will save me
From all I'm up against out in this world
And maybe, maybe, maybe
You'll find something
That's enough to keep you
But if the bright lights don't receive you
You should turn yourself around
And come on home
I got a hole in me now
Yeah, I got a scar I can talk about
She keeps a picture of me
In her apartment in the city
Some things in this world
Man, they don't make sense
Some things you don't need
Until they leave you
And they're things that you miss, you say
Baby, baby, baby
When all your love is gone
Who will save me
From all I'm up against out in this world
And maybe, maybe, maybe
You'll find something
That's enough to keep you
But if the bright lights don't receive you
You should turn yourself around
And come on home
Let that city take you in, come on home
Let that city spit you out, come on home
Let that city take you down, yeah
For God sakes turn around
Baby, baby, baby
When all your love is gone
Who will save me
From all I'm up against in this world
Now well, maybe, maybe, maybe
You'll find something
That's enough to keep you
But if the bright lights don't receive you, well
Turn yourself around, girl
Come on home
Yeah, come on home
Baby, baby, baby, baby
Come on home
Yeah, come on home
Yeah, come on home
Yeah, come on home
Baby, baby, baby, baby
Come on home
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This song is a sequel to Hang, or at least that's how I see it. It's about the girl who leaves him in Hang, and he just hangs around his old town waiting for her to come home. Now in Bright Lights, he's hoping that she's gotten weary of city life and will come home to him.
Mind = blown
"i got a hole in me, now. yeah, i've got a scar i can talk about."
@somebodyloved Mine too
"Some things in this world They don't make sense Some things you don't need Until they leave you And they're things that you miss."
this reminds me of moving away from my hometown and everything familiar to me, and the nostalgia that i feel when it gets lonely being on my own.
It's the classic story of a small-town girl wanting to leave for the city thinking it will be adventurous and different while the guy that loves her is terrified that it will only rob her of her purity and make her cynical. He sees it as her choosing this unknown place over the familiarity of their relationship, but he insists that he's just a colorful and exciting... but unlike these city people, he really cares about her. He's concerned about what's going to happen to him after the city makes her bitter and untrusting... so he's beggin her to come home before that happens.
I think one of the best parts of this song is the very begning,
"She got out of town On a railway New York bound Took all except my name"
I love this part, its like he is saying look she took everything with her, all of me, but not my name. I see a small town where a boy and a girl grew up in love and he is saying stay with me, be with me forever. Instead she leaves, taking his heart, his dreams, his love.
I also really like the part where he says,
"I got a hole in me now, I got a scar I can talk about."
its like he is showing how real it is to him and how much he is willing to share about his feelings.
This song reminds me of my mum. Just some parts of it. "Baby, baby, baby when all your love is gone, who will save me, from all I'm up against out in this world. She died and left me to face the world on my own at 16 years of age.
Great music, great lyrics, great voice. The guitar solo near the end gives me goosebumps EVERY time.
''For God's sake, turn around!" ...Do you hear the raw emotion in that? Beautiful.. absolutely gorgeous.
this song is beautiful - the piano, the lyrics, rob thomas's voice - i highly recommend it. matchbox twenty is amazing.
I agree totally agree with poptartfaerie - everything about this song is awesome.