Sirens wail and a flashing light
Nothin' better to do on a Tuesday night
But give me hell
Where you headed, what are you out for
Don't see much of you 'round here anymore
I guess it's just as well
Once upon a time you had it all
You let everybody down
You're always seventeen in your hometown

Runnin' from your folks, runnin' from the law
Runnin' from love, runnin' from your fears, runnin' from it all
You keep on runnin' boy
You'll run yourself in the ground
You're always seventeen in your hometown

Her porch swing still looks the same
She probably won't even remember my name
Just like she didn't back then
Is she married, is she doin' fine
Does she know about all the nights
I laid awake cryin'
Just to know her hand
The door opens and I run away
Just like the same old clown
You're always seventeen in your hometown

Runnin' from your folks, runnin' from the law
Runnin' from love, runnin' from your fears, runnin' from it all
You keep on runnin' boy
You'll run yourself in the ground
You're always seventeen in your hometown

Nobody's gonna miss me
No tears will fall, no one's gonna weep
When I hit that road
My boots are broken, my brain is sore
From keeping up with their little world
I got a heavy load
Gonna leave 'em all just like before
I'm big city bound
You're always seventeen in your hometown

Runnin' from your folks, runnin' from the law
Runnin' from love, runnin' from your fears, runnin' from it all
You keep on runnin' boy
You'll run yourself in the ground
You're always seventeen in your hometown


Lyrics submitted by texanhomey

17 Lyrics as written by Fabrizio Mascheroni Carlo Fath

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Bluewater Music Corp.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

17 song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

3 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    i love this song!

    chels433on April 09, 2007   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.