Tonight I have decided that there's only one way out
And I tried so hard to fight it but the blame kept coming down

Nowhere to hide
You were always way too strong
Out in the night
As cicadas sing their song
Tell me are you listening
'Cause no one hears a thing

Tonight I have decided that there's only one way out
And I tried so hard to fight it but the blame kept coming down
And I've got a torrid story but there's no one I can tell
I don't know if there's a Heaven but I'm sure that there's a Hell

I feel the knife
Like the first time breathing in
Come to life
Like we'll never be again
Tell me are you listening
'Cause no one hears a thing

Tonight I have decided that there's only one way out
And I tried so hard to fight it but the blame kept coming down

And it led me right where your heart should have been
And it was the last thing you saw was it in

I feel the knife
Like the first time breathing

Tonight I have decided that there's only one way out
And I tried so hard to fight it but the blame kept coming down
And I've got a torrid story but there's no one I can tell
I don't know if there's a Heaven but I'm sure that there's a Hell

Out in the night the cicadas sing their song
Out in the night the cicadas sing their song


Lyrics submitted by Chapel

The Cicada's Song Lyrics as written by Christopher Johnson Christopher Hughes

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The Cicada's Song song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

9 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment
    i learned so much from this song, who knew bugs could live for like fifteen years...
    leeechon September 30, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    these guys are so gooooood, this is my favorite song, but overall the whole album was great i got to talk to chris j (their singer) and rob (their bassist) for a long time after fusion tour back in november and they are the nicest guys
    MySensesHavFailed35on April 15, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    i think he hates his life and is trying to kill himself(knife) and talking about theres one way out.
    snowbeast2005on August 28, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    So you're laying in bed late at night, trying to keep things going forward and solving your problems. With some of them there is only one option. If you like it or not, too bad. That's what the song says to me.
    pyroraptoron March 25, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    I think this is actually about the writer seeing a UFO or something totally insane and scary but no ones believes him, and the only proof he has is the Cicada's (Out in the night, the cicada's sing thier song). "I don't know if there's a Heaven, but I'm sure that there's a Hell" And as weird as this sound, i thing the "I feel the knife...Like the first time breathing in" part is about someone trying to cover up the secret that he saw by the same people that hide the truth, "Cause no-one hears a thing". Bit strange, but thats what this song means to me.
    lookcheon April 08, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    this song is absolutely amazing live...when they opened Fusion tour, this is what they opened with...amazing.
    Chelseaon May 02, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Depression!
    Themactatoron October 11, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    The words are actually "I tried so hard to fight it but the blade kept coming down" That's what it says in teh CD leaflet.
    lnschmidton May 25, 2009   Link
  • -1
    General Comment
    Fuck! Autopilot Off is astonishing. A summer ago I was very depressed and hopeless. Then I met a girl. She was lovely and voluptuous but there was a problem: she was married and her husband was a fuckin bully! I didn´t care the fact she was married and the danger I would be in If I started a relationship with her and we became lovers.I had sex with her every chance I can for along of two months. She was hot as hell and even I felt guilt and blame I couldn´t stop having sex with her ! But one day after having a long sex night l I noticed that someone was watching us. We both get into our cars as soon as we can and we run away! Then the Cicada´s song started to play at my stereo while I was driving desperate cuz that god damn bully started to chase me!!!!!!! I was scared and freak out and the lines ¨Tonight I have decided that there's only one way out! And I tried so hard to fight it, but the blame kept coming down And I've got a torrid story, but there's no-one I can tell! I don't know if there's a Heaven, but I'm sure that there's a Hell¨ were resounded in my head! I don´t recall how I made it but I lost track of him. That night I slept in my car. The next day I picked up my stuff and I swear to god never coming back to my town in my whole life. I know she is still married with him and I know he is still lookin for me to kill me. Moral of the story: think twice if you gonna touch a married woman and listen autopilot off! :D
    elbirviveon November 28, 2006   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
Zombie
Cranberries, The
"Zombie" is about the ethno-political conflict in Ireland. This is obvious if you know anything of the singer (Dolores O'Riordan)'s Irish heritage and understood the "1916" Easter Rising reference. "Another head hangs lowly Child is slowly taken And the violence caused such silence Who are we mistaken - Another mother's breaking Heart is taking over" Laments the Warrington bomb attacks in which two children were fatally injured on March 23rd, 1993. Twelve year old Tim Parry was taken off life support with permission from his mother after five days in the hospital, virtually braindead. "But you see it's not me It's not my family" References how people who are not directly involved with the violence feel about it. They are "zombies" without sympathy who refuse to take action while others suffer.
Album art
Indigo
Of Mice & Men
This track is about is about questioning why the sky would choose to be blue if it had the choice to be anything else, “blue also meaning sad,” states frontman Aaron Pauley. “It's about comforting a loved one in a time of loss by telling them you feel blue, too.”
Album art
System
Mel And Kim
Just listening for the 784,654th time....and it's just perfect in every way. Just incredible. The only reason it was remade was to scoop up a boatload of money from a more modern and accepting audience. But it is a completely different song than the other one that sounds slapped together in a few takes without a thought for the meaning. This song captivates me still, after 50+ years. Takes me to the deep South and the poverty of some who lived thru truly hard times. And the powerful spirit of a poor young girl being abandoned to her future with only a red dress and her wits to keep her alive. She not only stayed alive, she turned her hard beginnings around, became self sufficient, successful and someone with respect for herself. She didn't let the naysayers and judgers stop her. She's the one sitting in the drivers seat at the end. So, not a song about a poor girl, but a song of hope and how you can rise up no matter how far down you started. There is a huge difference between a singer who simply belts out a song that is on a page in front of them, and someone who can convey an entire experience with their voice. Telling not just a story with words, but taking you inside it and making you feel like you are there, with their interpretation.
Album art
Blank Space
Taylor Swift
This song is Swift's response to the negative reputation the media has given her. "I can make the bad guys good for a weekend" - the bad guys are the paparazzi to Swift, but are good to the "player" since association with Swift immediately gives publicity. Any publicity is good publicity and Swift knows this. "You can tell me when it's over" - the tabloids rumor relationships are over before the couple announces it officially. With this song Swift is portraying the way she is portrayed by the media. It is a sarcastic jab at how she views herself and how her "ex-lovers" only wanted to be with her to increase their fame. I applaud the brilliance in writing about how you always write about relationships. It is expected so Swift is giving the media what they want and profiting off the attention.
Album art
MAZZA
slowthai & A$AP Rocky
This track is the first official collaboration between the rappers. It was produced by SAMO, slowthai himself & Kwes Darko. The track was released on January 5, 2021, in anticipation of his latest studio album titled "TYRON".