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.
First thing I remember
I was lying in my bed
I couldn't have been no more than one or two
And I remember there was a radio
Coming from the room next door
And my mother laughed
The way some ladies do
When it's late in the evening
And the music's seeping through
The next thing I remember
I am walking down the street
I'm feeling all right
I'm with my boys, I'm with my troops, yeah
And down along the avenue
Some guys were shooting pool
And I heard the sound of a cappella groups, yeah
Singing late in the evening
And all the girls out on the stoops, yeah
Then I learned to play some lead guitar
I was underage in this funky bar
And I stepped outside to smoke myself a "J"
And when I come back to the room
Everybody just seemed to move
And I turned my amp up loud and I began to play
And it was late in the evening
And I blew that room away
First thing I remember
When you came into my life
I said I'm gonna get that girl no matter what I do
Well, I guess I've been in love before
And once or twice I been on the floor
But I never loved no one the way that I love you
And it was late in the evening
And all the music seeping through
I was lying in my bed
I couldn't have been no more than one or two
And I remember there was a radio
Coming from the room next door
And my mother laughed
The way some ladies do
When it's late in the evening
And the music's seeping through
The next thing I remember
I am walking down the street
I'm feeling all right
I'm with my boys, I'm with my troops, yeah
And down along the avenue
Some guys were shooting pool
And I heard the sound of a cappella groups, yeah
Singing late in the evening
And all the girls out on the stoops, yeah
Then I learned to play some lead guitar
I was underage in this funky bar
And I stepped outside to smoke myself a "J"
And when I come back to the room
Everybody just seemed to move
And I turned my amp up loud and I began to play
And it was late in the evening
And I blew that room away
First thing I remember
When you came into my life
I said I'm gonna get that girl no matter what I do
Well, I guess I've been in love before
And once or twice I been on the floor
But I never loved no one the way that I love you
And it was late in the evening
And all the music seeping through
Lyrics submitted by barfolimew
Late in the Evening Lyrics as written by Paul Simon
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
I think this song is about his childhood and how he always loved music. I really love the hook in this song, it always makes me want to dance.
love. this. song. i wanna dance too. i heard it on the radio when i was at work. and i didnt know the title or anything, but i KNEW it was simon's voice, so i searched and searched... and thank YOU, songmeanings.com....you've made me proud.
My favourite Paul Simon song. The music, lyrics - it's just great.
If someone were to write Paul SImon's biography, they would have to call it "All the Music Seeping Through". This is literally the story of his life; the man lives for his music.
The first thing I remember When you came into my life I said I'm gonna get that girl No matter what I do Well I guess I'd been in love before And once or twice I been on the floor But I never loved no one The way that I loved you
One of my favorite song lines of all time.
Fab comment from Bandie - yup, a fab title for a biog
A song to which is good to listen to on any time of the day!:D
regardless of the meaning, though the insights here are very good, this is an awesome song and my school should play this at a dance. if we did, i would definantly risk looking like a total idiot and asking every girl there if she would be interestind in dancing with me.
Definitely worth the risk jkid1190, Love the riff in this song, and the reference to weed.
Just thinking about this song, let alone hearing it, makes ma body MOVE!