Phone Went West

about wanting to be wanted, beautiful song

FetusTree is not completely joking. “Back door” can be a reference to anal sex. However, a “back door man” is usually someone who sneaks into a house. So, if your woman is cheating on you, she is doing it with a back door man. I’m pretty sure “back door” is being used here in the second sense.

So, I think the line, “Is there a lock on your back door?” means, “Are you being faithful?” The song seems very desperate. Like he is in a relationship with someone he knows will cheat on him. It sounds like he’s always asking about it, but she won’t give a clear enough answer (“Tell me I’m wrong, Tell me I’m right.”). He wishes a doctor would just make everything in the relationship right.

In the end we have him knocking on the front door and someone else knocking on the back door. Which door does she answer? Given the pusillanimous nature of this guy, I’d suggest going for the back door.

I really like the interpretations here. I think clovus' is possible, but i'm leaning more towards the interpretation that they are exes and he wants her back. i also feel like he's sitting in a bar, thinking about this, wanting to go over and see if the back door is unlocked like it used to be when they were together. I think he's saying "tell me i'm wrong" as in tell me that we both don't totally still love eachother, you're not sitting up thinking about me like i am about you. its that point in a relationship with an ex when you have such strong feelings for the other party and you feel sure that they must feel the same, but you have no way of knowing and could be completely wrong since you probably haven't seen them in a while . Do you take the plunge, swallow your pride, and go over to their house and say "we both know there is nobody else in the world"? I think this song is about him debating whether or not do to that and the pain associated being in that limbo. he can sit in the echo filled bar and continue wishing that there was someone (a “doctor”), who could tell him that he's right and relieve him of his pain associated with the inaction and uncertainty. But there’s no doctor in the house, nobody in reality who can really say “yeah, dude she totally still loves you” so he has to choose whether to act on his feelings and risk rejection or continue sitting in the bar, wishing. in the end it seems like he decides to go over there, but its unclear to me whether or not he really takes the plunge. The song says "there WILL be a knock on your back door" — ie, in the future. I feel like, given the tone of the song, maybe he will stay in the bar and continue dreaming about going over to her house and thinking about how it would feel. Maybe its something he’s promising himself he will do so he doesn’t feel miserable about not knowing.
And that’s my 2 cents! Whatever the intent behind it is, I love this song and think its absolutely beautiful.

Definately a song about regret. Wanting something back that you once gave up. In this case, a relationship.

Songs don't get much better than this.

Sounds beautiful live, too bad the record version is coma-inducing-ly soporific.

this song is so beautiful!! great for people with broken hearts, or not. I don't know.

Definately a song about regret. Wanting something back that you once gave up. In this case, a relationship.

Songs don't get much better than this.

i'd always let myself in through the back door. she'd leave it unlocked for me. once we split the doors were all locked up. this song's about workin up that nerve, to get her back in my life.

Cant agree with yall more , great track.

I just fell in love with this song. I've had it for so long but it just came on earlier and struck a chord with me. A need to be needed by someone else. You want to be able to go to them but you're not sure if they'll let you.