You wait in the car
On the side of the road
Let me go and stand a while
I want to know you're there
But I want to be alone

If only for a minute or two
I want to see what it feels like
To leave without you
I want to feel the touch of my own skin
Against the sun
Against the wind

I walked out in a field
The grass was high and it brushed against my legs
I just stood and looked out at the open space
At a farm outside a little ways

And I wondered about the people who lived in it
And I wondered if they were happy and content
Were there children and a man and a wife
And did she love him and take her hair down at night

If I stray to far from you
Don't go and try to find me
It doesn't mean that I don't love you
And don't mean that I won't come back
And stay beside you

It only means that I need a little time
To follow that unbroken line
To a place where the wild things grow
To a place where I always used to go

If only for a minute or two
I want to see what it feels like
To leave without you
I want to feel the touch of my own skin
Against the sun
Against the wind


Lyrics submitted by lowellisdynamite

Side of the Road Lyrics as written by Lucinda Williams

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Side Of The Road song meanings
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4 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    Amazing song. Great lyrics.

    SuperKoopaon April 27, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    where can i download this?

    starredon April 27, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think this is about a man (Ben) that wants to settle down, but is afraid / unwilling to let go of his independence. He loves the woman, but needs time and reassurance to come to terms with what the future with her means. Brilliant song.

    PeterPumkinheadon March 04, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    I never understood this song, until I lived through it.

    Before he can be in this relationship with this girl that he loves, he needs to figure out who he is. He still wants to be with her, but he needs to "follow that unbroken line." Not necessarily experience freedom, for obviously he wants to be with this girl. He needs to "feel the touch of my own skin," deal with issues in his past, find himself, before he can have another person join him in his life.

    I don't know, I just feel like I really understand this song right now. My boyfriend said some of the same words to me.

    chanpianon April 21, 2010   Link

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