I know what you want
I'm gonna take you to a midnight show tonight
If you can keep a secret
I got a blanket in the back seat on my mind

And a little place that sits beneath the sky
She turned her face to speak but no-one heard her cry

Drive faster, boy
Drive faster, boy, ooh, yeah-ooh

I know there's a hope
There's too many people trying to help me cope
You got a real short skirt
I wanna look up, look up, look up, yeah, yeah
We were just in time
Let me take a little more off your mind
There's something in my head, somewhere in the back, saying
"We were just a good thing, we were such a good thing"

Make it go away without a word
But promise me you'll stay and fix these things I've heard

Oh, make it go away
Drive faster, boy, ooh, yeah-ooh
Oh, no

A crashing tide can't hide a guilty girl
With jealous hearts that start with gloss and curls
I took my baby's breath beneath the chandelier
Of stars in atmosphere and watched her disappear

Into the midnight show
Faster, faster, faster, faster, faster, faster
Oh no, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no

If can you keep a secret
Well, baby, I can keep it if you can keep a secret
If can you keep a secret, I can keep a secret
If can you keep a secret
Well, baby, I can keep it if you can keep a secret


Lyrics submitted by K-nuxXx, edited by Kiiro, phoebe9261

Midnight Show Lyrics as written by Dave Brent Keuning Brandon Flowers

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Midnight Show song meanings
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96 Comments

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  • +6
    General Comment

    Im suprised there hasnt been more comments either! I love love love this song! I never really listened to it when I first bought the album but its really grown on me. Ive spent many hours trying to figure out exactly what its about. My latest theory is that he’s planned to kill his girlfriend….im not sure if she’s cheated on him but she’s definetly done something wrong – “crashing time cant hide a guilty girl”….i think he’s told her that they are going to a secret place where they can be alone, and to fool around, but he’s really taking her there to kill her and doesn’t want anyone to know where they’re going. Driving out to wherever he’s taking her though, I think the conscience starts to kick in inside his head – “There's something in my head, Somewhere in the back said, We were just a good thing, We were such a good thing” – I think “let me take a little more off your mind” is being sarcastic as he’s about to kill her. “make it go away” is referring to the voice in his head….and also possibly her dead body after he realizes what he’s done. I think the “midnight show” is the murder itself…maybe he gets off on the drama and theatrics of it…and I think the “chandelier” underneath which he kills her, is the moon. I used to think this was just a song about going out in the dark to find somewhere to get it on, but I love that its about a murder now…theres something very sexy about this song, Brandon sure knows how to tell a good story!

    Rizoon June 23, 2005   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Okay. I have done a lot of investigation and reading about The Murder Trilogy. So now, once and for all, I will tell you what it is. This is the correct information.

    The order of the songs is as follows:

    1. Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf.
    2. Midnight Show.
    3. Jenny Was A Friend On Mine.

    The story goes like this: First, in Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf, the speaker tells us of a girl named Jenny, whom he is in love with. She is leaving him and he begs her to stay. But she leaves and he then begins drinking away his sorrows. He later sees her with another man and becomes angry and jealous. He decides to kill her. Second, in Midnight Show, he takes the girl out, tempting her with promises of a good time. He wants her, but he wants to kill her more. He takes her to a secluded area, but then he starts having second thoughts. He pushes those thoughts away. He kills her, then dumps her body in the ocean. Realizing what he's done, he flees the scene. Third, in Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine, he is being questioned by the police about Jenny's murder. He gives them a fake story of what happened, hoping to get away. While speaking, he thinks about how he actually killed her, but doesn't say it aloud. One of the cops sees the guilt on his face and knows he did it. It ends with him desperately defending himself, knowing he's been caught.

    Victoria Venomon September 18, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    They are making a movie out of the murder trilogy, i so cant wait! Oh and the lyrics "She said she loved me!" are the best in the song, you should all try driving while listening to this really loud, and then scream out this part, its so fun! You sure get some funny looks though!!

    Rizoon July 07, 2005   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    LOVE THIS SONG! Brandons voice is so sexy....heres wat I think the lines mean:

    I know what you want- (come, lets go 2 a place, mess around) I wanna take you a midnight show tonight (it’s a surprise) If you can keep a secret(don’t tell anyone your going) I got a blanket in the back seat of my mind (I know I’m gonna kill u) And a little place that sits beneath the sky (I know where I’m gonna kill u) She turned her face to speak But no-one heard her cry (noone saw/heard her leave) Drive faster, boy (I used to it was the girl sayin drive faster boy, then I figured out he was thinking. his thoughts: he has to get to the place, before anyone realizes shes gone or before he changes his mind) Drive faster, boy

    I know there's a hope There's too many people trying to help me cope (2 many people consoling me that ur dead) You got a real short skirt (slut.) I wanna look up, look up, look up, yeah yeah (But I’m gonna kill u instead)

    We were just in time (in time 2 kill u) Let me take a little more off your mind (Like all off it…) There's something in my head (Thoughts in his mind) Somewhere in the back said We were just a good thing We were such a good thing

    Make it go away without a word (he’s pushing the thoughts away) But promise me you'll stay (she didn’t agree to promis.) Fix these things I've hurt

    Make it go away! (The voices!) Drive faster, boy (push away the voices, concertrate)

    Oh crashing time can't hide a guilty girl (shes “guilty” she needs to punished for her sins.) With jealous hearts that start with gloss and curls ( I took my baby's breath beneath the chandelier. (He killed her) Of stars in atmosphere And watch her disappear (watched her die) Into the midnight show

    ~Sandy~on July 30, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    lyrics, disposition, power to confront it and sneer. Fucking total...Everything is in the ambiguity of his voice, his intentions...His fear in your face. You can't stand how much you want it...

    blood_victoron June 04, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    One word: MURDER.

    "I took my baby's breath beneath the chandelier of stars and atmosphere, and watched her disappear?"

    Somehow I doubt it's simply kissing her breath away. And the synthesizer background mimics the distant sound of sirens, just like in "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine." This band is clearly fixated on death, jealousy, and murder.

    Also, at the very end, you can hear the distant and enraged lyric, "She said she loved me!"

    Great song. Surprised it hasn't gotten more comments.

    cyrolophosauruson June 08, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song screams murder; this song screams sex appeal.. ..in that morbid, sexy way.

    I just friggin -love- it.

    mr. flowers you are a genious (and a sex god)

    tequila_on July 22, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I feel like the line "If you can keep a secret, I can keep a secret" might be sarcastic...perhaps it's stating that since she kept the secret that she was cheating on him, now he's keeping the secret of her murder.

    efwizon December 16, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    realy fantastic trilogy this is the second one. LOVE THE KILLERS!

    But i see a lot of people are confused about the sentence:

    "If you can keep a secret, i can keep a secret"

    I think it's about that Jenny kept the secret that she cheated on him and now Brandon is being a bit sarcastic to say that sentence because he will keep it secret that he murdered her

    That's how it think about it.

    Fabregasjeon January 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    omg you guys i've never thought about it, but Rizo you've got it! that's exactly what it is and cyrolophosaurus, i never heard the "she said she loved me" in the backround until you mentioned it wow! Now, if you think about all of their songs are seemingly about love, but alot throw a little hate, jealousy, anger, and even murder in a few. then their name is the Killers so why not? wow shivers even if his songs are about those things, he oddly enough sings them so that right then and there you're ready to jump in bed w/ him. Brandon is an AMAZING artist. I love that boy!

    holdtherelishon June 27, 2005   Link

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