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"
I was at that smart ass time of my life
Where id pick a fight just to pick a fight
If he said black, I said white
If he took one side I took the other side
The dinner table we sat around
Was more like a battleground
And I lost more times than I won
I would of learned later on
That he was always preaching bout his past
I just kept screaming" Come on, dad!
That was twenty years ago
You don't know me at all!
Trying to talk to you is like talking to the wall
Yeah, you gave me my life, but its my life to live
Maybe I don't wanna live it like you did, Twenty years ago"
He was built with blue collar sweat and blood
Squared jaw and a crew cut
A purple heart, a Viet Vet.
He'd tell you every chance he'd get
Always running down my rock n' roll,
My friends, my hair, my clothes.
But one night it got out of control
And right there we came to blows
And that was just enough to get me gone
I couldn't wait to prove him wrong!
Twenty years ago
Struck out on my own
Couldn't tell me nothing
That I didn't already know
Later I was on my way
To what the hell did I care
My old man and his gray hair
Thought about the road I chose
Twenty years ago
"Well I left as fast as the leaves fell that autumn
I never looked back and I never once called him
But every time I talked to momma
I wondered if he was there,or if he even cared
I figured I walked out of him and the course of our love had run
Momma said 'no,no, you listen to me son, hes a stubborn man and he won't give in.
He believes what he believes, well you're just like him'
Well I could tell by her voice there was something wrong
She broke down, and said he ain't got long
So I caught the next plane home,
Thought about all the years gone
Had my pride that I let so much time go by
I ran up those stairs and stood by his bed
And I cried"
Twenty years ago
Thought I knew it all
But trying to talk to me
Was like talking to a wall
I thought I was a man
Acting like I did
But all I want right now
Is just to be your kid
Just before my dad gave up the ghost
He took my hand and said "son let it go, that was twenty years ago"
Twenty years ago
Where id pick a fight just to pick a fight
If he said black, I said white
If he took one side I took the other side
The dinner table we sat around
Was more like a battleground
And I lost more times than I won
I would of learned later on
That he was always preaching bout his past
I just kept screaming" Come on, dad!
That was twenty years ago
You don't know me at all!
Trying to talk to you is like talking to the wall
Yeah, you gave me my life, but its my life to live
Maybe I don't wanna live it like you did, Twenty years ago"
He was built with blue collar sweat and blood
Squared jaw and a crew cut
A purple heart, a Viet Vet.
He'd tell you every chance he'd get
Always running down my rock n' roll,
My friends, my hair, my clothes.
But one night it got out of control
And right there we came to blows
And that was just enough to get me gone
I couldn't wait to prove him wrong!
Twenty years ago
Struck out on my own
Couldn't tell me nothing
That I didn't already know
Later I was on my way
To what the hell did I care
My old man and his gray hair
Thought about the road I chose
Twenty years ago
"Well I left as fast as the leaves fell that autumn
I never looked back and I never once called him
But every time I talked to momma
I wondered if he was there,or if he even cared
I figured I walked out of him and the course of our love had run
Momma said 'no,no, you listen to me son, hes a stubborn man and he won't give in.
He believes what he believes, well you're just like him'
Well I could tell by her voice there was something wrong
She broke down, and said he ain't got long
So I caught the next plane home,
Thought about all the years gone
Had my pride that I let so much time go by
I ran up those stairs and stood by his bed
And I cried"
Twenty years ago
Thought I knew it all
But trying to talk to me
Was like talking to a wall
I thought I was a man
Acting like I did
But all I want right now
Is just to be your kid
Just before my dad gave up the ghost
He took my hand and said "son let it go, that was twenty years ago"
Twenty years ago
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.