I feel her filth in my bones
Wash off my hands 'til it's gone
The walls they're closing in
With velvet curtains

Some love was made for the lights
Some kiss your cheek and goodnight
Lift up a red high heel
Lock up your doors with steel

They're makin' noise in my street
My blinds are drawn, I can't see
Smashed in my car window
Didn't touch the stereo

Slow it down, Angie, come back to bed
Rest your arms and rest your legs

Act like you've been here before
Smile less and dress up some more
Tie up your scarf real tight
These boys are out for blood tonight

Slow it down, Angie, come back to bed
Rest your arms and rest your legs

And when she stood, she stood tall
She'll make a fool of you all
Don't ask for cigarettes
She ain't got nothin' left for you

I never, she never, we never looked back
That wasn't what we were good at
And when it came to love
We were not good enough, oh

Slow it down, Angie, come back to bed
Rest your arms and rest your legs
Don't you frown when you're feelin' like that
Only love can dig you out of this


Lyrics submitted by jacobharkey, edited by passionatesleepyhead

Slow It Down Lyrics as written by Wesley Schultz Jeremy Fraites

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Slow It Down song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

27 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +3
    My Interpretation

    I think this song is about a guy who's in love with a girl who is promiscuous and/or sleeps around. Even though he knows that she's like that and that they will never work out, he loves her anyway and wishes the she would change her ways.

    I feel her filth in my bones, wash off my hands till it's gone

    He knows she's a loose girl, but tries to forget about it

    The walls they're closing in with velvet curtains

    Because he has to constantly try to forget about her promiscuity, he knows that all that it'll never work out. The velvet curtains closing are a metaphor for saying "the show is almost over"

    Some love was made for the light, some kiss your cheek and goodnight

    He laments that there are all different kinds of love, their love is definitely not perfect Lift up a red high heel, lock up your doors with steel He thinks that she dresses up in high heels and sluts herself around as a way to keep her guard up. By "locking up her doors with steel," she doesn't have to let anyone into what she's really like or doesn't have to feel anything real

    They're making noise in my street, my blinds are drawn I can't see

    Everyone is telling him that she's not the right girl for him but he's blinded by his love for her and can't see what they are talking about Smashed in my car window, didn't touch the stereo They bash only what they can see (window), but they have no interest in hearing what he has to say about her

    Slow it down, Angie come back to bed Rest your arms and rest your legs

    He wants her to slow down her fast lifestyle and come to bed where she seems to be herself and where he's seen the real her and fell in love with her

    Act like you've been here before, smile less and dress up some more

    He wants her to be herself around him, stop putting on a show and start putting on some more clothes to look less slutty Tie up your scarf real tight, these boys are out for blood tonight He knows what boys think of her and want to do with her, so he's trying to be protective

    Slow it down, Angie come back to bed Rest your arms and rest your legs

    And when she stood, she stood tall She'll make a fool of you all Don't ask for cigarettes, she ain't got nothing left for you

    He knows how smart and confident she is, but knows people take advantage of her and wants everyone to stop

    I never, she never, we never looked back that wasn't what we were good at

    They both have tortured pasts, neither of them like looking back And when it came to love, we were not good enough Because of their pasts, both of them also aren't meant to have relationships and struggle with love constantly because they feel they aren't good enough to have it

    Slow it down, Angie come back to bed Rest your arms and rest your legs Don't you frown, when you're feeling like that Only love can dig you out of this

    He doesn't want her to get upset about how she is, but just wants her to know that when she lets down her guard and lets love in, she won't have to live her promiscuous lifestyle and feel the need to sleep around anymore

    Casp123on February 03, 2014   Link

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

Album art
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
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.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.