David Bowie

You've Been Around

2 Meanings

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You've Been Around Lyrics

Where's the pain in the violent night?
I'm depressed by the grill
I stay over many years
I should have thought of that
For the love of the money
Like a black-hearted vile thing
It's the nature of being
It's too many lonely nights
I can't tell bad from wrong
I can't pass you by
Too exchanging
You've been around
But you've changed me
When the flesh meets the spirit world
Where the traffic is thin
I slip from a vacant view
I should have thought of that
And the sound of tomorrow
Like a black-hearted vile thing
Like the silence of tension
It's too many lonely nights
I can't tell good from bad
I can't pass you by
Too exchanging
You've been around
But you've changed me
You've been around
Can't pass you by
You've been around
But you've changed me
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-change!
Too exchanging
You've been around
But you've changed me
You've been around
Can't pass you by
You've been around
But you've changed me
You've been around
Can't pass you by
You've been around
But you've changed me

Submitted by

songmeanings On Feb 06, 2012

Life on Mars?

Space Oddity

The Man Who Sold the World

Ashes to Ashes

Ziggy Stardust

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Keep it true to the song

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Correct typos? Yes. Re-punctuating a whole verse because it ‘looks better’? Probably not. Keep capitalization and punctuation close to the official source.

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Let the lyrics be lyrics

This isn’t the place for interpretations, memories, stories, or trivia — that’s what comments are for. Keep metadata, translations, and bracketed stage directions out unless they’re officially part of the song.

Edit lightly

If two lines are wrong… fix the two lines. No need to bulldoze the whole page. Think ‘surgical,’ not ‘remix.’

When in doubt, ask the crowd

Not sure what they’re singing in that fuzzy bridge? Drop a question in the comments and let the music nerds swarm. Someone always knows.

SongMeanings

Submitter

2012-02-06 15:46:43

2 Meanings

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by ziggytwig

9y ago

Love the reference to Changes! He's been around.

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by Bluemod

2y ago

I think this song was constructed by using his cut and paste method because none of the lyrics make sense genius BoWIe.

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