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"
Well the wall's to wet to sit on
And there's a curtain right over my head
Stamp my feet waiting for a bus
But decide to walk instead
And the American saxophoner follows me
All the way from the tele to the public house
My fingers are always in my ears
But the reeds always in their mouth
And if you've ever crossed
your heart and hoped to die
The voices in your head saying you must cry
Then there's more to you than meets the eye
But if you go about your business with capital be
They're sure to cut you up with a capital see
And then you will be dead with a capital D
Just step outside
Well we could stop for a conversasion
If we could think of anything to say
But you know you've got nothing to talk about
When nothing happened yesterday
And if I ever committed a murder
I think I'd go about it this way
Never mine a rope or a dagger and a cloak
I could spend a week on this estate
And if you've ever crossed
your heart and hoped to die
The voices in your head saying you must cry
Then there's more to you than meets the eye
But if you go about your business with capital be
They're sure to cut you up with a capital see
And then you will be dead with a capital A
Just step outside
What are you doing tomorrow
And the day after and the day after that
Got some money I can borrow?
I've become the person I've admired
And if you've ever crossed
your heart and hoped to die
The voices in your head saying you must cry
Then there's more to you than meets the eye
But if you go about your business with capital be
They're sure to cut you up with a capital see
And then you will be dead with a capital be
And there's a curtain right over my head
Stamp my feet waiting for a bus
But decide to walk instead
And the American saxophoner follows me
All the way from the tele to the public house
My fingers are always in my ears
But the reeds always in their mouth
And if you've ever crossed
your heart and hoped to die
The voices in your head saying you must cry
Then there's more to you than meets the eye
But if you go about your business with capital be
They're sure to cut you up with a capital see
And then you will be dead with a capital D
Just step outside
Well we could stop for a conversasion
If we could think of anything to say
But you know you've got nothing to talk about
When nothing happened yesterday
And if I ever committed a murder
I think I'd go about it this way
Never mine a rope or a dagger and a cloak
I could spend a week on this estate
And if you've ever crossed
your heart and hoped to die
The voices in your head saying you must cry
Then there's more to you than meets the eye
But if you go about your business with capital be
They're sure to cut you up with a capital see
And then you will be dead with a capital A
Just step outside
What are you doing tomorrow
And the day after and the day after that
Got some money I can borrow?
I've become the person I've admired
And if you've ever crossed
your heart and hoped to die
The voices in your head saying you must cry
Then there's more to you than meets the eye
But if you go about your business with capital be
They're sure to cut you up with a capital see
And then you will be dead with a capital be
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Step Outside Lyrics as written by Paul Heaton Ian Peter Cullimore
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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."
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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,
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/
After "got some money i can borrow" the next line is actually "I've a compass and I've a mind"
@tiltonmick "I've a compass and I've a map", I think