I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
I'm taking a ride
With my best friend
I hope he never lets me down again
He knows where he's taking me
Taking me where I want to be
I'm taking a ride
With my best friend
We're flying high
We're watching the world pass us by
Never want to come down
Never want to put my feet back down
On the ground
I'm taking a ride
With my best friend
I hope he never lets me down again
Promises me I'm as safe as houses
As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers
I hope he never lets me down again
Never let me down
See the stars they're shining bright
Everything's alright tonight
With my best friend
I hope he never lets me down again
He knows where he's taking me
Taking me where I want to be
I'm taking a ride
With my best friend
We're flying high
We're watching the world pass us by
Never want to come down
Never want to put my feet back down
On the ground
I'm taking a ride
With my best friend
I hope he never lets me down again
Promises me I'm as safe as houses
As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers
I hope he never lets me down again
Never let me down
See the stars they're shining bright
Everything's alright tonight
Lyrics submitted by gasmask
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this is just a shot in the dark, but this song was written in the 80s when DM were heavy into the whole drug scene. i think that "he" may be the drug itself, and Gahan is saying how euphoric it is to be having this experience
To me it could be about drugs, or control and abuse in a relationship..... Not straight or "gay" either..... Mainly, because martin gore has always been straightforward with his lyrics, he rarely has any hidden messages in his songs
@meliffy18 That's right! Heard about the "uppers and downers" a few months ago and understood that the uppers would be the hard drugs (cocaine crack, heroin, meth). IMO Martin's lyrics have double-entendres - including the drug-related ones.
Just to make things clear for those who don't know : wear the trousers = be the dominant partner in a relationship
I've been wondering about this song for ages. The drug interpretation finally makes sense! Even if Martin was clean and sober, I'm sure he had plenty of examples around him to draw from.
THIS SONG IS ABOUT HEROIN!! Geez!
Kudos heroine is oft reffered to as best friend...
@Rusty Manhood Yeah, i think anyone who's been there completely sees this instantly. I love the lyric. "Promises me I'm as safe as houses. As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers" hits the nail on the head when it comes to an on and off heroin addiction.
@Rusty Manhood <br /> <br /> I agree. On the Paris DVD, you can see Dave tapping is bicep as if to bring up a vein for the needle.
I agree about the drugs, although the members of DM weren't heavily into drugs at this point, in fact, David was really the only one to get into drugs and that was in the mid 90s. Anyway, this song sounds like its about drugs, specifically, LSD. It sounds like theyre taking an acid trip and one of the two has done it before and is guiding the other through the trip. Anyone whos familiar with LSD knows that this is usually the best way to trip for the first time. Many people can freak out and as long as you have a calm person tripping with you, it can keep you grounded (promises me Im as safe as houses, etc).
@Rez1 heroin. it's about heroin. my dearest friend - heroin. he never lets me down.
I heard that Martin wrote the lyrics while on a plane (we're flying high, we're watching the world pass us by) while putting lyrics together describing one of many disagreements within the band. He was struck by the similarity between handing over your trust to a "best friend" to passengers having to totally trust the pilot. I always felt this song described the challenges of a Rock and Roll lifestyle and the disagreements and forgiveness between Martin and Dave. "I hope he never lets me down again" alludes to past errors that may or may not reoccur. Martin runs Depeche Mode. Dave probably was a jerk about something and then realized his errors. It seems to me that Dave is being reminded that he is not in charge, Martin is: "as long as I remember who's wearing the trousers". I find that there are a lot of songs that relate to Dave's drug habit but Dave didn't write until after he was clean. I think Martin wrote some of the songs from Dave's perspective...but that's another thread!
small brain: never let me down again is a song about being on drugs big brain: never let me down again is a song about doing gay things galaxy brain: never let me down again is a song about doing gay things while on drugs
suck my ass heteros
@sleemgay69 holy shit dude I literally made an account 2 minutes ago JUST to make a post on this song and format it exactly like this and was going to end it with “EXPLODING GALAXY BRAIN: never let me down again by Depeche Mode is about a gay couple that is reluctant to classify the relationship as romantic or sexual (hence “my best friend”) because both men are struggling with internalized homophobia” ugh our MINDS...
@sleemgay69 lol written like a true fag with a chip on his shoulder. Must suck to love hetero people music! oh how's that monkey pox working for you and your butt fucking community.
I think that this song is about two best friends. The male telling the story is saying how his best friend is taking him away from a place that he hates. My guess, is that he hates the city.(possibly the addiction of drugs) Why would someone hate a city? Maybe because it's full of corruption at night or he isn't fit for a noisy/busy environment. Maybe he had a bad time at a club or bar.
The best friend gets him in his car and is driving and driving. He's driving fast, that the two men see the world pass by them. Lights stream past them and buildings with people's faces blur in the fast motion.
"We're flying high watching the world pass us by Never want to come down never want to put my feet back down on the ground"
When you speed in a car, the velocity climbs higher and higher. I think this is what he means by "We're flying high, never want to come down..."
"Promises me I'm as safe as houses"
The passenger is probably scared even though he really wants the best friend to be speeding and to get him out of the bad place. He tells him to slow down, but the best friend assures him that he's safe with him even though he's driving extremely fast. Houses stand still and don't have any chances of crashing lol, so they're safer than a car!
"As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers."
Wearing pants like a boss. 'Nuff said. lol no, I'm kidding, but I think he means that the driver is the one in control here, that from experience the two men know that the driver is a very good driver!!
"See the stars they're shining bright Everything's alright tonight."
Soon, they make it out of the city or wherever the bad place was and the two best friends realize that tonight was a good night out. They get to enjoy seeing the stars together and they realize that a person can really count on their bestfriends to help them escape when they need to. :)
@Bomberkid Hey guys, <br /> I was reading yours and RueArsins posts and I think you hit a lot of things right on the nose, and it was really interesting to see you personifying what I know as Heroin addiction. (I know in so far as it's exactly what the lyrics say to me.)Heroin always takes you to this perfect place where maybe your feet aren't<br /> on the ground, the world is blissfully passing you by, exactly where you want to be. Mr. Brown is driving the figurative car and he is all you care about, your best friend.<br /> When you talked about hating the city etc. that's kinda right in this scenario, only most times much bigger and more personal problems lead to using. His life is noisy and confusing and Heroin drives slow and reassuringly,never too fast,away from all that craziness and he is an excellent driver! <br /> <br /> "Promises me I'm as safe as houses"<br /> <br /> "As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers."<br /> <br /> Oh man what awesome and concise symbolism. Those 2 lines cemented the meaning and the importance of this song to me. I suffer from some crippling mental problems that 20+ years of proper medical attention and was sober for almost all my 20's. Think of what houses, our own houses mean. Ideally it's the ultimate place of safety. For me it was that relief from normal life, but as I soon learned, it's the addiction you need to be safe from. So now in the song he has scored, taking that ride, the little baggy is promising you that shelter. As long as you know who wears the pants in this relationship. Like you said "Wearing pants like a boss. 'Nuff said" Haha and yea from experience he is a very good driver! Yea that is the problem. It can control everything and whisper in your ear to do things that you spent your whole life knowing not to do. <br /> To me this is the hope to "Never Let Me Down Again" For me the end came when I started stealing money to never be down again. You make it ok in your mind that no one minds, it's just this once, no one will notice the missing 70inch plasma TV...<br /> But as the song states as it closes out:<br /> <br /> "Never let me down"<br /> See the stars they're shining bright<br /> Everything's alright tonight."<br /> <br /> Tomorrow is another day...<br /> So the funny thing is that the fact that it's the outlaw of it that seems to be the cause of it. If it was safe and easier to obtain, and you were smart enough to be a little responsible about it, you could smoke it everyday and be relatively ok. Maybe lung cancer down the line and definitely some constipation, but otherwise you can function pretty well. I don't know, I don't know all the answers but I do have my personal trials. Using really helped me, it probably saved me from suicide. I slept regularly for the first time in almost 33 years. So I take legal Paxil among others and it's just as addictive. No I don;t crave it but I stopped for a week and became violently ill. Found tons of of similar stories online. So is it the drug that's letting him down?<br /> <br /> Thanks for reading and letting me get some shit out. I was going to write something similar but saw your ideas and I know I'm assuming but it seems like you haven't been addicted. Your observations seemed like a good jumping off point because you said right at the beginning: I found a best friend to get me away from that place and even though it was scary I, he reassured me and got me out of that bad place.<br /> thanks again-A
Not to sound rude - but - there is nothing to debate here. This song is clearly about drugs. When the song first came out, when I was all of 14, I knew that. Come on people. About homosexuality? No.
The ending - " see the stars they're shining bright/ Everything's alright tonight" is about him being high and "everything is alright".
Definitely drugs. "We're flying high", I mean just a little obvious.