Leave Before the Lights Come On Lyrics

Lyric discussion by LunaLovegood 

Cover art for Leave Before the Lights Come On lyrics by Arctic Monkeys

smaksim7: that's what I thought too. Only hard in the morning? Yeah, that's what it seems like they mean. Of course, they could be saying it's only hard to leave a girl in the morning, after the things they have done and the mystery of the night has worn off.

I see this song as a guy in any club or bar, who chats up a woman because he's missing the girl he does love. He uses a cheesy line, saying that his friend fancies her, and pretty soon the atmosphere has changed into one of lust between them. They leave the club before the lights come on and it closes down, as to keep the connection alive.

I think the part of the song that mentions the girl thinking the guy looks different is one of the reasons the man wants to leave before the lights come on and she wakes up. He's afraid that she won't see him as attractive or lust after him anymore once the lights are on and she can see him in plain daylight for how he really is. He wants to leave the situation on his own terms without hte girl interfering with his view on how the night went.

It's pretty depressing, if you think about it. It's always easier to fake love in the night.