You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now, here he comes

He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentlemen
Like you imagined when you were young

Can we climb this mountain?
I don't know
Higher now than ever before
I know we can make it if we take it slow
Let's take it easy
Easy now, watch it go

We're burning down the highway skyline
On the back of a hurricane that started turning
When you were young
When you were young

And sometimes you close your eyes
And see the place where you used to live
When you were young

They say the devil's water, it ain't so sweet
You don't have to drink right now
But you can dip your feet
Every once in a little while

You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now, here he comes

He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentlemen
Like you imagined when you were young
(Talks like a gentlemen, like you imagined)
When you were young

I said he doesn't look a thing like Jesus
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But more than you'll ever know


Lyrics submitted by sam_attack, edited by tigerfishy

When You Were Young Lyrics as written by Dave Brent Keuning Brandon Flowers

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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When You Were Young song meanings
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  • +5
    General Comment

    please let me explain this song:

    Brandon Flowers I can tell is a lot like myself. The way he views relationships and innocence. The clearest indication of this is in their x-mas release, "A Great Big Sled"

    This song follows the same idea of innocence. He acknowledges that as you grow you lose that innocence. When you a kid, you dream of prince charming, or in this case, "Jesus" because you are raised as good religious (i want to say christian) girl.

    The girl in this song in particular lost her innocence....just as the majority of "slutty" girls do nowadays. They lose all respect and can only attract degenerates and jerks, and then wonder why they can't find a good guy.

    Well, I give Brandon props for being the type of guy he is. In his song he acknowledges that its OK to make some mistakes. To dip your feet in the devils water. Essentially saying he understands the urge to do crazy things. But if you do it too much its going to get bitter.

    But then, this girl finds some guys that respects her and treats her just how she imagined when she was younger.

    The problem is, this girl doesn't know what to do or how to act.

    Can we climb this mountain? Obvious reference to 'I got you Babe' (Put your little hand in mine, and there aint no mountain, you and I can't climb."

    Can the relationship last? They don't know, but they are trying.

    The main line here is, "he doesn't look a thing like Jesus, but more than you'll ever know"

    This references the fact that the guy is "saving" her from her disruptive past.

    Its a song for all those girls out there that dreamed of something more in life, but seemed to have gotten stuck with dirt. Brandon is essentially saying, "don't give up, some guy out there can save you, but he might not look like you think he will."

    fr0st2kon November 10, 2011   Link

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