This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
They came at night leaving fear behind
Shadows were on the ground
Well, nobody knew where to find him
No evidence was found
I'm never coming back
They heard him cry
And I believe him
Well he never meant to do anything wrong
It's gonna get worse if he waits too long
Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere
That I can find you
Oh, now, Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh no
Searching through the day and into the night
They wouldn't stop 'til they found him
They didn't know him and they didn't understand
They never asked him why
"Get out of my way"
They heard him shout
Then a blinding light
Ooh all I could see was him running down the street
Out of the shadows and into the night
Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere
That I can find you
Oh, now, Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh
Don't give up
Keep running, keep hiding
Don't give up
Billy, if you know you're right
Don't give up
You know that I am on your side
Don't give up
Oh Billy, you better, you better, you better run for your life
Now Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere
That I can find you
Oh, now, Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh
They came at night leaving fear behind
Shadows were on the ground
Nobody knew where to find him
No evidence was found
"I'm never coming back"
They heard him cry
And I believe him
He never meant to do anything wrong
It's gonna get worse if he waits too long
Now Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere
That I can find you
Oh, now, Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh
Oh, now, Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh
Oh, now, Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere that I can find you
Shadows were on the ground
Well, nobody knew where to find him
No evidence was found
I'm never coming back
They heard him cry
And I believe him
Well he never meant to do anything wrong
It's gonna get worse if he waits too long
Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere
That I can find you
Oh, now, Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh no
Searching through the day and into the night
They wouldn't stop 'til they found him
They didn't know him and they didn't understand
They never asked him why
"Get out of my way"
They heard him shout
Then a blinding light
Ooh all I could see was him running down the street
Out of the shadows and into the night
Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere
That I can find you
Oh, now, Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh
Don't give up
Keep running, keep hiding
Don't give up
Billy, if you know you're right
Don't give up
You know that I am on your side
Don't give up
Oh Billy, you better, you better, you better run for your life
Now Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere
That I can find you
Oh, now, Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh
They came at night leaving fear behind
Shadows were on the ground
Nobody knew where to find him
No evidence was found
"I'm never coming back"
They heard him cry
And I believe him
He never meant to do anything wrong
It's gonna get worse if he waits too long
Now Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere
That I can find you
Oh, now, Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh
Oh, now, Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere that I can find you, oh
Oh, now, Billy, Billy don't you lose my number
'Cause you're not anywhere that I can find you
Lyrics submitted by Boonechic_21
Don't Lose My Number Lyrics as written by Phil Collins
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Great version of a great song,
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There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
This song describes an outcast ("they didn't know him"), well-meaning ("He never meant to do anything wrong") character probably being wrongly ("You know that I am on your side") accused by the society for an act they consider "wrong." This has been going on for a while ("It's gonna get worse if he waits too long"), and in all likelihood it's going to end badly for him ("Oh Billy, you better, you better, you better run for your life"). It is probably about a crime for which he's the primary suspect, and he flees jurisdiction the night the cops came to take him into custody. I haven't seen the video.
"The lyrics might seem like nonsense, but that's because they came from stream-of-consciousness writing sessions. Collins himself says there is no real story or message in the song. The MTV-friendly video spoofs the Police, the Cars, Michael Jackson, David Lee Roth and many other stars of the day."
rollingstone.com/music/pictures/readers-poll-the-10-best-phil-collins-songs-20131211/9-dont-lose-my-number-0672179
Hm, never thought about it in that way. It seems like a close friend is trying to bring a young boy, going astray, back to reality or to doing right. And the older friend says "don't lose my number" to let the boy know that, even if he does wrong, he's there for him to call on.
I know this may not be what the song was intended to be about, but to me this song always seemed what Faber would have said to Montag in Fahrenheit 451.
According to the notes and back cover of the album "No Jacket Required," on which this was originally released, the song is actually called "Don't Lose My Number." That's okay though, because "Billy Don't Lose My Number" is probably a better title, the one that most people would think of. It's interesting that he omits the character name in the title.
It makes me think of a young boy being kidnapped
I always think of the movie The Legend of Billie Jean. To me it fits perfectly.
Except of course the fact that that particular 'billie' was a woman. To me, its the classic, wrong place wrong time story.
Well despite that, the title is changed to its correct self. Anyhoo, great song - one of the best of the album. Although the video doesn't explain that much I'm inclined to do with the billy the kid ideal!
I heard this today in a cookware store and couldn't hear the words very well, so I thought he was telling a woman not to loose his number because she was his everything. Either way, it's a great song. I Love Phil Collins.