I've got a little black book with my poems in
Got a bag with a toothbrush and a comb in
When I'm a good dog, they sometimes throw me a bone in

I got elastic bands keepin' my shoes on
Got those swollen-hand blues
I got thirteen channels of shit on the T.V. to choose from
I've got electric light
And I've got second sight
I got amazing powers of observation
And that is how I know
When I try to get through
On the telephone to you
There'll be nobody home

I've got the obligatory Hendrix perm
And the inevitable pinhole burns
All down the front of my favorite satin shirt
I've got nicotine stains on my fingers
I've got a silver spoon on a chain
Got a grand piano to prop up my mortal remains

I've got wild staring eyes
And I've got a strong urge to fly
But I got nowhere to fly to
Ooh, babe when I pick up the phone

(Surprise, surprise, surprise) there's still nobody home

I've got a pair of Gohills boots
But I got fading roots


Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by nasses321

Nobody Home Lyrics as written by Roger Waters

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Solutions Corp

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Nobody Home song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

66 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +4
    General Comment

    Cmon guys, listen to the whole album, thats the whole point to a concept album!! Very quickly, by this point in the story/album, Pink (the main character of the album) is a burnt out rockstar. Hes lost his wife (shes been cheating on him and is in the UK, Pink is in the US at this point, he was touring with his band) and that is most of the focus of this song, HENCE NOBODY HOME!! Throughout the album, a few songs hint about Pink's heroin addiction, Comfortably Numb is completely about Pink's heroin overdose, most of the song is the Doctor/Paramedic trying to talk to Pink, then the chorus comes and it is Pink singing/talking. Now about the "Swollen Hands" that is mentioned in Nobody's Home, and Comfortably Numb. Really bad heroin addicts get swollen hands and feet, that is what Roger is trying to get across. I couldnt find the scientific reasoning behind the human body doing that, but ive heard it many many times, and found it on many websites that i trust.

    XOZZFESTTTJUNKIEXon April 03, 2009   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    i really like the background sounds, voices to be specific, on this song. i mean the song itself is great obviously. but you may have not noticed that these background voices have been selected deliberately to convey some meanings, some ideas, besides setting the general mood of the song. in the beginning of the song "but there is somebody else that needs taking care of"... is trying to say that she is cheating on you with somebody else ( according to the movie, pink is being cheated on). somewhere in the middle of the song:

    "Ooooh, babe when I pick up the phone (Surprise, surprise, surprise...) There's still nobody home."

    it gives me goosebumps every time i hear this part. the background voice is incredibly sarcastic: there is no surprises. i know that there won't be anybody home.

    majid6565on September 22, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Some of the lyrics make me think of Syd Barrett. Waters has said that the 'elastic bands' line is an allusion to the great man.

    FelixCloudon July 28, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    By far, my absolute favorite of the album. So eclectic, and yet humble. I can not describe how much this song, with its echoing lyrics and distracting television sounds, captures my attention. There is no other Pink Floyd song that exemplifies their style of coming close to breaking loose only to be held back. Like in the song Time: "Hanging on in quiet desparation is the English way". He just can't seem to let himself go off: "I've got wild staring eyes. I've got a strong urge to fly. But I've got nowhere to fly to (fly to, fly to, fly to)"

    LPon April 18, 2004   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    This song is one mostly about Syd Barret, and Pink(the charecter in THE WALL). The first two lines are mere discriptions of the man/his life. "WHEN IM A GOOD DOG THEY SOMETIMES THROW ME A BONE" is most likely a reference toward societys way of giving things to those who obey the opression, which would explain why he chose a dog. "ELASTIC BANDS KEEPIN MY SHOES ON" is confirmed a reference to Syd Barret, who would fall into a juge depression. Schizoprenia, possibly. His mental state got so bad he stopped tying his shoes and just put elastic bands over them. The "SWOLEN HAND"s are probably a reference to comfortably numb "MY HANDS FELT JUST LIKE TWO BALLOONS" later in the album. The 13 channels of s***, a TV can be heard in the background many times in the album, apparently Pink's only real passtime. The "electric lights" refering to Pink's, and Pink Floyd's rockstar life (becoming a burden). "SECOND SIGHT" & "AMAZING POWERS OF OBSERVATION" refer to the realization that life and society are entirly screwed up, and he realizes more than others. The "TELEPHONE" and "NOBODY HOME" either refer to Pink's adultaerous wife, or the beggeing stages of the first shcizophrenic fantasy that Pink falls into, including "NOBODY HOME", "VERA" & "BRING THE BOYS BACK HOME" The second verse seems to be about the luxury's of being a rockstar, and how they mean nothing. The "WILD STARING EYES" refer to Schizophrenia, one of the symptoms being rare or incosistant blinking when in deep thought. All in all a somg preluding to Pink's Schizoprnia

    TheEdgarAllenGospison June 09, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    To me, this album represents many things to many and has been interpreted endlessly just as I'll now add my 2 bobs worth. When I was young (early 80s) and smoking pot we'd listen to this and honestly I heard that many differing "what it's all abouts". I didn't give it too much thought beyond the obvious. I just loved the music, the co-existing and intertwining concepts and later with an added appreciation: as a musician. About the year 1999 my Nan (that' right) had a listen and just immediately fell in love with it, every bit of it. I was astounded! She used to relate a lot of it back to me through her eyes - eyes that had almost been where Roger Water's eyes had been. She grew up in London through both world wars (in the bombed out areas between the Eastend and Essex) and she too had lost her father when she was very young (4 or 5). He was German. She was English. I can only imagine the crap at school she would've copped. He was deaf and ended up getting run over by a train, so in a nutshell....he never left (or taught) her much. She put a lot of "The Wall" into perspective for me. But anyway, I really only wanted to comment on a small fragment of "Nobody Home", that being my interpretation (blah blah blah) of the following lines:

    "I've got Electric light, and I got second sight" (a real contrast of the most basic to the extraordinary) "I've got amazing powers of observation, and that is how I know" (supernatural powers?) "when I try to get through, on the telephone to you" "There'll be nobody home" (no, just the cynic in him telling him, in his abandonment by her, she obviously not going to answer)

    [Ffwd>>>>]

    "I got wild staring eyes, and I got a strong urge to fly" (ambitions,dreams, hopes) "but I got nowhere to fly to" (the sad realisation that he feels deserted, alone, trapped - and that's just at home!) "ooooooooooh babe, when I pick up the phone...surprise, surprise, surprise..." "there's still nobody home" (just further emphasizing what he already "knows" or believes/perceives).

    Brilliant work. To have so many pulling it apart and disecting it with their own spin after so long is incredible.

    Hijulaon September 02, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    the lyrics are about Syd Barrett, in fact so was most of The Wall. It's sad to think about really. This song lets you step inside his personal degredation.

    SwornToTheBlackon August 19, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is one of my favorate songs off of The Wall. I love the vibe it gives off. Its like the vibe i get from dong everyday things when someone around me dies. Even though thats prolly not what hes aiming for. or something.

    NicoleInWonderlandon July 30, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This album is like mother's milk to me. I was raised with this album and it has always had a very special place in my music lover's heart. This song was always reminiscent of those really hard times, when you have nothing and those people you were once close to no longer keep in touch. Very very sad and depressing song. BUt god, do I love it all the same!

    Fool_in_the_rainon June 22, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think this song describes how every guy feels at some point in their life.

    BrainDamageon July 06, 2003   Link

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

Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Just A Little Lovin'
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/
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.