Two Lights

Definately a military reference. My grandmother, who was born in 1927 told me that returning soldiers would look for porch lights and if no light was on, then the spouse would either not want you to return or had somebody over. If they were alone and wanted a return, then 2 porch lights would be left on so the returning soldier knew that it was ok to enter the house or was welcomed home. that's all I could get from her about this story before she died. But i suspect there are many reasons for leaving 2 porch lights on back then in the 1940's.

Here's my meaning. The singer's son goes off to fight a war. The father's too afraid to know whether he's alive or dead, so he goes out and drives aimlessly and tells his wife to leave the lights on if their son's alive and turn them off if he's dead. At the end of the song, he drives up to the house and sees the lights on. (my eyes burn)

I was thinking pretty much the same - about a guy's son who's gone to war.. he hears rumours a soldier's been killed - and he thinks it could be his son so he's afraid to find out who the soldier was - I think that's why he's afraid to look over his shoulder. By the whole 'leave me two lights' thing, I was thinking maybe it was a sort of prayer.. like let him see two lights while he's driving around to show it wasn't his son who was killed, and that his son's ok? Anyway, great song :)

i went to a five for fighting concert last night and John spoke about this song a bit. It's loosely based on a true stroy- he met a father and son one day right before the son was leaving for Iraq. John asked how hard it was for the father, and the father played it off (he fought in vietnam and was a tough guy) but said it was tough for the mother. John knew that it had to be rough for the father too, so he wrote a song talking about a father's worry.

in the song a father learns a soldier in his son's unit has been killed- but he doesn't know if it was his son or not. He can't stand to sit at home and wait for the call, so he goes out on a drive and tells his wife to leave two lights on if the son is alive. At the end of the song when he says 'my eyes burn' it's meant to be either eyes burning from the two lights or eyes burning from the tears of not seeing the two lights. John meant to leave it open because he said "some stories have happy endings and some do not"

but, the day before the concert, John heard from the father who inspired the song and found out that the son had served his time safely in Iraq and was safe at home. so i guess there were two lights.

I dont think he saw the lights. just by at the end when he said Im going for a ddrive. He went for a drive at first when he was upset, to clear his mind. He coulda just said that line at the end just because but I dont think so. Hios songs seem to be very we ll thought out.

on second thought the im going for a drive is part of the chorus and the way he said burn was a higher not wich could mean happy? and the rest of the song sunds a bit uplifting lol im so confused anyways I thought the way he said "im alive and I am Dead' Was really packed with emotion and was kinda sexy.

If you watch the moving " Taking Chance" starring Kevin Bacon, you will see the meaning of the term Two Lights.. When they were escorting the remains to the soldier's hometown and when cars realized there was a casket of a dead soldier in the back of the hearse they all turned on thier headlights, giving the meaning "Two Lights" which I think is simply showing respect towards the soldier?

This is such a beautiful song. Could you please correct the typo in the first line where it says "brace" instead of "brave?" Sorry I'm being a little OCDish...