Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Won't you let me walk you home from school?
Won't you let me meet you at the pool?
Maybe Friday I can
Get tickets for the dance
And I'll take you, ooh-ooh
Won't you tell your dad, "Get off my back"
Tell him what we said 'bout 'Paint It Black'
Rock and Roll is here to stay
Come inside where it's okay
And I'll shake you, ooh-ooh
Won't you tell me what you're thinking of?
Would you be an outlaw for my love?
If it's so, well, let me know
If it's no, well, I can go
I won't make you, ooh-ooh
Won't you let me meet you at the pool?
Maybe Friday I can
Get tickets for the dance
And I'll take you, ooh-ooh
Won't you tell your dad, "Get off my back"
Tell him what we said 'bout 'Paint It Black'
Rock and Roll is here to stay
Come inside where it's okay
And I'll shake you, ooh-ooh
Won't you tell me what you're thinking of?
Would you be an outlaw for my love?
If it's so, well, let me know
If it's no, well, I can go
I won't make you, ooh-ooh
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
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
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/
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
I actually disagree with the older man/young girl thing. Everything about the song suggests more of an innocent, middle school crush sort of thing. The title, I think, means that's they're both thirteen. I don't think there's really anything perverse about the lyrics, save possibly one... and I actually think that line was only thrown in there cause it fit the rhyme scheme. But getting tickets for the dance- the school dance I assumed, talking about music... I assumed the outlaw line was more wanting to be like Bonnie and Clyde, which also strikes me as a very middle school romantic fantasy. Plus, as allmusic was so kind to point out, the way the tempo quickens in the third verse, to me, suggests a very thirteen year old kind of nervousness. Plus, as the other guy said, Chilton says on the live CD it was written when he was 13. Though I don't have the CD to confirm this myself.
I was going to post my own comment disagreeing with the paedophilia-related comments, but this one was pretty much spot-on. The only thing I would add is that, yes, Alex does say on the live CD that he wrote it when he was "about 13" but that can't possibly be true since "Paint It, Black" didn't come out until he was 15.<br /> <br /> That being said, I do believe that Alex wrote the song, or at least the germ of it, when he was a young adolescent, and that this song is not about an older man falling for a young girl, but rather about two young teenagers in love. That's it. Pure, simple and completely innocent.
Completely agree--this is written in the voice of a thirteen year-old.
no one really addresses the "Paint it Black" reference. "Paint it Black" is a song about a guy whose girlfriend dies and how that sends him into a deep depression. the line "tell him what we said bout 'Paint it Black'" confounded me for a while, but i think i get it now. i can imagine the two adolescents getting really melodramatic about their love and the boy saying that he'd react the same way if the girl died, and that that's how much they mean to each other. while conveying this to the dad via the song might not be the best choice, it shows how simple and naive they are, and it also reemphasizes that they are as in love with music and rock and roll as they are with each other. so amazing.
this brought tears to my eyes in the best way
That makes a lot of sense, I never quite got that, either. Referencing the song title is odd but the singer is referencing it because it is an inside reference that his girls gets.
This probably won't add a lot to the discussion but if the "Paint It Black" mention is a reference to the Rolling Stones song then Chilton couldn't have written it when he was 13--at least not that line--because he was born in 1950 and that song came out in 1966.
where is their any hint of humbert humbert type shit in the lyrics ?
it's a song about innocent, albeit melodramatic teenage love, and that's it.
The elliott smith cover of this is also beautiful.
Personally one of my all time favourite songs. It depicts that nostalgic, totally innocent love of being a young teenager so perfectly. It even sounds magical and nostalgic too. It's simple to understand, and fits perfectly with the descriptions of such simple pleasures of youth. My favourite line is "would you be an outlaw for my love?" - reminds me of something a kid says to a girl to impress her and sound a lil badass and god it's adorable. Then when he says "if it's so well let me know, if it's no well I can go - I won't make you" - always makes me smile. So childish and innocent. Most gorgeous, nostalgic song ever.
I like this song because its in the movie : ‘Stargirl’💗🦋🎵👄
sigh..what a great song. I can never remember how it goes when I try to think of it on the spot but it always creeps up on to me in those little unexpected moments. Why am I the first comment on this? :(
just a pure pop song of pure teenage love. has a very nostalgic feeland probably wouldn't sit well with many teenagers of the post-Dawson's Creek age. whatever, though. this is a timeless classic.
Well I'm only fourteen and I'm listening to it now. I love vintage music. Beautiful, innocent song.
The first verse of this song is an amazingly good description of middle-school innocence. Truely wonderful. Alex Chiltin shoud get his due.