This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Old man, look at my life
I'm a lot like you were
Old man, look at my life
I'm a lot like you were
Old man, look at my life
Twenty-four and there's so much more
Live alone in a paradise
That makes me think of two
Love lost, such a cost
Give me things that don't get lost
Like a coin that won't get tossed
Rolling home to you
Old man, take a look at my life, I'm a lot like you
I need someone to love me the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that's true
Lullabies, look in your eyes
Run around the same old town
Doesn't mean that much to me
To mean that much to you
I've been first and last
Look at how the time goes past
But I'm all alone at last
Rolling home to you
Old man, take a look at my life, I'm a lot like you
I need someone to love me the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that's true
Old man, look at my life
I'm a lot like you were
Old man, look at my life
I'm a lot like you were
I'm a lot like you were
Old man, look at my life
I'm a lot like you were
Old man, look at my life
Twenty-four and there's so much more
Live alone in a paradise
That makes me think of two
Love lost, such a cost
Give me things that don't get lost
Like a coin that won't get tossed
Rolling home to you
Old man, take a look at my life, I'm a lot like you
I need someone to love me the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that's true
Lullabies, look in your eyes
Run around the same old town
Doesn't mean that much to me
To mean that much to you
I've been first and last
Look at how the time goes past
But I'm all alone at last
Rolling home to you
Old man, take a look at my life, I'm a lot like you
I need someone to love me the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that's true
Old man, look at my life
I'm a lot like you were
Old man, look at my life
I'm a lot like you were
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
No Surprises
Radiohead
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
This song means so much to me right now. As I am writing this, It's been about 20 hours since my dad died. I'm hurting so bad right now. He struggled with alchoholism for so long and whenever this song came on the radio we would both cry. My father's gone forever now but this song will always make me remember him. Dad, I will never forget you...
How you doing these days, TM? Cheers, man.
@toolmusik What a great thing to say about your father. My dad is 66 and still in perfect health, but I know that I'm sure gonna miss him when his time comes.
@toolmusik Dang dude that’s deep! If i was there I would shake your hand and tell you it’ll be alright!
this song makes me think about my dad. my mom always calls me little Philip (which is my dad's name). i think it is about a man who is repeating his father's mistakes, and then is calling his dad a hypocrite when he gets pissed about it. it's also a statement of proof that they really are a lot the same, thus removing justification for his anger... hueoh, too many big words.
According to the decade book, in Neils own hand: "I wrote this for the caretaker of my ranch after I purchased it in 1970. Special thanks to James Taylor for his banjo playing."
banjo played by James Taylor...
Yeah, i read about how Young stayed at this farm one time and wrote this song inspired be the old man who owned it...don't quote me on this though...
@jehosefat true story. Young wanted a place where he wouldn't be bothered, saw a ranch for sale in Northern California and went to look at it. He told the old man he wanted to buy it, and when the old man asked him how such a young man could afford it, Young responded: "just lucky, I guess". After buying the ranch, Young allowed the old man and his wife to live there as care takers for the rest of their lives.
@jehosefat Thanks.... I was trying to figure out who was playing banjo
This songs not about his father. He wrote it about a caretaker/owner of a rance he bought in California in 1970.
This song is indeed about an old man who lived with him on the ranch he purchased in California, however whenever I listen to this song I can't help but be reminded of my father and I, and how similar our lives have turned out to be. It can mean whatever you want it to. They don't call people like Mr. Young music ARTISTS for no reason. A picture or painting says a thousand words, a song can say millions. I'm 23 and have been fortunate enough to grow up with great music like this. Like a famous painting, this song will never grow old.
Like some here say, the song was about his ranch0hand at the ranch he bought at the time. Neil's father left when he was very young. From; Don't be Denied.<br /> <br /> When I was a young boy<br /> My Momma said to me<br /> You're Daddy's leavin' home today<br /> I think he's gone to stay<br /> We packed up all our bags <br /> and drove out to Winnipeg.
It's about the janitor/custodian guy on his ranch. Sad character, and a real sad, melancholic number. Haunting.
yup, i am watching "heart of gold" right now on netflix and he just said that when he first became a rich hippy and bought the ranch he still lives on that he wrote that song for the old man who lived on the property with his wife and took care of the place. Neil young is one of the guys that make me proud to be a canadian, he has so much diversity has done so much for so many young performers in the music industry it just inspiring.
Absolutely correct. I recently saw an old BBC special on Youtube where he refers to this song a 'new'. (WOW!!!). Before he performs the song he says he bought a Ranch and the song was about the old ranch-hand that was running the place when he bought it.
This is one awesome fucking song.. puts you in quite the melancholy mood. My own little interpretation to the song is as follows: a younger man reflecting upon his hardships, and although they may be fewer than a man twice his age, he feels as though he hurts just as much as the older man.
I think that's a brilliant interpretation.
Interesting to read everyone's thoughts on this one. I hadn't heard the story about the farmer. I'd always fallen in line with the father-son story. But I think it can be more generally interpreted to just be about dealing with the disappointment of your elders, the expectations that are passed between generations, and the constant struggle to define oneself as separate from everything and everyone else.
Definitely a classic in my book.
For those poeple who commented that this song has no meaning , abviously you are not very observent. If you look into the contrast of these lyrics and know that he was kicked out of his home then you will realize that maybe he hekd a grudge for many against his father , and then when he realized that his father did the same thing that he would have in that situation maybe then he noticed that he was alot like his father was.