oh look at how she listens
she says nothing of what she thinks
she just goes stumbling through her memories
staring out onto Grey Street
she thinks, "Hey, how did i come to this?
i dream myself a thousand times around the world
but i can't get out of this place"
there's an emptiness inside her
and she'd do anything to fill it in
but all the colors mix together--to grey
and it breaks her heart
how she wishes it was different
she prays to God most every night
and though she swears it doesn't listen
there's still a hope in her it might
she says, "i pray bu they fall on deaf ears,
am i supposed to take it on myself?
to get out of this place
there's a loneliness inside her
and she'd do anything to fill it in
and though it's red blood bleeding from her now
when all the colors mix together--to grey
there's a stranger speaks outside her door
says takewhat you can from your dreams
make them as real as anything
it's take the work out of courage
but she says, "please
there's a crazy man that's creeping outside my door
i live on the corner of Grey street
and the end of the world"
there's an emptiness inside her
and she'd do anything to fill it in
and though it's red blood bleeding from her now
it's more like cold blue ice in her heart
she feels like kicking out all the windows
and setting fire to this life
she could change everything about her
using colors bold and bright
but all the colors mix together--to grey
and it breaks her heart
it breaks her heart
to grey



Lyrics submitted by shealwayswearsblue


Grey Street (Busted Stuff version) song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment:This is certainly a sad song, perhaps the saddest part is the irony:

    She prays to God most every night,
    And though she swears it doesn't listent,
    There's still a hope in her it might,


    ---

    There's a stranger speaks outside her door,
    Says, "Take what you can from your dreams
    Make them as real as anything,
    Will the work out of courage?"
    But she says, "Please,
    There's a crazy man that's creeping outside my door,
    I live on the corner of Grey Street and the end of the world."

    I always viewed this as the answer of her prayers but she doesn't seem to realize that it is such.
    Flag GardenofGason February 17, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I feel very strongly that this song is about depression and feeling that suicide is the only way out. It's the utter helplessness and emptiness that one feels when they're depressed. Depression doesn't just mean feeling sad, sometimes it means feeling nothing at all. It's frustrating because you feel alone and not entirely in control of yourself. It changes your life.

    "I dreamed myself a thousand times around the world
    But I can't get out of this place" - depression is holding her back from what she thought her life would be

    "And though it's red blood bleeding from her now
    It feels like cold blue ice in her heart" - perhaps referring to self harm? She is literally bleeding but still she feels nothing

    "She feels like kicking out all the windows
    And setting fire to this life" - she's given up completely, she's frustrated and she just wants things to change or end

    The whole verse about praying to God - she's desperate, she feels that there is nothing she can turn to, she feels that she has to completely take this on herself and it's overwhelming

    "All the colours mix together, to grey" - she tries to feel connected to people and joy in her life, but it isn't working and it "breaks her heart" that she can't feel close to anything or anyone

    I'm wondering if the line about someone creeping outside her door has to do with a psychiatrist or whether it is a hallucination related to her mental illness (which would be common in something like bipolar disorder, which is extreme ups and downs; feeling that you can do anything, and then being nearly catatonic. Also the reference to a "crazy man".

    "She goes stumbling through her memories, staring out onto grey street" - she remembers a time when things were easier and she felt joy, but she can't anymore.

    "You could change everything about her" - perhaps if someone could intervene and get through to her her life could be changed and she could face her depression, but for now she is all alone.

    As you can see I take this song very seriously. In my teens and early twenties, it made me feel like someone out there "got" me.
    Flag meelson September 22, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:This song is simple, in the most complex, heartbreaking way.
    I think it brings up a certain event in everyone who experinces this song.
    It's about a girl who, when she was young, dreamt of doing so many things and being so many places before she died or got too old to get the chance to.
    But now, in midlife, she's realized she hasn't done nearly anything that she dreamed of.
    Her heart is telling her to go before it's too late, but her mind (creepy man) is telling her to stay. So there she is, stuck on Grey Street.
    She feels alone in her decision. Without God..

    That's my interpretation, but then again, all of Dave's songs mean something different to everyone who listens to them.
    It's what he aims for, I believe.

    Enjoy.
    Flag emnm13on May 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:in some versions of this song, it sounds like he is saying

    "Why dream myself a million times around the world
    When I can't get out of this place?"

    love this song!
    Flag ChahLeaon February 24, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Oops, hit the post button too early! Continued:

    There's loneliness inside her
    And she'd do anything to fill it in
    And though it's red blood bleeding from her now
    It feels like cold blue ice in her heart
    When all the colors mix together - to grey
    And it breaks her heart

    I see the chorus as the end of the story, and the verses are flashbacks. The "red blood bleeding" is her act of suicide, possibly by cutting her wrists, and the "cold blue ice in her heart" as well as the "colors mixing together" to grey are perhaps her final sensations before death, of cold and her vision fading.

    There's a stranger speaks outside her door
    Says take what you can from your dreams
    Make them as real as anything
    It'd take the work out of the courage
    But she says, "Please
    There's a crazy man that's creeping outside my door,
    I live on the corner of Grey Street and the end of the world"

    I saw an alternate interpretation to this verse. I saw this as her wrestling with her suicidal thoughts. The "stranger" telling her to "take what she can of her dreams" are her own thoughts telling her she's a failure, as in "Take what you can, but you're not going to achieve it." Telling her to make her dreams "real" instead of fanciful, and that it would take the "work" out of the "courage" it takes to end your own life. She fights these thoughts by crying out blindly "There's a crazy man outside my door" meaning that these thoughts are not her own, or not as she used to be, and but that her situation hasn't improved.

    She feels like kicking out all the windows
    And setting fire to this life
    She could change everything about her using colors bold and bright

    Finally, this is the last flashback before her suicide. She's lashing out, hating her life and what it represents what it's become. She desperately wants to explode, to scream and yell and destroy her "self" and start over, but succumbs.

    Powerful song, and although my friend didn't kill herself, this song almost fit her perfectly. Good writing, Dave!
    Flag Dcoil03on September 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I knew a girl, an old friend from High School who went off to college, got into drugs, and eventually became suicidal. This song really spoke to me, as I just heard it about the same time as this was happening. After talking her out of suicide one night, I reflected on the lyrics, and this is how I interpreted it:

    Oh look at how she listens
    She says nothing of what she thinks
    She just goes stumbling through her memories
    Staring out on to Grey Street
    She thinks, "Hey,
    How did I come to this?
    I dream myself a thousand times around the world,
    But I can't get out of this place"

    In this, I saw a girl who is trapped up in her own world. She's sad, depressed, and doesn't feel like talking to anyone. She's looking back on her life solemnly, perhaps out her window, wondering where things went wrong. She questions it, thinking about the dreams she had when she was younger, what she wanted to be, and how drastically different her life is.

    How she wishes it was different
    She prays to God most every night
    And though she swears it doesn't listen
    There's still a hope in her it might
    She says, "I pray
    But they fall on deaf ears,
    Am I supposed to take it on myself?
    To get out of this place"

    Here she's pleading to god to help her, give her guidance or a way to better her life, but since it's not happening, she's thinking of suicide, her way "take it upon herself to get out."
    Flag Dcoil03on September 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is about Dave's oldest sister, Anne. She was killed by her abusive husband who killed himself after he killed her.
    Flag davediggeron August 20, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i like the busted stuff version WAY more than the lillywhite one.
    this song is about a depressed girl who wants to get out of her depression, but doesn't know how. i've been to grey street and at one time this song described my life perfectly
    Flag swim192on March 21, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think that it is definitely about a depressed woman becasue usually the color grey is used to describe sadness or loneliness
    i think this woman has gotten to a point in her life where she hates the person she has become and wants to change
    "and setting fire to this life
    she could change everything about her
    using colors bold and bright"
    also when i first heard it, i thought maybe she cuts her wrists because of the reference to her bleeding
    Flag deathcab4cootieson May 30, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I actually heard this song was written about the famous American poet Anne Grey Sexton- hence the title. She suffered from extreme depression and ended up killing herself in the 70s.
    I can see this, actually, especially with the references to prayer and religion- Anne became increasingly more religious as her depression grew and she felt that God didn't listen to her.
    Flag patquinnchinon May 02, 2007   Link

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