Lyrics for Leave Before the Lights Come On as interpreted by andybrown_10

Leave Before the Lights Come On Lyrics
Well this is a good idea,
He wouldn't do it if it wasn't,
He wouldn't do it if it wasn't one.
Well my friend fancies you,
What a way to begin it all,
Yeah, he's always excited, words that he has that he wants to get out,

But realises how,
Oh he's stretching and yawning,
Its only hard in the morning,

And I suppose that's the price you pay,
Oh it isn't what it was,

She's thinking he looks different today,
And oh there's nothing left against now,

I think that he looks different today, and theres nothing left to get out,

He left before the lights came on,
He didn't want to ruin,
All the lust that was brewing,
Before he absolutely has to,
I hope you wake up,
With someone you don't love,
And don't feel slightly fazed by it,


But realises how,
Oh but he's stretching and yawning,
It's only five in the morning,

And I suppose that's the price you pay,
Oh it isn't what it was,
She's thinking he looks different today,
And oh there's nothing left against now,

Quick, let's leave, before the lights come on,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
What you've done,

Quick, let's leave, before the lights come on,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
What you've done,

Until tomorrow comes,

I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?



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GamlaStan
03-05-2006

 Rated  0 
More brilliance from Turner.

The way he can just talk about a normal situation and things that happen on a night out is excellent. It's so simple yet so effective.

I love the final verse.

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GamlaStan
03-05-2006

 Rated  0 
It should read "its only hard in the morning" and "all the lust that was brewing" and "I hope you wake up"

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LittleFloo
03-17-2006

 Rated  +1 
This song, to me, is about leaving a club before it shuts (ie - the lights coming up).

You meet someone in a club and because of the drink and the music and the atmosphere, it feels special, but you want to get out before reality kicks in and you find out that they aren't so special after all.

Great tune - i love it!

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andybrown_10
03-19-2006

 Rated  0 
Happy GamlaStan i edited it just for you! Nah ayways i thin kthis song is a new lease of life into the Arctic Monkeys discography, getting away from the same sounding riffs of 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'

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bloc_party15
07-13-2006

 Rated  0 
I really like this song
Should be a good single, better than the last (but that might just be my own feelings)

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ifyouleave
07-16-2006

 Rated  0 
I love this song. One of my favorites. Alex is a genius.

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DanC
07-30-2006

 Rated  0 
Great song. I think it's just about hooking up with someone random - most likely at a club. Awesome lyrics, awsome tunes. Wouldn't be Arctic Monkeys if they weren't there...

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kykyhunt
08-17-2006

 Rated  0 
i don't get the feeling this is about just a night at a club and getting with someone and leaving before the lights turn back on.i think it starts in a club and the end up having a one night stand and he wants to get out of there before he realises what he's done, which seems to be shown in this bit:

"But realises how,
Oh but he's stretching and yawning,
It's only five in the morning,

And I suppose that's the price you pay,
Oh it isn't what it was,
She's thinking he looks different today,
And oh there's nothing left against now,

Quick, let's leave, before the lights come on,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
What you've done"

and it's about that general awkwardness after being out for the night the having a one night stand with someone after and how u don't know how to act whether to leave or be polite:

"Until tomorrow comes,

I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?"

wicked song either way.good video too.

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Spinning.Sun
08-19-2006

 Rated  0 
the first time i saw this song was during a show at the Kool Haus in Toronto and I remember not being too impressed with it. But after hearing the recording a couple times it has really gotten hold of me. Alex just keeps pumping out the the classic tunes. However it makes me extremly interesting to see how the new album is going to sound - it has to be much different that "Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not", and 'Leave Before the Lights Come' is an encouraging recording of a song written and recorded well after the overwhelming hype. Alex has the literary talent to keep making genius lyrics, and I hope he is able to branch out and explore more different themes than the summarization of everyday teenage life from the debut album. He did all he can, and it's time to move on, and with his talent I can't wait to see what it brings.

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junior_kickstart
09-06-2006

 Rated  0 
is noone else thinking these lyrics posted are wild wrong??? they totally miss out "and they woke up together not quite realising how" which is a rather important bit of the song?! lol!
and i always thought it was "but they're always exciting words to hear"..but anyways........
to me the song is yeah, as kykyhunt says, not at all just about club reality vs reallife but about one night stands and the feeling "fazed" etc afterwards and not really knowing how to act.........SUCH a fit song, i really can't get enough of these guys, so chuft they got the mercury prize, anyway ive bored evryone for long enuf ttfn! xx
oh and i thort it was "nothing left to guess now" as in no mystery/romance etc left because they just shagged as soon as they met etc, no build up, no 'relationship' etc ah well, tis just my take on it! probsles ALL wrong! still a TUNE tho, ttfn enore une fois! xx

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oldpairofjeans
09-17-2006

 Rated  +1 
guess those are the right lyrics:


Well this is a good idea,
He wouldn't do it if it wasn't,
He wouldn't do it if it wasn't one.
Well my friend fancies you,
Oh what a way to begin it all,
You said it's always exciting words to hear

And we woke up together not quite realising how,
Oh when your stretching and yawning,
Its always hard in the morning,

And I suppose that's the price you pay,
Oh it isn't what it was,
She's thinking he looks different today,
And oh there's nothing left to guess now,

You left before the lights came on,
Because you didn't want to ruin,
All the lust that was brewing,
Before he absolutely had to,
And how can you wake up,
With someone you don't love?
And not feel slightly fazed by it,
Oh, he had a struggle,

And you woke up together not quite realising how,
Oh but he's stretching and yawning,
It's always hard in the morning,

And I suppose that's the price you pay,
Oh it isn't what it was,
She's thinking he looks different today,
And oh there's nothing left to guess now,

Quick, let's leave, before the lights come on,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
What you've done,

Quick, let's leave, before the lights come on,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
What you've done,

Until tomorrow comes,

I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?

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gammalpulvermos
09-20-2006

 Rated  0 
So great, emotional in a distant "clubby" way, like when you put too little effort in hitting on someone, and opens kinda tacky with "Well, my friend fancies you". And to top it all, it has loads of those little Arctic Monkeys-signature riffs. Wonderful, brilliant, perfect.

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sgt.peppper
10-18-2006

 Rated  +1 
the song is about a man with a g/f. during a night out at a bar or club, he and another pretty girl excahnge some words. "my friend fanicies you, what a way to begin it all"... and then, of course, they end up in bed together.

the next morning, before the girl wakes up and the lights in the room go on, the man ducks out, "quick let's leave before the lights come on... so that you don't have to see what you've done." (cheated)


"and i suppose thats the price you pay..."
the price, cheating on your g/f

"although it wasn't what it was"
even though it was purley alchohal and sex that led to the cheating, nothing more

"she's thinking he looks different today."
the g/f notices something instantly different about her b/f the next morning.

"and, well, there's nothing left to guess now."
the g/f is well aware he cheated on her- without him even saying it. she can just tell.



the best line:
"how can you wake up with someone you dont love? and not feel slightly phased by it?"

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DevilsHaircut
12-02-2006

 Rated  0 
I'm pretty sure I hear: "awkwardly stretching and yawning" and "they woke up together...".

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NoBBeR
12-10-2006

 Rated  0 
Could've swore the final lyric was
I woke you up, "what times the bus come?"
as if hes asking her in the morning before clearing off.

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NoBBeR
12-10-2006

 Rated  0 
Could've swore the final lyric was
I woke you up, "what times the bus come?"
as if hes asking her in the morning before clearing off.

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lawfuldrugs
12-20-2006

 Rated  0 
the correct lyrics can be found here (official site):

http://www.arcticmonkeys.com/leave-lyrics.html

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Illstar.
01-24-2007

 Rated  0 
whatever the lyrics are, it's a very good song. thanks am

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mad-monkey-42
03-05-2007

 Rated  0 
I love this song and the band. I guess its a about a one night stand and someone taking it too seriously or something like that.

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kaichache
07-08-2007

 Rated  0 
Well this is a good idea,
He wouldn't do it if it wasn't,
He wouldn't do it if it wasn't one.
Well my friend fancies you,
Oh what a way to begin it all,
You said it's always exciting words to hear
(Well simple: man chats up woman in club, hes basically giving her a crap chat up line and he knows it but somehow it works)

And we woke up together not quite realising how,
Oh when your stretching and yawning,
Its always hard in the morning,
(Hes now telling his friend [or basically the listener] what happened the next morning)

And I suppose that's the price you pay,
Oh it isn't what it was,
She's thinking he looks different today,
And oh there's nothing left to guess now,
(the girl wakes up and thinks.."what have I done" too..they'r both feeling awkward about the whole situation)

You left before the lights came on,
Because you didn't want to ruin,
All the lust that was brewing,
Before he absolutely had to,
And how can you wake up,
With someone you don't love?
And not feel slightly fazed by it,
Oh, he had a struggle,
(I think this part is sort of like the friend saying 2 him "well thats what you get" or just the story re-told in 3rd person.
They left the club before the end of the night "before the lights come on" because they knew what was going to happen and in they'r drunken horny state they didn't think about the consequences of their actions, but regretted it in the morning)

And you woke up together not quite realising how,
Oh but he's stretching and yawning,
It's always hard in the morning,

And I suppose that's the price you pay,
Oh it isn't what it was,
She's thinking he looks different today,
And oh there's nothing left to guess now,

Quick, let's leave, before the lights come on,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
Quick, let's leave, before the lights come on,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
What you've done,
Until tomorrow comes,
What you've done,
(this is basically explaining what they did again.. the cool thing about turner's lyrics is that he tends to change the tense of the song several times but does it in a way which makes sense like in "bigger boys and stolen sweethearts" hes talking about someone but then in the end its him: "I said I wasn't sad to see her go, but yer I'm only pretending you know")


I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
(this is self explanitory rele.. I definately think its "I'll walk you up" and not "I woke you up", thats what I thought it was before too but it still means the same thing regardless)

I think that "sgt. pepper's" explaination was pretty valid too though..

Also the video is soo gd..I watched it on tv nd then went on youtube nd replayed it several times..its amazing..plus it was on in the Hard Rock Café when I went there and i was like "AAH!! thats made my day!" - although the video rele hasnt got anything 2 do with the song.. its sort of a different take on it, its like the woman is so desperate that she wouldnt feel fazed by waking up with som1 who she rele didnt love..I love it!

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stilltakeyouhome
08-13-2007

 Rated  +1 
Well this is a good idea,
He wouldn't do it if it wasn't,
He wouldn't do it if it wasn't one.
Well my friend fancies you,
What a way to begin it all,
Said they're always exciting ones, so he had.

And they woke up together not quite realising how,
Oh but he's stretching and yawning,
Its always hard in the morning,

And I suppose that's the price you pay,
Oh it isn't what it was,

She's thinking he looks different today,
And oh there's nothing left to guess now,

You left before the lights came on,
Because they didn't want to ruin,
What it was that was brewing,
Before they absolutely has to,
Well how can you wake up,
With someone you don't love,
And not feel slightly phased by it,
Oh he had a struggle and...

They woke up together not quite realising how,
Oh but he's stretching and yawning,
It's always hard in the morning,

And I suppose that's the price you pay,
Oh it isn't what it was,
She's thinking he looks different today,
And oh there's nothing left to guess now,

Quick, let's leave, before the lights come on,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
What you've done,

Quick, let's leave, before the lights come on,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
'Cos then you don't have to see,
What you've done,

I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?
I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come?

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will10000
08-20-2007

 Rated  +2 
I love how the meaning of the line "Leave before the lights come on changes through the song because at the beginning of the song Alex says "They left before the lights came on because they didn't want to ruin what it was that was brewing" I think this is in a club and they left before the lights came on (in other words before it shut) so they didnt lose the lust and attraction they felt between eachother.
Then near the end of the song he says "Quick let's leave before the lights come on cos then you don't have to see, cos then you don't have to see what yoou've done", this is the morning after when he wakes up with the girl from the club and really regrets what he's done and wants to get away as soon as possible hence the lines "I'll walk/wake you up, what time's the bus come?"

Great song anyway, whatever the meaning.

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shadowcloneaxb
11-21-2007

 Rated  0 
i saw gym class heroes play this at a show.
it was amazing.
i love it.
obvious meaning.
agreed with those who said it was related to a one night stand.

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Martuz
11-30-2007

 Rated  0 
one their best no doubt.
this song makes me wanna run...especially at the third break part before the ending...WOW,SHIT

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smaksim7
12-22-2007

 Rated  0 
do u think that when he says"...it's always hard in the morning..." he's talking about an erection? hahahaha

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