She's a good girl, loves her mama
Loves Jesus and America too
Shes a good girl, crazy bout Elvis
Loves horses and her boyfriend too

It's a long day living in reseda
There's a freeway runnin through the yard
I'm a bad boy cause I don't even miss her
I'm a bad boy for breakin her heart

And I'm free, free fallin,fallin
Yeah I'm free, free fallin,fallin

All the vampires walkin through the valley
They move west down ventura boulevard
And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows
And the good girls are home with broken hearts

And I'm free, free fallin,fallin
Now I'm free, free fallin,fallin
Free fallin, now I'm free fallin, now I'm
Free fallin, now I'm free fallin, now I'm

I wanna glide down over mulholland
I wanna write her name in the sky
Wanna free fall out into nothin
Gonna leave this world for a while

And I'm free, free fallin'
Yeah I'm free, free fallin'



Lyrics submitted by keekaroni


Free Fallin' (Tom Petty cover) song meanings
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26 Comments

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  • +2
    Song Meaning:I think in the song, he is trying to convince himself that he no longer loves the girl as he has managed to get away... but eventually he has too much on his mind and realises that infact after going through all the memorys of the girl, he does miss her as he 'wants to write her name in the sky' so she can and never will be forgotten.

    The reapeating lines of the chorus reflect the mixed emotions running through his mind and how much he doesnt want to fall, but his heart is 'free fallin'

    Love the song so much, sing and listen to it non stop! Wonderful cover
    Flag emmagar40on June 28, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song, as much as I love it, confuses me slightly. I initially thought it was about falling in love, when I didn't pay attention to the verse lyrics and was listening mainly to the light melody and his tone of voice. But after I listened more closely to the lyrics, I realised it might be about him leaving his girlfriend. He's a bad boy, very different from her, and they just ended their relationship and that's why he's feeling so free. But then...that still doesn't exactly make sense when you take into consideration the line 'I wanna write her name in the sky'.
    So I'm not sure what story these lyrics actually convey. (It might be about drugs, I suppose that's an option...) But apart from the lyrics, the music and general feel of this whole song is just one of exuberance. I love how John Mayer's voice glides over the melody. He's quite the musician, that's for sure. =)
    Flag musicgypsyon June 05, 2011   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:This song, as much as I love it, confuses me slightly. I initially thought it was about falling in love, when I didn't pay attention to the verse lyrics and was listening mainly to the light melody and his tone of voice. But after I listened more closely to the lyrics, I realised it might be about him leaving his girlfriend. He's a bad boy, very different from her, and they just ended their relationship and that's why he's feeling so free. But then...that still doesn't exactly make sense when you take into consideration the line 'I wanna write her name in the sky'.
    So I'm not sure what story these lyrics actually convey. (It might be about drugs, I suppose that's an option...) But apart from the lyrics, the music and general feel of this whole song is just one of exuberance. I love how John Mayer's voice glides over the melody. He's quite the musician, that's for sure. =)
    Flag musicgypsyon June 05, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is so great, it can be interpreted in so many ways as well.
    His Free Fallin' moments could be drugs, or alcohol or whatever. But to some of us who listen to this and relate, it's probably the state of just not caring, or being so low and sad, you want to fall into it and never leave cause you believe there is no escape.
    I think the style in which Tom Petty plays this song really doesn't give credit or time to process how great the lyrics are. John Mayer made it great by giving it feel, and meaning in the music. Petty wrote pretty good lyrics, but the only thing that is actually magnificent about this song is that the music by Mayer works better with it.
    Flag fk13on February 21, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Don't get me wrong, this is a good cover, but there's something about his voice that just sounds too shallow, or light, to be singing a song like this.
    Flag Amindwithahearton January 17, 2011   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation:She's a good girl, loves her mama
    Loves Jesus and America too
    Shes a good girl, crazy bout Elvis
    Loves horses and her boyfriend too

    She's innocent and pure. Note, she has a boyfriend. He's the bad boy who wants to be with her but feels he is not good enough.


    It's a long day living in reseda
    There's a freeway runnin through the yard
    I'm a bad boy cause I don't even miss her
    I'm a bad boy for breakin her heart

    He's had his chance, he broke her heart, he's saying what people say about him that he's a bad boy because he "don't even miss her", but that's not who he is, it's just what people say about him, and he does in fact miss her.

    And I'm free, free fallin,fallin
    Yeah I'm free, free fallin,fallin

    This is a contradiction. He is free in that he is no longer involved with her, he thinks he is free, but it is in his attempt at proving how free he is, that he proves how wrapped up he is in this girl. He's free, but he's "fallin" for her so he's not really free, it's a bit of an oxymoron.

    All the vampires walkin through the valley - vampires are all the bad boys sucking the good girls blood, which is obviously a metaphor, to mean that they are stealing another life-important body part; their hearts. The image is that they are waiting to prey on the good girls. And obviously when the "vampires" are finished with them, they leave the good girls dead inside, numb, not quite alive.

    They move west down ventura boulevard
    And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows - Now the bad boys "vampires" are waiting in the shadows ready to take advantage of the good girls hearts.
    And the good girls are home with broken hearts



    And I'm free, free fallin,fallin
    Now I'm free, free fallin,fallin
    Free fallin, now I'm free fallin, now I'm
    Free fallin, now I'm free fallin, now I'm

    I wanna glide down over mulholland
    I wanna write her name in the sky - He doesn't know how to express his love, he knows he has to do something big and dramatic to win her back. But he doesn't think it will make a difference. Really it's him with the broken heart.
    Wanna free fall out into nothin - He has somewhat accepted that there is nothing he can do, he can't control her and win her back, the only thing he can do is control his own fate and he is free fallin because he has nothing holding him back, no plans, no direction and the only thing he can do is let fate take control, although it's his choice, he can't decide how he lands.
    Gonna leave this world for a while

    And I'm free, free fallin'
    Yeah I'm free, free fallin'

    I think generally, it is a song about throwing yourself into life, knowing that you cannot control the direction the wind takes you in. The only choice you have is to jump.

    Flag Annie4u2on January 14, 2011   Link
  • +4
    General Comment:i think this verison is way better
    Flag laurenanne12345on January 15, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:'She's a good girl, loves her mama
    Loves Jesus and America too
    Shes a good girl, crazy bout Elvis
    Loves horses and her boyfriend too'

    I think this is saying that she is perfect, the female equivalent of the American dream.

    'It's a long day living in reseda
    There's a freeway runnin through the yard
    I'm a bad boy cause I don't even miss her
    I'm a bad boy for breakin her heart'

    He left her, and because he lives in an uneventful area and there are just long lony days, he has time to think about it, and the fact that he left, but doesn't miss her.

    'And I'm free, free fallin,fallin
    Yeah I'm free, free fallin,fallin'

    I think that the words of the chorus are saying that he lets himself get lost in these thoughts.

    'All the vampires walkin through the valley
    They move west down ventura boulevard
    And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows
    And the good girls are home with broken hearts'

    I think that vampires are his way of saying memories, or unresolved issues. By going west they are effectively travelling out of their lives. All the boys are too scared to be seen, so they stand in the shadows where they are less visible, hiding. All the girls are at home with broken hearts.

    And I'm free, free fallin,fallin
    Now I'm free, free fallin,fallin
    Free fallin, now I'm free fallin, now I'm
    Free fallin, now I'm free fallin, now I'm

    'I wanna glide down over mulholland
    I wanna write her name in the sky
    Wanna free fall out into nothin
    Gonna leave this world for a while'

    He realises that just by thinking about her this much, he really does miss her. And gives into those feelings.

    And I'm free, free fallin'
    Yeah I'm free, free fallin'
    Flag AvigailGoodmanon June 05, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I don't think that this song is about falling in love with someone hence "I'm a bad boy cause I don't even miss her" I think he broke up with a girl because he just didn't want to be in a relationship anymore and wanted to cut loose on the ties.
    Flag andthenyouon April 10, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:but the line:

    "i'm a bad boy cause i don't even miss her"
    what does that mean? i love it.. but if free falling really is falling in love.. why doesn't he miss her?
    Flag sweetdancer071592on February 19, 2009   Link

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