Lyrics for Joy Ride as interpreted by jeremygrim

Joy Ride Lyrics
It's getting close to sundown over the Sierra
Stranded on the freeway burning with desire
She was on the sidewalk looking for a night light
We talked about the real things
And drove into the fire
Headlights on the highway
The desert wind is howling
Rattlesnakes and romance
Is filling with the rain
Candy apple red dress
Bleeding when she kissed me
Heaven in a ragtop
Take away my pain

When your chips are down
When your highs are low
Joyride
Move across the night
Like a seperate wind


Pulled up to a motel
"Vacancy" was buzzing
Pink and dirty neon
Settle on the hood
Wrap your arms around me
Come a little closer
Stumble in the twilight
And fell onto the floor
Loving Mona Lisa
Dreaming of the free world
Lipstick on the nightstand
And demons at the door

When your chips are down
When your highs are low
Joyride
Move across the night
Like a seperate wind

When your hopes and dreams
Lose the will to go
Joyride
Reaching for the light
Knowing we can't win

Theres something in the distance
A glorious existance
A simple celebration
A place you've never been before
Tell me that you wanna go

Reaching for the light
knowing we can't win

When your chips are down
When your highs are low
Joyride

All your hopes and dreams
All you need to know
Joyride

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  • 19 Comments
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j-a-c-k
11-21-2008

Rated 0 
What an awsome song on an awsome album!
Long live the killers (L)

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LADYFINGERS
11-21-2008

Rated 0 
What a dancey song! I mean GODDAMN.

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wallflowers
11-22-2008

Rated +1 
haha what a "groovy" song. I love it. I love the sound on their new album.

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Camomile
11-23-2008

Rated 0 
Yes!I love The Killers when they do up beat songs,thay are sooo good at it.

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jasonveraSC
11-23-2008

Rated +1 
I kinda like how towards the end of the song you can hear "Why wont you kiss me? Why wont you kiss me?" which kind of puts a sad overtone on the whole song despite it sounding upbeat.

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revilodraw
11-23-2008

Rated +3 
Set in the desert, like many Killers songs and themes, he picks up the lady of the night and takes her to a seedy motel because his 'chips are down', his 'highs are low' and wants a 'Joyride' - something to take his mind off his troubles and to give him a bit of a pep-up. Personally I've never been to a prostitute, but I imagine it would be a depressing, unrewarding experience, and where the protagonist in the song starts talking of lofty ideals - "A glorious existance, A simple celebration ,A place you've never been before" he is saddened to realise that this woman cannot/will not share them with him, she doesn't love him at all, she's just earning a dollar. This point is underlined by the whispered line 'Why won't you kiss me?', she won't kiss him because she doesn't love him and he is starting to believe he can't win' - that he'll never find what he wants (love). Fairly saddening song in my opinion..

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2 Replies
whitlock1843
11-24-2008

Rated 0 
he's either met his girlfriend, and their relationship is mostly physical (perhaps an affair?) or shes a whore he's picked up (considering the album focusses more on glitzy vegas i thinki this would also make sense).
Their both pretty young and they have dark things to hide from ("deomns at the door), maybe their on drugs ("the highs are low") or maybe theyve realised its over or whatever, and they just want one last time.
it's nothign to them, just somehting free to do, to forget and 'take away the pain'
despite the fast beat etc, it is kinda sad, regretful, because they both knwo they're just using eachother etc.

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tef
11-27-2008

Rated 0 
amazzzzzing!!!!!!

so upbeat!!
and so sexy still, the bongos the trumpet, its majestic!!
the singing a lil monotonous but the music is amazing!

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xoOhMyJonasxo
12-30-2008

Rated 0 
some of the lines of this song are like "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer, well mostly just the parts on Edward and Bella's honeymoon (from the Twilight Saga) ...particularly these:

"It's getting close to sundown over the Sierra
Stranded on the freeway burning with desire
She was on the sidewalk looking for a night light
We talked about the real things
And drove into the fire"

...and...

"Bleeding when she kissed me
Heaven in a ragtop
Take away my pain"

...and...

"Wrap your arms around me
Come a little closer
Stumble in the twilight
And fell onto the floor"

...and...

"Theres something in the distance
A glorious existance
A simple celebration
A place you've never been before
Tell me that you wanna go"





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1 Reply
WeAllLoveThem_MCR
01-25-2009

Rated 0 
I've got this one.
I believe it's about him picking up a prostitute aswell, it makes all the sense in the world.

He's driving along the highway, filled to the top with lust, and he picks up a girl. He takes her to a small motel, and finds comfort in her presence this night.
--
Loving Mona Lisa
Dreaming of the free world
Lipstick on the nightstand
And demons at the door
--
He dreams of being free, probably from a relationship he's in, his girlfriend is the demon at the door, her face is hunting him.
--
When your hopes and dreams
Lose the will to go
Joyride
Reaching for the light
Knowing we can't win
--
His dream of losing his girlfriend won't go away, so he takes a joyride. The joyride is his light right now, but he knows it won't do him any good in a long term perspektive, and definitely not for his one-night stand. They can't win.
--
Theres something in the distance
A glorious existance
A simple celebration
A place you've never been before
Tell me that you wanna go
--
He wants to think that she's not just in it for the money, can't she act like this is a whole different experience to her? Can't he take her to an unfamiliar place with his sex, be a hero for her?
He knows he can't.

Along with the tune this fits a lot.

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jameshillegas
02-12-2009

Rated 0 
First a correction:

"Stranded on a HEATWAVE burnin with desire" not "stranded on the freeway" sorta changes things i guess.

Hes in heat basically, needs someone to make him feel better. First verse is about picking up the hooker and going out into the desert. He's just setting a sad ironic condition: Rattlesnakes dont belong in romance..and it doesnt rain the desert, etc.

Chorus is basically the same thing: You dont take a joyride when you're in the gutter.

Second verse is pretty self explanitory until you get to:
"Loving mona lisa
Dreaming of the free world"
Noone knows why mona lisa is smiling, but many say its an ironic sad smile. So the hooker is smiling, but shes definetly not happy. Shes most likely a foreign hooker dreaming of double freedom: The 'free' American life style, and her freedom from prostitution.
"Lipstick on the nightstand
Demons at the door"
She's already here, lipstick is on the nightstand, the demons that haunt her about this were left at the door.

The little bridge here is a reiteration of the whole song up to this point, only he says they are both losers not just him or just her:

"When your hopes and dreams
Lose the will to go
Joyride
Reaching for the light
Knowing we can't win"

This second little bridge is his reslution to the prostitute, hes saying "There is actually a good existance out there, but we've never been there, tell me you'll come with me"

You also hear in the background "wont you kiss me?". She's been hooking so long she refuses to kiss anyone, hes asking her to kiss him symbolizing she will leave this life behind.




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Spaceman10
02-28-2009

Rated 0 
Yeah I'm pretty sure it's "stranded on a heatwave" not freeway.
I also hear "rattlesnakes and romance is SPILLING with the rain."

It is an upbeat sounding song, but the lyrics are quite melancholy and depressing.

And its also, "won't you kiss me, tell me that you want it."
Not "tell me that you wanna go."
AND I don't hear "knowing we can't win."
I'm just being picky ^_^


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LCTRgirl
03-18-2009

Rated 0 
This song really reminds me of the film Natural Born Killers.

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bnormal320
05-07-2009

Rated 0 
A place you've never been before
Tell me that you wanna go

I thought it was

A place you've never been before
Won't you kiss me?
Tell me that you want it
whoooooaaaa oohhhh ohhhhh whoaaa

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pd3452
05-21-2009

Rated 0 
I think this song is time being spent in Vegas.
the "when your chips are down and your highs are low" part would be about gambling and possible poker.
saying that when the narrator isn't doing very good at the casinos then he goes and finds a prostitute

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drew2794
07-19-2009

Rated 0 
This is the kind of song that makes me feel good and want to go have fun. When your life gets boring and could use some excitement just go out and do what ever, have some fun. Whether its going out and driving fast down the interstate or whatever... just keep living and don't waste your life. "When your chips are down, and your highs are lows... Joyride"

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moodylupin
11-10-2009

Rated 0 
This song is a joyride. No need to over analyze it. Drew2794 has it!

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incesa123
11-10-2009

Rated 0 
When your chips are down
When your highs are low
When your hopes and dreams
Lose the will to go
Joyride

- When you are down, have no money and your expectations are low, pick up a prostitute from the streets and go to a cheap motel.

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incesa123
11-10-2009

Rated 0 
When your chips are down
When your highs are low
When your hopes and dreams
Lose the will to go
Joyride

- When you are down, have no money and your expectations are low, pick up a prostitute from the streets and go to a cheap motel.

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