And she runs through her days with a smile on her face
And she runs, and she waits, and I wait

We can drive to anyplace,
day or night, across the state
And in the morning, into Mexico, we will wake up

I find a window in the kitchen, and I let myself in
Rummage through the refrigerator, find myself a beer
I can't believe I'm really here,
and she's lying in that bed
I can almost feel her touch, and her anxious breath!

I stumble in the hallway, against the bedroom door
I hear her call out to me, I hear the fear in her voice
She pulls the covers tighter, I press against the door

I will be with her tonight!



Lyrics submitted by citizenx

Track duration: 04:13

"Tyler" as written by Todd Lewis

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Tyler song meanings
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80 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:This song is about A peeping tom Todd heard about and made the rest up to his imagination. End of story.
    Flag Gashtallon July 03, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Life long resident of Tyler here. The story was in the Tyler papers when it happened, but actually happened just outside of tyler in a lakeside community.

    The true and actual story that did happen is in the lyrics.

    A man was obsessed with an ex-girlfriend and decided to break into her house. The trip to mexico may or may not be embellished, honestly. But he did get drink in her kitchen - while he was raiding the fridge, she barricaded and locked the door because she was woken by the noise. When the police arrived, he was passed out and laying against her bedroom door. There was a bunch of interesting items in the trunk including rope and bags and stuff.

    Tyler has violent history. It seems every decade they do something crazy, from this story, to ten years later a man brought a semi automatic rifle to shoot his wife in divorce court. He opened fire on the court room. A few years after that another man obsessed with his ex actually cut off his girlfriends ear and was boiling it in a soup.

    Tyler, Tx. Come visit any time.
    Flag brokenbeeron February 01, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is about rape? Aw damn! I kept hearing this song since I've started tuning into the radio and I really liked this one. I thought it was about a guy named Tyler getting to bang a girl that loved him. I'm disappointed now. Why do I always love songs that happen to be about stalkers?

    Queens of the Stone Age, You Can't Quit Me Baby, best stalker song ever.
    Flag PilotKelson1056on January 10, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think the incidents were separated by some time, but it was discovered after the shooting that he was also the guy who had been peeping and freaking local women out in Tyler. Basically, the guy had a paper trail documenting the fact that he was generally creeping women out in any place he stayed long enough to generate a complaint. But no sexual assault had ever been recorded. Those girls in Tyler were surely in danger though, but for whatever reason the guy picked the restaurant to unleash his revenge.
    Flag stephenrainson November 11, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I'm a lifelong resident of Dallas, TX. I always thought the song was about this guy I read a book about. He crashed his truck through the front of a restaurant in Killeen, TX back in the '90s and killed a lot of people before shooting himself. The incident was responsible for some major gun control laws on both sides being passed. On one side there was a ban (now inactive) on high capacity magazines for handguns, and on the other the concealed handgun licensing bill was finally passed here in Texas because of the lobbying done by a woman who watched her parents shot to death that day and felt she could have made a difference had she not left her pistol outside.

    Although essentially a drifter, the guy who did the shooting had lived in Tyler, TX for a time, and had developed an obsession with two young girls who lived next door. I believe several complaints had been made and he did a lot of creepy things during the time he lived there. He never actually assaulted the girls but the day before the shooting he walked into a local F.B.I. office and announced that there was a very organized worldwide conspiracy (he traveled as a merchant marine) being perpetrated by all women to keep him from getting a date or being able to have sex, that he had weapons, and intended to do something about it. For some reason, the Fed let him leave.
    Flag stephenrainson November 11, 2010   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:The Toadies lost to this one band at a lot of local battle of the bands before they became popular. The lead singer of the band that beat them, her name was Tyler. So, The Toadies wrote a song about sneaking into her room at night and raping her as some sort of sick revenge. That's the meaning of the song, plain and simple. No symbolism. No nothing.
    Flag Icomehere121on October 31, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Have always loved this song! The intensity in the lead singer's voice, the drums and guitar. Awesome!

    As for the meaning, I always thought it was about a guy who was stalking a chick and broke into her house. Not sure if he kills, rapes or kidnaps, but I can't guess that it ends well.

    If you like this song, give a listen to Shadow by Burden Brothers. I immediately thought of Tyler the first time I heard it because of the stalking lyrics:

    So won't you put a light on
    And put it in your window
    To let me know you're at home
    To let me know you're alone
    Know that I am waiting
    Always watching
    Let me follow
    Let me follow
    Flag dorketteon March 12, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:OK, TO FINALLY CLEAR THINGS UP...

    EVERYONE IS RIGHT!!!! The Toadies do an amazing thing with their songs (as do most bands), they leave it up to YOUR interpretation. Hence the creation of this wonderful web site. The inspiration was a Peeping Tom in Tyler, TX. And that my friends... is the only fact. An interpretation or how you relate to it, is all your own. You can't say that it's "Obviously" about anything other than trying to get into the mind of a Peeping Tom.

    P.S. Not obviously about rape. Possibly kidnapping someone and taking them to Mexico, or getting her to run away to Mexico... Plausible.
    Flag trfenderon November 03, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is so obviously about rape. From the first time I heard it I understood it to be in the first person of a man stalking a little girl. He is planning to kidnap her and take her to Mexico. I always just though the girl's name was Tyler. I didn't know that the Toadies were from Tyler. TX. That makes sense though.
    Flag cesca511on May 17, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:i think it's about a guy who was madly in love, and in a relationship. Something happened for them to break up... i think he is heart broken and wants to be with her forever, whatever it takes. it says that she calls out to him... maybe his name? that's what i interpreted. idk, i wish more bands would sing about more interesting stuff like this, more than just break ups and heart breaks. with quality lyrical content as this one. good or bad.
    Flag loridaon May 01, 2009   Link

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