Well a person can work up a mean mean thirst
After a hard day of nothin' much at all
Summer's passed, it's too late to cut the grass
There ain't much to rake anyway in the fall

And sometimes I just ain't in the mood
To take my place in back with the loudmouths
You're like a picture on the fridge that's never stocked with food
I used to live at home, now I stay at the house

And everybody wants to be special here
They call your name out loud and clear
Here comes a regular
Call out your name
Here comes a regular
Am I the only one here today?

Well a drinkin' buddy that's bound to another town
Once the police made you go away
And even if you're in the arms of someone's baby now
I'll take a great big whiskey to ya anyway

Everybody wants to be someone's here
Someone's gonna show up, never fear
'Cause here comes a regular
Call out your name
Yes here comes a regular
Am I the only one who feels ashamed?

Kneeling alongside old Sad Eyes
He says opportunity knocks once then the door slams shut
All I know is I'm sick of everything that my money can buy
A fool who wastes his life, God rest his guts

First the lights, then the collar goes up, and the wind begins to blow
Turn your back on a pay-you-back, last call
First the glass, then the leaves that pass, then comes the snow
Ain't much to rake anyway in the fall


Lyrics submitted by punkynoisething

Here Comes a Regular Lyrics as written by Paul Westerberg

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sentric Music, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Here Comes A Regular song meanings
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21 Comments

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  • +14
    General Comment

    paul westerberg would be a genius forever to me for "i used to live at home / now i stay at the house" alone.

    mt in chon December 29, 2005   Link
  • +10
    General Comment

    Sounds like the sad existance of someone wasting away on a barstool. When the bar closes and the cold wind hits him, he realizes summer is over and another year has passed. Friends come and go, some die or go to jail, but he knows everyone here and they know him and he will always have a place there. They are all just like him. Kinda like Cheers.

    drock13on March 04, 2006   Link
  • +8
    General Comment

    Utterly bleak and depressing. But "Here Comes A Regular" is a triumph of songwriting. Westerberg and The Replacements created a true gift of a song here.

    endofthelinejoelon October 03, 2004   Link
  • +8
    General Comment

    I like the pun on regular. He's a regular at the bar, but he's also just a regular guy. He's not anybody special. He's like a million other people in the world.

    robsunon July 02, 2010   Link
  • +6
    General Comment

    This song makes me cry. Especially the line "summer's passed, it's too late..." I'm having a really hard time and the words are fittung exactly into my situation.

    peyton August 27, 2006   Link
  • +6
    General Comment

    I'm a regular, to the point that this might a well be my theme song. We have one bar in our town, and any time I walk in, the bartender has my Jameson ready. Every time, it's all the same folks, with no good jobs, no prospects, and no real hope. So we drink, and it makes life tolerable, until something better comes. Here's to small town America, may you never last.

    piccolo14on June 13, 2010   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    ^5 to all of your comments. I grew up in the minneapolis suburbs and this song still means a lot to me. I was in high school when I first heard it and it helped me get my life together. I was going nowhere, had just failed freshman algebra. I ended up with a Ph.D. in chemistry. Thanks mats!

    mortimer29on September 21, 2008   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Just perfect song about life. The world moves on, there is winter, summer and so on, the years are passing and what you have is one day less to live than you had yesterday. 'He says opportunity knocks once then the door slams shut'- so true. So you have to do something, make a difference. Make something that counts. An not for somebody, do it for yourself because this is the only chance you will ever get.

    neuroticvinylon January 05, 2009   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Anyone from minnesota can relate to this song, especially anyone from a small midwest town.

    Classic story of the townies. Walk into the local bar any night of the week and see the same people drinking the same thing. Some people are meant for greater things but never leave the comfort of all the people and things they know. "Here comes a regular. Am I the only one who feels ashamed?"

    Thanks for sharing your beautiful lyrical abilities Paul.

    dlcoxon January 15, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This song can lift me up and bring me down in equal measure. That's an accomplishment in songwriting.

    GibsonSheepon December 19, 2007   Link

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