Elliott Smith – Drive All Over Town

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Two dollar color pictures from a photo booth
Dirty stepped on lying out on the floor of their room
Faces fell long in the half light
He looks all wrong but that's her alright

Look at him smiling full of teeth
Clenched tight
He knew the one time with the army captain
He got one that whole deal before it happened

Said its okay I knew exactly what you meant
When you said you were an accident
But when it's 3am he wonders where in the hell she went
And he'll drive all over town

Drive all over town
And he'll drive all over town
Drive all over town
Until he tracks her down
He'll drive all over town

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Lyrics submitted by EnjOy IncUbus

Track duration: 02:37

"Drive All Over Town" as written by Steven P. Smith

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Drive All Over Town song meanings
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12 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:Yeah, with this is it him singing about his childhood, not one of his romantic relationships.

    Like, 'I knew exactly what you meant whey you said "you were an accident"

    sort of thing. Poor dude :(
    Flag arlexahnderuhon October 12, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Well, I think this is a song about cheating girlfriends, as well as Elliott's childhood. The initial depiction of his "two dollar color pictures from a photo booth" definitely show that it is about the relationship, but Elliott's reference to his step-father calling him an accident is also evident. I think the song combines the mixed feelings in a failing relationship and the hardship that Elliott feels about his childhood.
    Flag peteleahyexperienceon August 30, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I'm under the impression that he says "He got OVER that whole deal before it happened"
    I also think he is talking about some time that his mother told him he was an accident, that he shouldn't have been born...
    Flag bernardofbbragaon September 23, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:THANK YOU imacleigh! I was SO dissapointed when i started reading what people thought the meaning of this song was...I couldn't of wrote it a better way.
    Flag jboon September 01, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I was under the impression that she (mother) tried to leave or would try to leame him (step-father). But that he would find her no matter where she went (track her down) with a persistence that borders dangerous obsession and possessiveness.
    Flag porcelinaskieson October 04, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this like many other songs by Elliott uses a common refrence to hide the refrences to his own life and pain. Take for example needel in the hay... he uses drug refrences to represent his pain.
    Flag imacleighon February 11, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:sorry to dissapoint you guys its not about girlfriends thats used as a viel. Its about his child hood.the picture on the floor is of him and his mom. it being steped upon on the floor of their room is showing that his mother has disregarded their relationship for another. Faces fell long in the half light
    He looks all wrong but that's her alright
    Look at him smiling full of teeth
    Clenched tight...this is to say hes become a different much sadder person since that picture was taken he lookes different he has grown and now it seems unnatural for him to look like that.
    And the army captain is charlie smiths step father to who in the song flowers for charlie he says "IM sorry Im not a good gi joe cause I alwase hang low and I wont fight you" I am sure the your a mistake comment is somthing charlie would have said to him. and in the end He wonders where the mother he loved has gone, so he drives all over town to escape the shell of his mother and the scruteny of his step father. I guess this is just my pesonal opnion I dont really know for sure...but this album is admittedly largly about his childhood.
    Flag imacleighon February 11, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i agree with deftnomad about the begining being about the two lovers who are in the photo strip, but i also think that it is showing through the photos that at the time that they where taken, the man already knows that she is cheating on him, and that she is compleatly obliviouse that he is aware of it, but he still loves her regardless, even though he knows, and he's just trying to ignore it. i belive that he eventualy confrants her, because he cant hold it in much longer, and she puts on a whole show and lies about how she only cheated once and it was a mistake and that she's sorry and says that it will never happen again("Said its okay I knew exactly what you meant,When you said you were an accident"). he nievly belived her, and set him self up in another situation where she can munipulate his trust in her and she cheats on him again. he finds that she left and he goes searching for her.
    Flag cyanidebreathminton August 24, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:before i read the lyrics i got the sense that it was about a couple, and something happened and she left and hes scared.. but now i see it is about cheating.
    Flag lisalynnon February 04, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Good interpretation, deftnomad. Yeah, it's about cheating girlfriends.
    Flag NishFetson December 21, 2004   Link

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