When I wake up, yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
When I go out, yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you

And if I get drunk, yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
And if I haver, whatever that means
I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you

But I would walk 500 miles
An' I would walk 500 more
To be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door

When I'm working, yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you
And when the money comes in for the work I do
I'll pass almost every penny on to you

When I come home, yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
And if I grow old, well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you

And I would walk 500 miles
An' I would walk 500 more
To be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door

Surrender
Surrender

When I'm lonely, yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you
When I'm dreaming, yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you

An' if I get drunk, yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
And if I haver, whatever the fuck that means!
I'm gonna be the man who havers next to you

And I would walk 500 miles
An' I would walk 500 more
To be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door

Surrender
Surrender

When I'm lonely, yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you
I'm gonna be the man who's coming home

'Cause I would walk 500 miles
An' I would walk 500 more
To be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door

Surrender
Surrender

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Down By Law's song "500 Miles" speak of undying devotion and commitment to the love of one's life. The song begins with the singer acknowledging that whoever he wakes up next to, he wants to make her happy and be the man that she can count on. He continues that he'd walk a thousand miles to be with her, even if he has to walk 500 miles twice. The lyrics seem to affirm his partner that he'll be there for her through thick and thin, without any conditions.

The songwriter emphasizes the importance of hard work and being dedicated to one's partner in good and bad times. He confesses his love for his partner so profoundly that he is ready to give up everything for her. Even if he's lonely, dreaming or getting drunk, he's still committed to loving her. In his final lines, the singer declares that he's coming home, reaffirming his devotion to the love of his life. Essentially, the song is a love letter expressing the depth of a man's love and devotion to his partner.

Line by Line Meaning

When I wake up, yeah I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
I'll be the person who wakes up beside you when we start the day

When I go out, yeah I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
Wherever we go, I'll be the one accompanying you

And if I get drunk, yes I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
If we drink, I'll be the one who's drunk beside you

And if I haver, whatever that means I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you
If I pause or hesitate, I'll still be talking to you

But I would walk 500 miles An' I would walk 500 more To be the man who walked a thousand miles To fall down at your door
I would travel a great distance just to be with you and show you how much I care

When I'm working, yeah I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you
When I'm working, it's for you that I'm doing it all

And when the money comes in for the work I do I'll pass almost every penny on to you
I'll give most of my earnings to you, because you're the one who inspires me to work hard

When I come home, yeah I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
I'm excited to come back home and be with you

And if I grow old, well I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you
I imagine a future with you, growing old together and cherishing our memories

When I'm lonely, yes I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you
When you're not with me, I'll feel lonely and incomplete

When I'm dreaming, yes I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you
In my dreams, I'll always be with you

And if I haver, whatever the fuck that means! I'm gonna be the man who havers next to you
I won't let my confusion stop me from talking to you, even if I don't understand everything

'Cause I would walk 500 miles An' I would walk 500 more To be the man who walked a thousand miles To fall down at your door
I'll continue to walk the distance for you, just to be by your side and show you my love

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charles S. Reid, Craig M. Reid

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Comments from YouTube:

Jordan Haining

16y↑2

this is in my opinion one of the best punk covers ever

Gracjan Rötke

9y↑5

Love this track!!!

ROTAR666

11y↑10

i saw these guys live in sydney in a pub that no longer exists. and this song is better live while drunk. its good not drunk but you know what i mean.

tont760

14y↑1

This cover is the ONLY way to listen to this song! I remember screaming this song out in my bedroom back in the di-zay, tearing my vocal chords to shreds. Great tune, great energy!

AngrierGorilla

6y↑3

Great cover of a great song!

Windthin

9y↑4

Finally! I used to have a copy of this and lost it; I've been looking for this cover for ages!

Mike C

15y

Awesome Song ! I wish I listen to punk when I was younger

Alex H

15y

Old school punk rock! Down By Law kicks ass

Gabriele Ferrero

4y↑1

By the way the most romantic punk song for all of us.

MartyMcFly

3y↑6

2:22 “and if I haver, whatever the FUCK THAT MEANS! I’m gonna be the man who havers next to youuuuuuu!!!!” LOL best part

damián gibert

16y

transmite una pasada¡¡

Kayla D

16y

AHHMAZING COVER yeah the original has the Proclaimers cool accents but this one beasts the original!! it seems to have more passion. it's got me rocking out lol.

AdamiRose

10y↑6

Sweet. And this is coming from.someone who actually likes the proclaimers. .. I like this version.

Christian Obermeier

2y↑3

punkrockacademyfightsong is one of the best albums that exist and 500 miles one of the best cover version from this band what I knew so good, thanks.

of W olf & m A n

Massively underrated punk album. One of my all time favourite punk albums. "Pearl Jam clones are everywhere, f**k that shit, go cut your f**king hair" 🤣

Christian Obermeier

50w↑1

@of W olf & m A n hahaha , funny, who cares about Perl Jam ?

ste dutton

17y

woooh, i saw these play dis at reading uk in 1996 and thought all their fans looked REALLY old, now Im 28 and appreciate PUNK for all its worth. Fuckin OI

Solar Warden music

14y

The album was called punkrockacademyfightsong, I bought it based on the title alone! it's a pretty solid album.

vitovonhamburger

15y

Arrrgh. I didn't even know they were touring. Was it at State Theatre? I'm not a huge concert guy, but I would have tried to go. Always wanted to see DBL live.

Andrea B.

15y

fuckin' awesome! just luv it.

steve lippert

Better than the orig. Love it!

Naimah Assata

Why does this actually slap..... I’m literally here in my bed vibing out

Kristian282

8y↑2

Still the best cover

Disturber93

8y↑2

the 80s and the 90s were the best time of music ! Especially in the punk scene

braddock78

15y

i remember my 15 years too...fuckin good years,skate or die!!

Jordan Haining

16y↑1

Yah I have heard of Me First & the Gimme Gimmes and I agree they are a great cover band. However I still feel this is the best punk cover, maybe it because I am Scottish and this was originaly sung by Scotchman.

mark cristino

15y↑1

one of my all time favorite songs.. and movie.. benny and joon =)

GameUndergroundStore

3y↑1

The best version.

mohawk1020

17y↑1

omg it's amazing that a PUNK song is on MTV. Well, Actually it's amazing ANY song is on MTV

Marco P.

Down by law... how many memoris about my youth. Thanks

Mantequilas Revenge

16y

fuck yeah, my friend johnny was their bassist at this time, this was my favorite song hearing live, and dave has an irish accent just not thick like the proclamiers

SIOUX

16y

fucking great!

omega_stock(v1.02)

4y↑9

I'm here and always thought this song was by less than jake. Thanks..to..limewire... I am happy to finally discover the truth to my teenage years. The veil has been lifted. (And all the dirty viruses from limewire cured)

Remmi Layne

3y↑2

Dude...
I'm so glad I just saw your comment. I listened to this song (which I downloaded from Limewire and obviously burned onto 1 of a trillion CD's I burned all day everyday🙃🤘) all the time when I was 16 just driving around in my car with my friends (and my MTX subs lol). And I would have bet my life that this cover was done by Less Than Jake!! I just searched everywhere for a cover by them before finally finding this. And it's definitely the same cover I used to listen to because of what makes this cover so amazing: "...and if I haver...WHATEVER THE FUCK THAT MEANS.." Lol...

Jordan O'Byrne

3y↑1

Limewire told me it was by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes 😭

tomoya sima

このカバーは、本当にスゴイと思うわ。
PEGBOYのSURRENDERぐらいの仕事。

Ole Bjørn Lønskog

9y↑9

90 s 4 ever!!!

Kajou el gato

13y

best song for a good trip.

Remmi Layne

"...and if I haver (WHATEVER THE FUCK THAT MEANS!!?)..."
🖤

Grant Leech

16y

Come on this one ROCKS and hard!!! Proclaimers one is good, but weak!

Jason Kewley

16y

That's nice, the Proclaimers are Scottish... not Irish... huge difference.

Karl Unterreiner

13y↑5

I feel 14 again :-)

DJ Rodric

14y

Man you're so far out, this is a folk traditional song, and down by law covered it, less than jake may have done it later as well, just like so many artists have before, life moves in cycles...

Adrian

13y

After he finishes Fall down at your door they should sing : Pa da da pa daa daa daa :D

Pete

1000 times better than the original

Nilep Nekeçka

12y

Koopa's version is good too. I like it better.

StairwayToZeppelin78

17y

omg that rocked

Irene Heidenreich

11y

THE ORIGINAL VERSION IS MUCH MORE MELODIC NOT SO MUCH SCREECHING

Mekon Headed Freak

5y↑8

Your complaint about a punk version being screeching is like going to a boxing match and complaining that there’s too much punching. 🙄

VoyageOne1

Try the Toy Dolls version recorded a couple years later

Yong Mapalo

17y

i like it either way

Dot Gman

11y

Everybody get's this wrong but the song is actually called "Surrender"

Ben&Doris

15y↑1

cool!keep on walking

Pigsterinium

16y

I like the original more too=D.

kozes

15y

hahaha! thats awesome

Michael Black

12y

When you say "surrender" in a Scottish accent, it doesn't sound like "da da da". It sounds like "surrender".

Rayne Birkin

Remember watching this on the punk show on much music lol

Mart Kuijpers

14y

niceee!!!

mwysiens

13y

Wicked.

Aardvark

13y↑1

Lol wow, I almost remember, years ago, when MTV actually played music videos. I remember before they turned into another shitty "reality" station.

Bruja

This is punx rock!!

TheLastCharmander

14y

What the hell DOES "haver" mean? xD hahah great song!

GodOfThundah88

11y

And it hasn't gone up much in 2 years.

Jacob Estrada

49 people couldn't walk 500 miles

JACENKNET

14y↑2

AND WHEN I HAVER WHATEVER THE FUCK THAT MEANS!!!!!

[KGR]Catweazel

16y

and which one you like more ? :P

paintingtasters

15y

suhrenduuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhrrrr a great cover

[KGR]Catweazel

16y

The Proclaimers - I would walk 500 miles have a look on the right in this bar that shows similar songs to this. I can already see it there.

MacHamish

14y

To haver means to go for a walk...Hence the term haver sack which is a small day pack.

Pigsterinium

16y

Whats the original song?

RowRowFightThePowaa

14y

Good show at the Rise Against's first part in Paris ;D

animinc

12y

The history of MTV: Played good music and promoted underground an indie bands -> Played more and more "pop music" but keeps unplugged and alternative nation -> Played the same 8 tracks over and over all day repackaged as "chart shows" -> Plays 10 tracks of "Bieber-kiddy-porn-girly-hipphoppwannabee-vomit" over and over with "random generatet love quotes" at the bottom -> Fuck music, let's show how the has been c-list stars and Bieber lives.

Jordan Haining

16y

you know what you are right thanks for the correction. To tell you the truth I can't believe I made that mistake.

Arron Rowan

12y

wait... what... MTv Still plays Music video's nahhh this has to be fake. I love this group I found them Via Pandora.

jakeith22

14y

I spent some in Scotland. To "haver" means to joke or play around.

Jacob Estrada

Has anyone walked 500 miles?

sigmus90

12y↑3

If I haver, whatever the fuck that means . . .

Aardvark

13y

@macadam96 Lol, anything you say, boss. Glad there's still people out there whose opinions on other people's opinions are the end all opinion to save the day.

cyrafuckingrocks

16y

well 最高です to u too!

GodOfThundah88

11y

Yes. It was.

John McAllister

15y

WOW is that KB Forbes on Min 2:36?

sci

16y

2.23 - 2.28 And if I haver.... WHATEVER THE FUCK THAT MEANS?!?! LOOOL XDDD

bOnehEdd

16y

i agree.

VoyageOne1

Check out the Toy Dolls cover recorded a few years later!!!!

vitovonhamburger

15y

They were in St. Petersburg recently? Are you serious?

Pigsterinium

16y

Ok thank you.

jimi ashby

11y

(Scotland) To maunder; to talk foolishly; to chatter; talking nonsense; to babble

East_TX_LCR

14y

if u read info it says a cover.

PattieOFurniture

10y↑3

Hahahaha are you serious Irene???

xXxAtreyuQueenxXx

13y

awww it cut off :(

Jason Kewley

16y

If you were actually Scottish you'd know that it's Scotsman... not Scotchman. Scotch is a drink, Scots is the nationality.

Alex Livros

CURTE SOM, BINHO???

xXNightManXx

13y

@BenjiStone havering usually means to work for someone specific....

Aardvark

13y

@macadam96 That is an opinion. That's your opinion about my comment. Someone else might not agree with you and since there's no physical way to prove it, it's an opinion.

AndreasL22

15y

the song is good but it dosen't have the rythm in the vocals :o

J-Rod the Main Event

8y↑4

Awesome, but, seriously what the fuck does "haver" mean?

Gravatt Productions

8y↑2

I worked with a Scottish chef back in the 90's. He told me havering was a slang term for "bullshitting" someone.

2 More Replies...

Michael Paulus

11y

The word "real" was not needed in your sentence.

Max Zef

14y

@Nevarone Means to talk dirty in scottish lol

fuck

2018 anyone

ROTAR666

11y↑1

what about NOFX?

Gary Cleghorn

16y

If you dont know what the words mean, dont sing them, just change them, dont take the piss... sing something else, dont ruin a classic song!

0btuse

13y↑1

who'se surrenderin?

Aardvark

13y

@macadam96 In that case both of our opinions are the same, and equally pointless, haha. Have a good night.

[KGR]Catweazel

16y

the original is better !

Irene Heidenreich

11y

GET EDUCATED

Chris Lasprogata

15y↑1

yeh warped tour 96

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