On The Road
Angus & Julia Stone Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hit up the bottle
Scored us the finest herb
Jumped aboard that rolling stone
Took to the sky like a bird
Now the wheels are in full spin
We're off to play a thousand shows
Took a drag, fell in a dream
Took to the sky like a crow

She don't like it when I'm on the road
She don't like it when I'm on the road
She don't like it when I'm on the road
She don't like it when I'm on the road

Turn up the radio
Play 'A Horse With No Name'
Ten miles to the show
We're running late in a running late game
That road can burn through your heart
Make you forget what you're doin' it for
But I'll keep walking through the dark
I'll keep knowing at that door, yes I will

She don't like it when I'm on the road
She don't like it when I'm on the road




She don't like it when I'm on the road
She don't like it when I'm on the road

Overall Meaning

In "On the Road," Angus & Julia Stone offer a poignant commentary on the struggles of a touring musician. The song opens with the lyrics, "Hit up the bottle, Scored us the finest herb, Jumped aboard that rolling stone, Took to the sky like a bird," painting the picture of a band on tour, seeking relief from the strains of the road.


As the song unfolds, a weary sense of loneliness sets in. The lyrics "She don't like it when I'm on the road" are repeated like a mantra throughout the song, underscoring the impact that touring has on relationships. Despite the trials of being away from loved ones, however, the singer chooses to press on, singing, "But I'll keep walking through the dark, I'll keep knowing at that door, yes I will." This line encapsulates the perseverance and resilience that touring musicians must embody, even in the face of emotional turmoil.


In conclusion, "On the Road" is a powerful testament to the ups and downs of touring, capturing the excitement and drive that musicians feel when they first hit the road and the emotional toll that it takes on relationships. It is a song that speaks to the human experience of searching for something bigger, even as we recognize the personal costs that come with that pursuit.


Line by Line Meaning

Hit up the bottle
We drank alcohol to loosen up and have a good time


Scored us the finest herb
We found and bought high-quality marijuana to smoke


Jumped aboard that rolling stone
We got on a tour bus or van to travel from place to place


Took to the sky like a bird
We felt free and alive, like flying in the sky


Now the wheels are in full spin
We're going full speed ahead with our tour


We're off to play a thousand shows
We have many concerts and performances ahead of us


Took a drag, fell in a dream
We smoked more marijuana and got lost in a dreamy state


Took to the sky like a crow
We felt wild and free, like a crow flying in the sky


She don't like it when I'm on the road
My partner doesn't enjoy when I'm away on tour


Turn up the radio
We blast the music to keep us energized and excited


Play 'A Horse With No Name'
We have a specific song we like to sing and listen to


Ten miles to the show
We're only ten miles away from our performance venue


We're running late in a running late game
We're rushing to get there on time because we're already behind schedule


That road can burn through your heart
Touring can be exhausting and take a toll on one's emotional wellbeing


Make you forget what you're doin' it for
It's easy to lose sight of the passion and purpose behind our music when touring becomes stressful


But I'll keep walking through the dark
I'll persevere and continue on despite any obstacles


I'll keep knowing at that door, yes I will
I'll keep trying to make things work and find success, no matter how difficult it may seem




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANGUS STONE, JULIA STONE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@beblessedwithlove

~ Hit up the bottlo
Scored us the finest herb
Jumped aboard that rolling stone
Took to the sky like a bird
Now the wheels are in full spin
We're off to play a thousand shows
Took a drag, fell in a dream
Took to the sky like a crow

She don't like it when I'm on the road
She don't like it when I'm on the road
She don't like it when I'm on the road
She don't like it when I'm on the road

Turn up the radio
Play "A Horse With No Name"
Ten miles to the show
We're running late in a running late game
That road can burn through your heart
Make you forget what you're doin' it for
But I'll keep walking through the dark
I'll keep knocking at that door, yes I will

She don't like it when I'm on the road
She don't like it when I'm on the road
She don't like it when I'm on the road
She don't like it when I'm on the road



@nicholasshaw7508

Sharon Lee ....Your Nick made this Nick share this with you❤

The quality of our dreams are both a reflection of our thoughts and actions as well as a general foreshadowing of the fate of our souls in the next life...A nightly, temporary karma that beckons us to change - for the good - so as to avoid a more permanent karma...

Complexity(🌎)+Beauty(🌷)
=Intent(❤️)

The Figure 8 Analogy: 

An analogy on life, death, the dream-state and the symbolism intertwined within the human experience...

We human beings are not moving in the - abstract - motion of a straight line towards death (for instance, the numerical straight line of say 1-89), rather we are moving in the motion of a figure 8...The Figure 8 is a natural repeating pattern that is divided into two halves and is thus the perfect symbol to represent the human life cycle and our two primary states of existence that we are continuously moving in and out of -the awake state and the dream-state.

When we awake from sleep, we come full circle to when we fall back asleep (represented by the bottom half of the figure 8), and when we go into the dream-state, we come full circle to when we awake from the dream-state (represented by the top half of the figure 8). Upon death, the figure 8 of life untwines, but it is not the body untwining from the mind that this analogy represents. It's two states of mind untwining to form a larger state of mind...(8->0)...Because the awake state is really a state -of mind, with our body's physical reality "consciously" intertwined, and the dream-state is also a state -of mind, with our body's physical reality "subconsciously" intertwined. Therefore; upon death, these two states "of mind" untwine to form a larger state of mind...A state that has all the potentialities of the dream world (flying, telepathy, psychokinesis, etc) combined with all the actualities of the awake world(nature, form, bonds, etc). This I refer to as the "transitional analogy."

While conceiving this analogy I realized life and death must be perceived - from one point of view - as seperate entities(the transitional analogy(8-0), but must also be perceived - from another point of view - as inseparable entities(the symbolic analogy), both of which are ultimately linked by the dream state.

The symbolic analogy consists of the untwined figure 8 of life/the 'circle of death' - abstractly -overlapping the 'circle of life'/the earth, with the overlappment representing the dream-state (like the common area in a venn diagram) which implies that the dream-state is just as much a part of life as is of death - by which semi-explains precognitive dreams, prodromal dreams, "visitations" by deceased relatives, etc, for the dream-state has a foothold in the afterlife - and is based on the premise that "while our body sleeps, our dream-state symbolically represents the state that awaits upon our body's ultimate rest.

In other words, while we are lying down and -sleeping/dreaming, this natural process symbolizes where we go when we're ultimately lying down/dead -to a place "like" our dream-state...A state "of mind", with our body's physical bonds eternally engrained and intertwined. 

                      👁~8~👁



All comments from YouTube:

@Hustlerae

these guys are why i love australia!

@supersarah2704

L'une de leur meilleure chanson! Ils continuent à me surprendre...

@leahrmusic

JULIA AND ANGUS STONE ARE AMAAAZING.

@louzoo1

very beautiful melody and harmonising as usual <3 your work!

@aline7387

Oooooo, eu sempre quis achar algum comentário muito antigo, só pra ver se por algum motivo a pessoa ainda usava o YouTube, ou se ela já era idosa, ou se ela já trabalhava ou sla

@jackgrovey

totally awsome - my new favourite artist

@inesnavyblue1290

Legend ;)

@mistafab9405

Love a bit of banjo..great music

@shushisha

so good

@terryhollas4830

Starts off like "I'm Your Captain", Grand Funk

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