I'm Not Going Out Tonight
Bobby Long Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

There is a place where she smiles a lot,
In the darkened corner of a parking lot,
Before men walked upon the moon
When you played the swinging doors of a lonely saloon
She waits for me there

There is a place where she still goes,
In the wintery night where her story flows,
Before we all sold our souls for money
And the jokes we told were still considered funny,
She waits for me there,
In the cold hours of the morning with the wind in her hair

I'm not going out tonight
Until the songs we know are all played inside,
And the old cars empty rust
And the CD players start to gather dust
Somewhere only she knows
In the cheap thrills of the morning
With the cold spill of my woes

There is a place where we are together
Where the mountain thyme grows around the heather,
Before the drive-thru cinema died
And a truthful word replaced with one big lie
She waits for me there

There is a place where I last saw her,
With a hushed out tone and a borrowed fur,
Just as the maps were changed
I took a wrong turn looking for her golden plain,
She waits for me there
In the cold hours of the morning with the wind in her hair

There is a place, and it's not to be seen
Where the air is young and the water's clean,
Where the juggernaut cut the sailor's scar




But on the moons above riding a shooting star,
She waits for me there

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bobby Long’s song “I’m Not Going Out Tonight” speak about a place where the singer reminisces about his past with a woman. The first verse takes us back to a time before the moon landing and before modern technology, where the woman would wait for him in the corner of a parking lot. The second verse talks about a wintery night where the woman’s story would flow, and the jokes they told were still funny. However, both verses share a common thread of the woman waiting for him “in the cold hours of the morning with the wind in her hair”.


In the chorus, Long explains that he’s not going out until the songs he knows are played inside, and the old cars are emptied of rust. He highlights that somewhere only she knows, there is a place where he can be with her in the cheap thrills of the morning with the cold spill of his woes. The third verse hints at a place where they could be together, where the mountain thyme grows, and the drive-thru cinema has not yet died. However, he took a wrong turn looking for her “golden plain”, and as such, she waits for him there “in the cold hours of the morning with the wind in her hair”. The final verse speaks of a place unseen where the air is young and the water’s clean, and where she waits for him on the moons above riding a shooting star.


The beauty of the lyrics of “I’m Not Going Out Tonight” lies in the vivid imagery that Long is able to conjure through the use of language. He creates a portrait of an ethereal place where the woman he loves is waiting for him to join her. The lyrics also speak to the idea of nostalgia and treasuring memories, as the singer yearns to return to a time before the world became corrupted.


Line by Line Meaning

There is a place where she smiles a lot,
She has a secret spot in a parking lot where she's happy.


In the darkened corner of a parking lot,
She's hidden away in the shadows of the lot.


Before men walked upon the moon
This place is old, from a time before the moon landing.


When you played the swinging doors of a lonely saloon
The place is reminiscent of an old-western saloon.


She waits for me there
The subject of the song is meeting someone in this secret place.


There is a place where she still goes,
The woman still returns to this secret place.


In the wintery night where her story flows,
She goes there on cold, wintry nights when she feels more introspective.


Before we all sold our souls for money
The place is from a time before materialistic values dominated our society.


And the jokes we told were still considered funny,
The place is from a time when humor was different than it is today.


In the cold hours of the morning with the wind in her hair
She goes there early in the morning, when it's cold and windy.


I'm not going out tonight
The subject of the song has decided to stay in for the night.


Until the songs we know are all played inside,
He will stay in until all the familiar songs have been played.


And the old cars empty rust
He's noticing how old things are starting to decay and fall apart.


And the CD players start to gather dust
He is referencing old technology that is no longer used much.


Somewhere only she knows
The place they're meeting is secret and only known by the woman.


In the cheap thrills of the morning
He's talking about early morning activities that don't cost a lot, like just talking.


With the cold spill of my woes
He's feeling down or melancholy, despite their meeting place.


There is a place where we are together
The place bring them together, and is a special spot.


Where the mountain thyme grows around the heather,
This place is surrounded by the natural beauty of a heather and thyme-covered mountain.


Before the drive-thru cinema died
This place is from a time when drive-thru cinemas were still popular.


And a truthful word replaced with one big lie
This place is from a time when truth was valued more than deception.


There is a place where I last saw her,
The singer is remembering the last time he was there with his love interest.


With a hushed out tone and a borrowed fur,
He is alone and whispering, in a borrowed coat.


Just as the maps were changed
Something recently changed in his life, altering their plans or routine.


I took a wrong turn looking for her golden plain,
He's feeling lost or directionless in his search for her.


Where the air is young and the water's clean,
This place is fresh and new, where the air is pure and the water is clean.


Where the juggernaut cut the sailor's scar
The place has a history of struggle, where the powerful have hurt the weak.


But on the moons above riding a shooting star,
Despite its flawed history, the place is still magical and otherworldly.


She waits for me there
The song ends like it begins, reiterating their rendezvous at this special spot.




Writer(s): LONG ROBERT THOMAS

Contributed by Callie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Daisygrrl Mel

I love this so much!!! One of my fav songs on "ode to thinking" and the video works so well.

KrissyJill7

Makes me love this song even more...how is that possible?!

Vera Pospisil

Love it! ❤ Totally successful! 👍

Graziella Mayra Albuquerque

I love music!!

Cayden Elliot

Cold Hearted Lover is my favourite

More Versions