Montoya's career began in the mid-70's when Albert Collins asked him to join his band as drummer. Collins took Montoya under his wing and taught him his "icy hot" guitar style. The two remained friends even after Montoya left Collins' band.
In the early 80's John Mayall heard Montoya playing guitar in a Los Angles bar. Soon after Mayall asked Montoya to join the newly reformed Bluesbreakers. He remained a member of the band for 10 years.
In the early 90's Montoya decided it was time to go out on his own. He has recorded several highly acclaimed blues CD's.thankfully, he did it in Santa Cruz
Lights Are On But Nobody's Home
Coco Montoya Lyrics
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Always accusin' me of doin' wrong
I said you're playin'with my mind, baby
You're always accusin' me of doin' wrong
I can see you're lights on baby
But I can't see, I can't see nobody home
Now here come my mother-in-law
It's the same thing every day
She tried to drive me away, yeah
Now you're still accusin' me baby
Accusin' me of doin' wrong
I can see your lights on baby
But I can't see, I can't see nobody home
When I have to go to work
I gotta go to work downtown
If I get home a little late baby
You say I'm out messin' around
Now you're still accusin' me baby
Accusin' me of doin' wrong
I can see your lights on baby
But I can't see, I can't see nobody home
The lyrics of Coco Montoya's song "Lights Are On But Nobody's Home" appear to be about a strained and contentious relationship. The singer of the song, who is presumably Coco Montoya himself, is being "accused" of doing wrong by his partner repeatedly. Despite their partner's constant suspicions and accusations, the singer can't seem to find any evidence that they are "home" and interested in building a healthy, trustworthy relationship. In fact, even when the singer's mother-in-law is around, their partner continues with their same accusatory behavior.
Throughout the song, the tension seems to be building, with the singer insisting that they are innocent and their partner continuing to doubt them. There is a sense that the partner may be projecting their own insecurities and trust issues onto the singer, which is making it difficult for them to build a happy and healthy relationship.
Overall, "Lights Are On But Nobody's Home" appears to be a lament about the difficulties of navigating a relationship when one partner is constantly suspicious and accusatory. Despite their best efforts, the singer is unable to make their partner see that they are loyal and trustworthy. The title of the song reflects the paradox of the situation - the lights are on, indicating that the relationship is still active, but "nobody's home," indicating that there is an emotionally vacant and unresponsive partner at the other end.
Line by Line Meaning
You're playin' with my mind babe
You're toying with my emotions and causing confusion, my love.
Always accusin' me of doin' wrong
You are constantly blaming me for things I haven't done, my dear.
I said you're playin'with my mind, baby
I repeat, you are playing games with my head, my love.
You're always accusin' me of doin' wrong
You never stop accusing me of wrongdoing, my dear.
I can see you're lights on baby
I notice that your lights are on, my love.
But I can't see, I can't see nobody home
But it seems like there's nobody home, my dear. You're not truly present.
Now here come my mother-in-law
And now here comes my mother-in-law, my love.
It's the same thing every day
She does the same thing every day, my dear.
Ever since we been married baby
She's been like this ever since we got married, my love.
She tried to drive me away, yeah
Her goal is to push me away, my dear.
Now you're still accusin' me baby
And yet, you're still blaming me, my love.
Accusin' me of doin' wrong
You're accusing me of wrongdoing, my dear.
When I have to go to work
Whenever I have to go to work, my love.
I gotta go to work downtown
I have to go to work in the downtown area, my dear.
If I get home a little late baby
If I happen to come home a bit later than usual, my love.
You say I'm out messin' around
You accuse me of cheating or doing something else suspicious, my dear.
Now you're still accusin' me baby
Even now, you're still blaming me, my love.
Accusin' me of doin' wrong
You're still accusing me of wrongdoing, my dear.
I can see your lights on baby
I notice that your lights are still on, my love.
But I can't see, I can't see nobody home
But I can't see anyone who's truly present, my dear. You're not really paying attention to me.
Writer(s): Albert Gene Collins
Contributed by Anna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.