Lowdown and Dirty
Foreigner Lyrics


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This is the thirteenth day of waiting, the second long weekend
These liberties you've taken, have got to end
This distance you've been keeping, grows wider everyday
Time is running out, there's nothing left to say

Innocent child, that's what I once believed
But now I know better, and I ain't gonna let you play that game with me
I'm telling you mama
I'm gonna get lowdown and dirty, run wild in the night
Lowdown and dirty, this time I'll do it right
Loving every minute, making up for lost time
I'll get lowdown, lowdown and dirty

A little time to do something, some searching of the soul
I never knew your heart could be so cold
You're driven by ambition and you want the best that you can get
Ambition leads you blindly if you let it
And I guess you let it

That innocent smile, it fooled me all the way
It drew me in, but now there's gonna be some hell to pay
Gonna be hell to pay

I'm gonna get lowdown and dirty, and break every rule
Lowdown and dirty, nobody gonna treat me like a fool
Running free and easy, now I'm out on the loose
I'll get lowdown and dirty, lowdown and dirty tonight

Such an innocent child, you fooled me all the way
You drew me in, but now there is going to be some hell to pay

I'm gonna get lowdown and dirty, run wild in the night
Lowdown and dirty, do it good, do it right
You see I've reaching for something that's been
Missing in my life
I've got to get lowdown and dirty, lowdown and dirty tonight
Got to get, got to get, got to get lowdown and dirty




If you could see me right now darlin' you'd see me flyin' high,
Goin' crazy

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Foreigner's song "Lowdown and Dirty" illustrate a sense of frustration and anger towards someone who has done wrong. The first few lines express the singer's impatience with waiting for the other person to change their ways. The lyrics suggest that this person has been keeping a distance from the singer, causing the relationship to deteriorate. The line "Innocent child, that's what I once believed" suggests that the singer used to trust this person blindly, but now they see through their facade. The chorus expresses the singer's desire to take action and "get lowdown and dirty," meaning they are prepared to break the rules and behave in a way that they wouldn't normally. The singer seems to have reached a breaking point and is ready to make up for lost time by living recklessly.


The second verse further highlights the issue of ambition and how it can lead someone to be blind to those around them. The line "You're driven by ambition and you want the best that you can get" suggests that this person cares more about their own success than the well-being of those around them. The singer is frustrated by their actions and feels like they have been taken advantage of. They express a desire to break free from this person's hold and live their life on their own terms. The song ends with the line "If you could see me right now darlin' you'd see me flyin' high, goin' crazy," indicating that the singer has taken action and is now living life without holding back.


Line by Line Meaning

This is the thirteenth day of waiting, the second long weekend
I've been waiting around for far too long and it's starting to get frustrating.


These liberties you've taken, have got to end
You've taken advantage of me for far too long and it's time for it to stop.


This distance you've been keeping, grows wider everyday
You've been keeping your distance from me and it's getting worse every day.


Time is running out, there's nothing left to say
We're running out of time to fix things and there's nothing left to talk about.


Innocent child, that's what I once believed
I used to think you were innocent, but I know better now.


But now I know better, and I ain't gonna let you play that game with me
I know the truth about you now and I'm not going to let you manipulate me anymore.


I'm telling you mama
I'm being direct with you.


I'm gonna get lowdown and dirty, run wild in the night
I'm going to let loose and have some fun.


Lowdown and dirty, this time I'll do it right
I'm going to do things my way and make sure I don't mess up.


Loving every minute, making up for lost time
I'm enjoying myself and trying to make up for lost opportunities.


I'll get lowdown, lowdown and dirty
I'm going to act wild and crazy.


A little time to do something, some searching of the soul
I need some time to figure things out and do some soul-searching.


I never knew your heart could be so cold
I never realized how unforgiving and unemotional you could be.


You're driven by ambition and you want the best that you can get
You only care about yourself and your own success.


Ambition leads you blindly if you let it
Being overly ambitious can blind you to what's really important.


And I guess you let it
And I believe you've let your ambition control you.


That innocent smile, it fooled me all the way
Your innocent smile used to deceive me, but not anymore.


It drew me in, but now there's gonna be some hell to pay
Your charm used to work on me, but now you're going to face consequences.


I'm gonna get lowdown and dirty, and break every rule
I'm going to have some fun and break all the rules.


Lowdown and dirty, nobody gonna treat me like a fool
I won't let anyone take advantage of me anymore.


Running free and easy, now I'm out on the loose
I'm living life to the fullest and enjoying the freedom.


I'll get lowdown and dirty, lowdown and dirty tonight
I'm going to let loose and act crazy tonight.


Such an innocent child, you fooled me all the way
You used to seem so innocent and you tricked me.


Lowdown and dirty, do it good, do it right
I'm going to have fun and do it the right way.


You see I've reaching for something that's been
I've been searching for something.


Missing in my life
That has been missing from my life.


Got to get, got to get, got to get lowdown and dirty
I absolutely have to let loose and act wild.


If you could see me right now darlin' you'd see me flyin' high,
I'm feeling great and having the time of my life.


Goin' crazy
I'm acting absolutely insane.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TERRY THOMAS, JOHN DOUGLASS EDWARDS, MICK JONES

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Dimitri_T8

This needs waaay more views... I know Johnny Edwards isn't the original Foreigner singer but man he killed it with his vocals in that song.

Jane Rohrbaugh

@Justin Copple I'm probably in the minority but I prefer Johnny Edwards' voice over Kelly Hansen any day...and Mick sort of cheated him, too not as badly as he did Lou but still did it.

Justin Copple

@Walter Simmons I agree with what you are saying and no one can replace Lou but both are good singers are in their own right.

Walter Simmons

@Justin Copple In case you didn't know in 1990 when Lou quit Foreigner the first time. Foreigner and Mick Jones looked at 300 singers , but it came down to 3 they strongly considered to replace Gramm. Mark Free(King Kobra) Johnny Edwards (King Kobra, Montrose, Wild Horses- formerly Buster Brown) and Kelly Hansen (Hurricane) . They chose Johnny Edwards even Billy Joel who's Mick Jones close friend told Edwards "I dig you man, I didn't like the other two " referring to their demos. If Kelly had been chosen (this is years before Lous brain tumor) back then, he would've rejected too because people just couldn't accept Lou being replaced by anybody.

Justin Copple

@Ben Adam775 Thanks I had correct my previous comment LOL.

Justin Copple

@Ben Adam775 I know who the current lead singer is I seen him perform with Foreigner when they were touring with Kid Rock back in 2015.

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Mike Pakasus

To me, one of the greatest songs of the band. I had 18 in that time.

Clay Winn

Love this song. First heard of the singer when he sang for King Kobra when he replaced Mark Free for the third album. He also sang on a Montrose album when they tried to come back in the 80s. Poor guy kind of fell into the replacement singer role. Great singer though.

MsOnkel01

Three of these songs from that album are definitly the most heard in my collection! Don´t know why everybody hates it.

Jean

me either..

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