Don't Look Down
Grant-Lee Phillips Lyrics


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Mmm, mum is the Word
Numb is a better word
Haven't ya heard

Luke the Drifter and me
Wrote us a song
Too lonesome to sing
Not on this
Side of the dial
Not on this short wave

Buster Keaton and I
Danced out on the window sill
Ten stores high

If one night you take to walking
Way up off the ground
Do yourself a favor
And don't look down

I keep falling back to earth
Just as I am floating high

Luke the Drifter and me
Thumbed us a ride
Down the highway of dreams

Once you're out beyond the city
This old road gets dark
You could lose your bearings
And forget where you are

I keep falling
Back to earth




Just as I am floating high
Very high high high

Overall Meaning

In Grant-Lee Phillips's song "Don't Look Down," the singer talks about feeling numb and disconnected from the world around him. He references Luke the Drifter, which was a pseudonym used by country music legend Hank Williams Sr. The two of them wrote a song that was too sad for anyone to sing. The singer talks about how they couldn't play it on the radio, but that's not where it belongs anyway. It's too real for that.


The second verse takes a more surreal turn as the singer talks about dancing with Buster Keaton on a window sill ten stories high. This imagery is not meant to be taken literally but rather as a metaphor for feeling like he's on the edge and could fall at any moment. The chorus repeats "don't look down" as a warning to himself and others not to get too lost in their thoughts or they could lose touch with reality.


The third verse finds the singer and Luke the Drifter hitchhiking on the highway of dreams. Once they get outside the city, things get dark and disorienting. The singer again talks about the feeling of being untethered from reality and how he keeps falling back to earth just as he's floating high. The song ends with the repeated refrain of "very high high high" as a sort of mantra to keep himself grounded.


Overall, "Don't Look Down" is a poignant and introspective song that explores themes of disconnection and alienation. The imagery is dreamlike and surreal, but the emotions it conveys are all too real.


Line by Line Meaning

Mmm, mum is the Word
Silence is the only response


Numb is a better word
Emotionally unaffected is preferable


Haven't ya heard
Have you not been informed?


Luke the Drifter and me
The singer and his friend, inspired by Hank Williams' alias


Wrote us a song
Created music that speaks to their souls


Too lonesome to sing
The emotion behind the music is too deep to perform


Not on this
Not within


Side of the dial
The radio frequency they are on


Not on this short wave
Their music cannot transmit far


Buster Keaton and I
The singer and his friend, referencing the famous silent film actor


Danced out on the window sill
Living life to the fullest, taking risks


Ten stores high
Elevated high off the ground


If one night you take to walking
If you decide to wander off the beaten path


Way up off the ground
At a great height


Do yourself a favor
It would be wise of you


And don't look down
Don't focus on and worry about the potential consequences


I keep falling back to earth
Reality keeps bringing the singer back down


Just as I am floating high
At moments where he feels good


Thumbed us a ride
Hitchhiked


Down the highway of dreams
On the path towards fulfilling aspirations


Once you're out beyond the city
Once you pass the boundaries of ordinary life


This old road gets dark
The journey becomes uncertain and scary


You could lose your bearings
You could become disoriented and lose your way


And forget where you are
Losing track of your identity


Very high high high
Emphasizing the height the singer feels before he falls back down




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KENYON PHILLIPS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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