The lyrics, written by Iggy Pop allegedly aboard Berlin's S-Bahn, have been interpreted as embodying the nomadic spirit of the punk outcast. Guitarist Ricky Gardiner composed the music. While it possesses a distinctive riff, "The Passenger" is perhaps most recognizable by its chorus, on which David Bowie sings back-up.
The Passenger was included in 2008's The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present.
In 1998 the song was released as a single in the UK after being used in a TV commercial for Toyota's new Avensis. The single peaked at #22.
The Passanger
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An' I ride and I ride
I ride through the city backsides
I see the stars come out in the sky
Yeah, the bright and hallowed sky
You know it looks so good tonight
I am the passenger
I look through my window so bright
I see the stars come out tonight
I see the bright and hallowed sky
Over the city's ripped bare sky
And everything looks good tonight
A-singin'
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la
Get into the car
We'll be the passenger
We'll ride through the city tonight
We'll see the city's ripped backsides
We'll see the bright and hallowed sky
We'll see the stars that shine so bright
Stars made for us tonight
(La la la la la la la la)
Oh, the passenger
How, how he rides
Oh, the passenger
He rides an' he rides
He looks through his window
What does he see?
He sees the slight and hollow sky
He sees the stars come out tonight
He sees the city's ripped backsides
He sees the winding ocean drive
And everything was made for you and me
All of it was made for you and me
'Cause it just belongs to you and me
So let's take a ride
And see what's mine
A-singin'
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la
Ooh, the passenger
He rides and he rides
He sees things from under glass
He looks through his window side
He sees the things that he knows are his
He sees the bright and hallowed sky
He sees the city sleep at night
He sees the stars are out tonight
An' all of it is yours and mine
An' all of it is yours and mine
So let's ride and ride and ride and ride
A-singin'
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la
A-singin'
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la
In Iggy Pop's song The Passenger, the persona describes himself as a passenger who rides through the city backsides, observing everything around him as he moves through the city. He sees the stars shining brightly in the sky and notes that everything looks good tonight. The persona expresses his fondness for looking at the world from his window, stating that he is the passenger who stays under glass. He sees the city's ripped backsides and the bright and hallowed sky, and everything looks good tonight. The song makes a reference to the bright and hallowed sky, which could mean that the city is full of life and energy at night.
As the song progresses, the persona invites us to get into the car and take a ride with him. He assures us that we will see everything the city has to offer, the stars made for us tonight, and the city's ripped backsides. We will see the winding ocean drive, and we will see the bright and hallowed sky. The song emphasizes that everything was made for us, and it belongs to us as we ride together.
One interpretation of the song is that it captures the spirit of adventure and freedom that comes with driving in the city at night. It's a romanticized version of the urban experience, with the focus on the evocative imagery of the city's back alleys and the bright lights in the sky. The persona's role as passenger emphasizes the feeling of being carried along by the rhythm of the city itself. It's a celebration of the transience and excitement of urban life and the way that we can lose ourselves in a world that seems to be constantly moving.
Line by Line Meaning
I am the passenger
I am traveling as a passenger in a vehicle
An' I ride and I ride
I continue to travel as the vehicle moves
I ride through the city backsides
I travel through the less desirable parts of the cityscape
I see the stars come out in the sky
I observe the stars appearing in the night sky
Yeah, the bright and hallowed sky
The sky is bright and sacred
You know it looks so good tonight
The sky is particularly appealing this evening
I stay under glass
I remain inside the vehicle, looking through the window
Over the city's ripped bare sky
The sky above the city is torn and exposed
And everything looks good tonight
The view from the window is especially enjoyable
Get into the car
Enter this vehicle with me
We'll see the city's ripped backsides
We'll observe the less appealing parts of the cityscape
Stars made for us tonight
The presence of the stars seems serendipitous
He rides an' he rides
He continues to travel by the power of the vehicle
He looks through his window
He gazes through the windowpane
What does he see?
What exactly is he observing?
He sees the slight and hollow sky
He views a sky that feels insubstantial and lacking
He sees the winding ocean drive
He views the meandering coastal roadway
All of it was made for you and me
This entire experience was destined for the two of us
So let's take a ride
Let's continue traveling together
He sees the city sleep at night
He observes the city in its calm, nocturnal state
An' all of it is yours and mine
This experience belongs to the two of us equally
So let's ride and ride and ride and ride
Let's keep traveling together without any particular destination in mind
Contributed by Jacob T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@48sharksOfficial
LYRICS: [Verse 1]
I am a passenger
And I ride and I ride
I ride through the city's backsides
I see the stars come out of the sky
Yeah, they're bright in a hollow sky
You know it looks so good tonight
[Verse 2]
I am the passenger
I stay under glass
I look through my window so bright
I see the stars come out tonight
I see the bright and hollow sky
Over the city's ripping sky
And everything looks good tonight
[Chorus]
Singin' la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la
[Verse 3]
Get into the car
We'll be the passenger
We'll ride through the city tonight
We'll see the city's ripped backsides
We'll see the bright and hollow sky
We'll see the stars that shine so bright
The sky was made for us tonight
[Verse 4]
Oh, the passenger
How, how he rides
Oh, the passenger
He rides and he rides
He looks through his window
What does he see?
He sees the sight of hollow sky
He sees the stars come out tonight
He sees the city's ripped backsides
He sees the winding ocean drive
And everything was made for you and me
All of it was made for you and me
'Cause it just belongs to you and me
So let's take a ride and see what's mine
[Chorus]
Singin' la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la
[Verse 5]
Oh, the passenger
He rides and he rides
He sees things from under glass
He looks through his window's eye
He sees the things he knows are his
He sees the bright and hollow sky
He sees the city asleep at night
He sees the stars are out tonight
And all of it is yours and mine
And all of it is yours and mine
So let's ride and ride and ride and ride
[Chorus]
Singin' la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la
Singin' la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la
@ryla6620
LYRICS
I am a passenger
And I ride, and I ride
I ride through the city's backsides
I see the stars come out of the sky
Yeah, they're bright in a hollow sky
You know it looks so good tonight
I am the passenger
I stay under glass
I look through my window so bright
I see the stars come out tonight
I see the bright and hollow sky
Over the city's ripped back sky
And everything looks good tonight
Singin' la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la, la la
Get into the car
We'll be the passenger
We'll ride through the city tonight
See the city's ripped backsides
We'll see the bright and hollow sky
We'll see the stars that shine so bright
Oh, stars made for us tonight
Oh, the passenger
How, how he rides
Oh, the passenger
He rides and he rides
He looks through his window
What does he see?
He sees the silent hollow sky
He sees the stars come out tonight
He sees the city's ripped backsides
He sees the winding ocean drive
And everything was made for you and me
All of it was made for you and me
'Cause it just belongs to you and me
So let's take a ride and see what's mine
Singin' la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la, la la
Oh, the passenger
He rides and he rides
He sees things from under glass
He looks through his window's eye
He sees the things that he knows are his
He sees the bright and hollow sky
He sees the city asleep at night
He sees the stars are out tonight
And all of it is yours and mine
And all of it is yours and mine
So let's ride and ride and ride and ride
Singin' la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la, la la
Singin' la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la, la la
@astridfourcade8433
am a passenger
And I ride, and I ride
I ride through the city's backsides
I see the stars come out of the sky
Yeah, they're bright in a hollow sky
You know it looks so good tonight
I am the passenger
I stay under glass
I look through my window so bright
I see the stars come out tonight
I see the bright and hollow sky
Over the city's ripped back sky
And everything looks good tonight
Singin' la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la, la la
Get into the car
We'll be the passenger
We'll ride through the city tonight
See the city's ripped backsides
We'll see the bright and hollow sky
We'll see the stars that shine so bright
Oh, stars made for us tonight
Oh, the passenger
How, how he rides
Oh, the passenger
He rides and he rides
He looks through his window
What does he see?
He sees the silent hollow sky
He sees the stars come out tonight
He sees the city's ripped backsides
He sees the winding ocean drive
And everything was made for you and me
All of it was made for you and me
'Cause it just belongs to you and me
So let's take a ride and see what's mine
Singin' la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la, la la
Oh, the passenger
He rides and he rides
He sees things from under glass
He looks through his window's eye
He sees the things that he knows are his
He sees the bright and hollow sky
He sees the city asleep at night
He sees the stars are out tonight
And all of it is yours and mine
And all of it is yours and mine
So let's ride and ride and ride and ride
Singin' la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la, la la
Singin' la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la, la la
@narkay25
You guys are the real heroes
@obersterkanzler3783
No you are the real hero
@vergil9180
@@obersterkanzler3783 No, no you are the real hero
@obersterkanzler3783
@@vergil9180 no no no you are the real hero
@kavi5918
Yes I'm a real hero!
@guilhermeduartericardodoss2249
ostrich salad no no no no, everybody here is a hero
@BoyDugo02
When you are in a plane with your son and you see his favorite hero outside.
@useru4593
Lol
@Hey0418
Lmao i came from there
@DidierOfficials
I see we got someone with culture here