Hometown
Ilan Eshkeri Andy Burrows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waves are gone, he has his days
Has a lot on his mind too bad
He's only happy if he′s sad
Has his cannons which he fires
The only boy I know can't cry.
I can see the ground I can't see you
Leave the lights on when I′ll go
So I can watch you down below.
Has his loss been his loss
There were bridges he had to cross
We have bridges that we burn
And had so much we had to learn.
He has his cannos which he fires
The only boy I know can't cry
I can see the ground I can′t see you
And see our hometown I can't see you
Leave the lights on when I′ll go
So I can watch you down below.
The only boy I know can't cry
I can see the ground I can′t see you
And see our hometown I can't see you
Leave the lights on when I'll go
So I can watch you down below.
The central theme of "Hometown" is of a person who is struggling with nostalgia and homesickness. The lyrics talk about the singer′s longing to return to his hometown where he grew up and his inability to connect emotionally. The lines "He′s got his walls and his ways, Waves are gone, he has his days" refer to the singer's emotional walls and his unwillingness to show vulnerability. He has got a lot on his mind and struggles to find happiness except through sad emotions. The lines "Has his cannons which he fires" and "The only boy I know can't cry" demonstrate that the singer has built up strong defenses against emotions and is not comfortable expressing them.
The singer seems to be separated physically and emotionally from his hometown, as evidenced by the lines, "I can see the ground I can't see you, And see our hometown I can't see you." The phrase "I can't see you" demonstrates that the singer feels disconnected from the people and the memories of his hometown. However, he still wishes to keep a connection and stay connected, as indicated by the lines, "Leave the lights on when I′ll go, So I can watch you down below."
Overall, the song seems to be about the bittersweet feeling of longing for a place that one thinks of as home but cannot return to. The singer in the song is grappling with his emotions and unable to express them to others.
Line by Line Meaning
He's got his walls and his ways
He has built barriers and patterns in his life that make him feel secure and in control.
Waves are gone, he has his days
The ups and downs of life are no longer affecting him as much, and he has learned how to cope with them.
Has a lot on his mind too bad
He is burdened by his thoughts, which can be overwhelming at times.
He's only happy if he's sad
He has become accustomed to feeling sad, and it is almost the only emotion that brings him comfort.
Has his cannons which he fires
He has defenses that he uses to protect himself from pain or vulnerability.
The only boy I know can't cry
He struggles to express his emotions and often suppresses them as a form of self-protection.
I can see the ground I can't see you
Despite being physically present, he feels emotionally disconnected from the person he is addressing.
And see our hometown I can't see you
Even when they are in a familiar place, he still feels distant and disconnected from the other person.
Leave the lights on when I'll go
He wants to create a connection with the other person by leaving a physical reminder of himself.
So I can watch you down below.
The lights serve as a symbol of their connection, and he wants to hold onto that feeling even when he is physically absent.
Writer(s): Andy Burrows, Tim Baxter
Contributed by Aaron T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ChronisRedFog
He's got his walls and his ways
waves are gone, he has his days
has a lot on his mind too bad
He's only happy if he's sad
has his cannons which he fires
the only boy I know can't cry.
I can see the ground I can't see you
and see our hometown I can't see you
leave the lights on when I'll go
so I can watch you down below.
Has his loss been his loss
there were bridges he had to cross
we have bridges that we burn
and had so much we had to learn.
He has his cannos which he fires
the only boy I know can't cry
I can see the ground I can't see you
and see our hometown I can't see you
leave the lights on when I'll go
so I can watch you down below.
The only boy I know can't cry
I can see the ground I can't see you
and see our hometown I can't see you
leave the lights on when I'll go
so I can watch you down below.
@kevinisaname
Most of this is correct, but here's a couple lines that need correcting...
"Has a lot on his mind to bear" instead of "has a lot on his mind too bad"
..and, later:
"Had his loves, then his loss" instead of "Has his loss been his loss"
There's a couple other small corrections, but those are the two main ones.
@86Smally
Remember the Band Called Razorlight? The singer of this song is Andy Burrows he is also the drummer from that band Razorlight
@Marcobisc24
This song captures the innocence of childhood, the warmth of family, the gratitude to our parents, the eventual loss of loved ones, yet it allows us to remember all that we were given. In conclusion. This song could be seen as the anthem of a lifetime.
@yordvandamme
This comment is blessed, love to all. Hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have done ever since I was a kid ,❤️
@Stormf0rce999
This song on the return flight in the snowman and the snowdog is so fitting and emotional.
@h3ktorjav13r
10 years of this beautiful song performed by this beautiful man
@bazoutofhell8293
Two Great songs for the Snowman and The Snowdog Christmas don't get much better then this ⛄🎅🔔Merry Christmas 2020🔔🎅⛄
@johnpaulmccormick2676
This is a lovely song, terrific arrangement. It appears in the snowman and the snowdog which is a beautiful animation film. Should be more known than it is.
@boratsagedieve1058
This is perfect for my great grandfather who recently passed and served in WW2, both from our perspective of missing him because he is gone now, and from his perspective of the memories and friends he made and lost in WW2, and reliving those hellish nights of war in nightmares, before he passed, sometimes it was like he was already gone, or still over there
He was a good man though, give you the shirt off his back
@Peanut21-qu3mt
I wish I could get back the feeling of when I first heard this. Still magic after so many times of hearing it ❤
@andrewgoodwin249
Beautiful piece of music this, still listening 2023