West gained fame the world over during his long career as one of the most innovative and influential musicians in the history of rock music. He is most noted for his role as leader of the explosive hard rock trio, Mountain, which was named by VH-1 as one of the Top 100 Hard Rock Groups of all time. With Mountain, he climbed the heights of rock stardom on the strength of a unique, signature guitar sound and classic songs such as “Mississippi Queen”, “Never In My Life” and “Theme From An Imaginary Western”,and Nantucket Sleighride which are still staples of rock radio to this day. West earned the admiration of a long list of famous peers. During his career, he recorded or played with a litany of rock icons including Billy Joel, Van Halen, The Who, Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix, to name just a few. In fact, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Schenker and Richie Sambora have all cited West as an important influence on their own music.
West's bold, expressive and unique guitar style is really a mirror of his own personality. Spend a little time talking with this larger-than-life figure, and you’ll realize that he is as charismatic without a guitar in his hands as he is with one. Possessing a sharp sense of humor, he was at once gregarious and gruff while recounting stories from his legendary past. When discussing his music projects, he exuded an infectious enthusiasm and excitement. Such projects could take him outside his traditional roles of guitarist, singer and songwriter.
In 1986, he acted alongside Tom Hanks and Shelley Long in the hit comedy film, The Money Pit and has lent his distinctive voice to the popular animated series, Beast Wars Transformers which ran for three seasons on the WB network beginning in 1996 before going into syndication. He has also contributed the theme music to the new WB show, Mutant X.
West was a popular personality on the Howard Stern Radio Show and was Musical Director for the shock jock’s FOX series, as well as for the late comedian Sam Kinison. Most recently, he lent his production and songwriting skills to an album by Atlantic Records’ modern rock group, Clutch, and has just released his own instructional guitar DVD, Big Phat Ass Guitar.
Don't Look Around
Leslie West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I'm never coming back
It's high time
You saw the last of me
You thought I was a whiner
I'd forgotten where to go
I had no place to lay my head to rest
Don't look around
'Cause I'm never coming back
It's high time
You saw the last of me
Whoah
Had to change my mind
You're going to change my mind
Now I'm working all day long
I'm singing for my food
Baby, you know that I've got everything I need
I've given all I can
The rest belongs to me
Fact was it didn't matter
Just who I had to be
Don't look around
'Cause I'm never coming back
It's high time
You saw the last of me
Whoah
Had to change my mind
You're going to change my mind
I'm gunnin' right on through the town
Don't need you anymore
Now I think I'll turn my back and walk away from you
We're livin' in the country
Doing everything we please
I don't want you comin' round swirling up a be
Don't look around
'Cause I'm never coming back
It's high time
You saw the last of me
Whoah
Had to change my mind
You're going to change my mind
The song "Don't Look Around" by Leslie West is a breakup song where the singer is leaving his partner and not coming back. The lyrics express frustration and a desire for freedom. The first verse tells the listener not to look around because the singer is gone for good. He states it's high time the listener saw the last of him, implying he has been trying to leave for some time. The second verse explains that the singer was previously lost and didn't have anywhere to go. He also mentions that his partner thought he was a whiner, which could imply that she didn't take him seriously or didn't support him. However, he has now changed his mind and is happy with his new life. He is working all day and singing for his food, but he has everything he needs. The chorus repeats twice with the same message, emphasizing that the singer is leaving and not looking back.
The third verse talks about the singer's new life in the country doing everything he wants. He doesn't want his partner to come around and disturb his new life. He refers to her as a "be," which could be short for a buzzkill, saying that he doesn't want her to ruin his new lifestyle. The final chorus repeats the same message as the previous ones, emphasizing the finality of the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't look around
Stop searching for me, because I have no intention of returning to you.
'Cause I'm never coming back
It's not just a temporary break, I'm leaving for good.
It's high time
The right time has come for me to leave.
You saw the last of me
I don't want you to see me again, because I have moved on from you.
You thought I was a whiner
You misunderstood me by thinking that I was just being annoying and complaining all the time.
I'd forgotten where to go
I was lost and I didn't have a plan or direction for my life anymore.
I had no place to lay my head to rest
I was homeless and I didn't have a comfortable or stable place to live.
I had to go
Leaving you and the old life behind was my only option and decision.
Whoah
An interjection expressing sudden surprise or emphasis.
Had to change my mind
I had a change of heart or opinion about something important.
You're going to change my mind
You have a significant impact on my thoughts and feelings towards something.
Now I'm working all day long
I am fully committed to my work and I am working hard every day.
I'm singing for my food
My music is my livelihood and it's what's keeping me alive and well-fed.
Baby, you know that I've got everything I need
I have all the things I need to survive and be happy, and I don't need you to provide for me anymore.
I've given all I can
I have done everything in my power to make this relationship work and to give you what you need.
The rest belongs to me
I'm done sacrificing for this relationship, and I'm going to focus on myself and what I want and need.
Fact was it didn't matter
The truth is, all the things that we fought about and tried to fix didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Just who I had to be
I couldn't keep up the facade of who I had to be for this relationship to work, and I need to be true to myself now.
I'm gunnin' right on through the town
I'm moving on and advancing through life without you holding me back.
Don't need you anymore
I have outgrown this relationship and I no longer require your help or support.
Now I think I'll turn my back and walk away from you
It's time for me to leave you behind and start a new chapter of my life without you in it.
We're livin' in the country
I have moved on to a different environment or lifestyle that suits me better.
Doing everything we please
I have the freedom to do what I want and be who I want to be, without any constraints or limitations.
I don't want you comin' round swirling up a be
I don't want you to disrupt my peace and happiness by causing trouble or interfering with my life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FELIX PAPPALARDI, GAIL COLLINS, LESLIE A. WEINSTEIN, SANDRA L. PALMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cpreston8996
Why can't we have incredible bands like this in 2020? Seriously, why? This is raw power that never gets ordinary. R.I.P. Leslie and Felix.
@robertwilcox4482
You nailed it
@whtpwr
There are good bands now, but they're not getting signed and promoted by the big labels.
@bigbud1223
NWO
@robertalvarez8121
Your not kidding
@BBaum05
Gotta look for them, they aren't on the radio
@tannhausergate6310
Man these guys are working hard here! It feels like they're fighting to control the song itself - as though it has an existence entirely of its own - and they're holding on for dear life to deliver it. Four of the most intense minutes of power rock from Leslie, Felix, Steve and Corky!
@derunsympath
Playing, studio lights, drugs. RocknRoll is a sweaty thing.
@davidgetman1250
I couldn't have put it better, brother. I mean, DAMN, that is a performance. So almost mercilessly heavy and it did seem like they were just barely holding on to some out of control rocket wildly careening into the unknown. A truly monolithic sound and highly underrated by the current purveyors and afficionados of heavy music.
@tannhausergate6310
@@davidgetman1250 Spot on man. This is heavy rock 101, the blueprint for any young band that wants to comprehend the rudiments of the genre and run with those lessons for their own sound. And it was all perfected over 50 years ago! No posturing or posing in this performance, just precision, power and hard work.