Never Knew Your Name
Madness Lyrics

It was very late in the discotheque
The story took place in a nightclub, late at night.

I was feeling blue as I sometimes do
The singer was feeling sad or depressed, which was not an unusual feeling for them.

I turned around it was time to go
The singer was leaving the nightclub.

A face in the crowd a face I didn't know
The artist saw someone they didn't recognize in the crowd.

We got to talking for a little while
The artist and the stranger started a conversation.

You said it's not the sort of thing you usually do
The stranger mentioned that they don't usually talk to strangers.

Talking to strangers so late in the night
The stranger commented on the unusualness of talking to strangers at such a late hour.

These days you never know
The stranger acknowledged the potential danger of talking to strangers.

Well I thought you were nice I even told you so
The artist thought the stranger was nice and said so.

But you smiled so shyly and said to me
The stranger responded to the artist's compliment with a shy smile.

I bet you say that to all the girls you meet
The stranger playfully accused the singer of using a line on all the girls they meet.

But it isn't so
The artist denied the accusation and meant what they said.

Yes, the club was closing so we had to leave
The nightclub was closing and the singer had to leave.

We walked out together just a little ill at ease
The singer and the stranger left the nightclub together but were both a bit uncomfortable.

I would have liked to have walked you home
The singer would have preferred to walk the stranger home.

But you said you'd catch the bus so I ended up alone
The stranger declined the artist's offer to walk them home and left the artist alone.

I never knew your name nor your telephone number
The artist did not know how to reach the stranger again.

Will I ever see you again? I wonder?
The singer wonders if they will ever see the stranger again.

It wasn't any longer than an hour or two
The amount of time the singer spent with the stranger was short, only a couple of hours.

That lonely street I said goodbye to you
The artist and the stranger parted ways on a lonely street.

You glanced back at me as I turned the corner
The stranger looked back at the artist as they went around the corner.

Was the last I saw of you
The stranger disappeared from the artist's sight and they parted ways.

Oh I wanted to call, call out your name
The singer wanted to call the stranger's name, but...

But stupid pride and idiot shame
The artist's pride and shame prevented them from calling the stranger's name.

Hesitated, scared of playing the fool
The singer was hesitant to call out to the stranger for fear of looking foolish.

So you walked away, from Mr Cool
The stranger walked away from the singer, who wanted to look cool.

No, I never knew your name nor your telephone number
The singer still did not know how to contact the stranger.

Will I ever see you again? Girl, I wonder?
The artist still wonders if they will ever see the stranger again.

It's so very late in the discotheque and I'm feeling blue
The artist is still feeling sad and is still in the nightclub.

As I always do
Feeling blue is a common feeling for the singer.

I turn around cause it's time to go
The singer is again leaving the nightclub, perhaps hoping to find the stranger.