The Boy Who Ran Away
Mystery Jets Lyrics

There was a boy a ran away
The song begins by introducing the singer, a boy who ran away.

From what he didn't know
The reason for the boy's escape is unknown to him as well.

Whom, he wouldn't say
The person or entity the boy is running from is not mentioned by him.

He just had to go
The boy's inclination to flee is strong and he doesn't know why.

Something snapped inside of him
As he runs, something within the boy breaks, triggering his escape.

As he fled from a nameless threat
The boy's running away is from an unnamed danger that he perceives.

Crowds of people stood aloof in Waterloo
As he journeys, people around him are indifferent to his situation, shown by the line 'stood aloof.' Waterloo is the name of the station where he is.

There's no sunset, sunset
This line symbolizes the boy's feeling of hopelessness; it highlights that he feels there is no end to his plight.

And when he gets to this mythic place
The boy's journey leads him to a place that is shrouded in legendary/mythical symbolism.

The streets are dirty, dark and deep
The surroundings the boy encounters in this place are much worse than what he's left behind.

There is no rest there
The place offers no solace as the boy finds nowhere to relax and recuperate.

There is no place to lay a head to sleep, to sleep
After his chaotic journey, the boy's search for a place to sleep goes in vain in this dark, moody place.

Went to so much trouble
A new act begins in the song as the focus shifts to some other character. The trouble mentioned is likely the effort that character went to get rid of someone else.

To banish you from my sight
Addressing the person they tried to get rid of, the character says he banished the person from his life completely.

He said that you're an accident
The person who was banished is held in negative regard, which is confirmed by the statement that the person was an accident.

An accident about which I should forget, forget
The character is implying that the person was a mistake and that he's trying to forget all about them.

And now that the wheel has gone around
The wheel turning is a phrase that refers to the idea that karma or fate has turned things around once again.

He's back where he belongs
The person who banished someone else feels like he's now in his rightful place.

And he knows there is no hope
Despite now being where he feels he belongs, the character realizes there's no hope for the future, as things have taken a bad turn in the past due to the banishment.

Only solace in the words of this song
The character takes solace in the concept of music and finds gratification in it.

Solace in the world of this song
This final line emphasizes on the fact that the character wants to find escapism in the world of music.

There was a boy who ran away
The song ends just as it began, introducing the boy who ran away.

From what he didn't know
The reason for the boy's escape is still a mystery, creating an impact of uncertainty in the listeners' mind.

Whom, he wouldn't say
The character doesn't tell us who he's running from, encouraging listeners to conjure their own unique narrative.

He just, he had to go
The song ends with highlighting the boy's compulsion to escape, implying the reason why he had to go isn't as crucial as the act of leaving itself.