The band gained recognition in the United Kingdom and United States during 2006 and 2007 due to the success of their single "Young Folks", whilst staying virtually unknown in their homeland, Sweden.
Far Away By My Side
Peter Bjorn and John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take a look at what's inside
And take a look into my eyes
Far away, but by my side
I'm finding ways to move away
This is the closest that we'll ever get
And we're not close at all
And still you seem to know it all
I keep you at a distance from me
Push another old cliché out of the couch
And try to feed another mouth
and see how well you'll do
I'm not competing with her odds,
I only know that this feels good
I don't have to be so clever babe
Can't get it out of my head a tone in a voice
Annoying alarm bells, bathroom noise
I'm leaving it behind
Still I need to be found by someone
Seal another envelope, don't send it,
keep it in the desk,
and hope it won't be needed to be read
I’m not competing with her odds,
I only know that this feels good
I don't have to be so clever babe
The lyrics to Peter Bjorn and John's song Far Away By My Side seem to describe a situation where the singer is urging their loved one to step away from the window and look into their own eyes, as if to avoid outside distractions and focus on their own feelings. The first verse suggests that they are physically separated from one another, but the singer feels like their loved one is still by their side in spirit. They are also trying to find ways to distance themselves emotionally, but seem to be struggling with it.
The second verse highlights the singer's disconnect from the world around them - they can't get certain sounds out of their head and are trying to leave things behind. Despite this, they still want to be found by someone, and the last two lines reveal that they don't feel like they have to put in as much effort to impress their loved one - they can just be themselves and still feel good.
Overall, the song seems to be about the complexities of relationships and the struggle to balance connection with distance. The singer may be trying to protect themselves emotionally, but still wants to be close to their loved one, even if it's in a more abstract sense.
Line by Line Meaning
Go away from the window babe,
Move away from the window, darling,
Take a look at what's inside
Look at what's happening inside
And take a look into my eyes
Look into my eyes
Far away, but by my side
We're far apart physically but close emotionally
I'm finding ways to move away
I'm trying to distance myself
This is the closest that we'll ever get
Our current situation is the best we'll ever have
And we're not close at all
We're not physically close despite our emotional connection
And still you seem to know it all
You have a good understanding of the situation
Far away but by my side,
We're far apart physically but close emotionally
I keep you at a distance from me
I'm intentionally keeping you away
Push another old cliché out of the couch
Get rid of another overused saying
And try to feed another mouth
And try to take care of someone else
and see how well you'll do
And see how successful you'll be
I'm not competing with her odds,
I'm not trying to outdo anyone else
I only know that this feels good
I only know that being with you feels good
I don't have to be so clever babe
I don't have to be so smart with you
Can't get it out of my head a tone in a voice
Can't stop thinking about the sound of someone's voice
Annoying alarm bells, bathroom noise
Annoying sounds like alarms and bathroom noises
I'm leaving it behind
I'm moving on from those sounds
Still I need to be found by someone
Still, I want someone to find me
Seal another envelope, don't send it,
Close another envelope but don't mail it
keep it in the desk,
Keep it in the desk
and hope it won't be needed to be read
And hope that it won't have to be read
I'm not competing with her odds,
I'm not trying to outdo anyone else
I only know that this feels good
I only know that being with you feels good
I don't have to be so clever babe
I don't have to be so smart with you
Contributed by Jeremiah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ryan Ferrari
I am Brasilian.You have a nice song!!!!!!😜