RUST BELT LIGHTS, Rotting factories, blinding snowstorms, and deserted cobb… Read Full Bio ↴RUST BELT LIGHTS, Rotting factories, blinding snowstorms, and deserted cobblestone streets… everything corroded from the punishment of winter. All are symptoms of a rust belt city, begging for something to help reclaim the glory it once had. Buffalo, NY's Rust Belt Lights are doing what little they can to represent their city and put it back on the map. Once a blue collar boom town, Buffalo has become nothing but a decaying ghost town to most outsiders. Most people don't stick around long enough to experience its friendly neighbors, low cost of living, delicious food and loyal sports fans. The ones who have been cursed with defeat since always. Yeah, it's a love and hate relationship at times, but Rust Belt Lights is about looking at the bright side in dark times. Formed in late 2008 as a collaboration of members from Dead Hearts, Daggermouth, and Get Back Up, the band played their first show in March 2009. They self released their demo at the show, which later became a well received 7" EP on State of Mind Recordings called "Long Gone...". After a good initial reception in the Buffalo area and some national interest over the internet, the band has since toured throughout the US and Eastern Canada. This fall the band will prepare to release its first full length LP on Paper and Plastick Records called "These Are The Good Old Days". With 12 brand new tracks, it is a record about overcoming, outlasting, and moving on. "It seems like people as they get older are always reflecting back on a previous time in their life with nostalgic feelings instead of moving forward and doing everything they can to make their present days their best ones." says guitarist Tom Mayer. "We are all guilty of it. We are guilty of it in songs on this record. Responsibility is inevitable as we get older, but the title is about how we are going to make these days we spend together now our best ones and put the past where it belongs." If you like catchy punk rock in the vein of this band, that band, and that other band you'll want to be sure to have a listen to Rust Belt Lights. In 2011, the band will spend the first 3 months on the road all over the US and Canada in support of the new record.

Home Sweet Home
Rust Belt Lights Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I said this winter was my last,
And Summer came and passed.
The years keep flying by so fast.
If something doesn't change
I'm gonna go insane.

There goes another year,
And I'm still here.

Another week, another month, another year
And I'm still here, and I'm still here.
Another week, another month, another year
And I'm still here.

HEY! HEY! I'll pack my bags and drive away.
HEY! HEY! Nowhere to go, I guess I'll stay.

Another week, another month, another year
Another week, another month, another year
Another week, another month, another year

HEY! HEY! I'll pack my bags and drive away.
HEY! HEY! Nowhere to go, I guess I'll stay.

I've got a love and hate with New York state.
(Home, sweet home.)
My body is freezing. My heart can't feel the pain.
(Home, sweet home.)
I'll drown myself in a melody
And some cheap whiskey should keep me warm tonight.

And when I'm done feeling all alone,
I'll come to terms with my home, sweet home.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rust Belt Lights's song Home, Sweet Home are a bittersweet declaration of the singer's relationship with their hometown. The opening lines convey the singer's dissatisfaction with their life in the town, and their desire for change. They suggest that they are trapped in a cycle of feeling stuck and unfulfilled, and that something needs to change before they go insane. This is a relatable sentiment, a feeling shared by many of those raised in towns where opportunities are scarce, and the future can feel claustrophobic. However, the chorus of the song reveals that despite these feelings, the singer has no intention of leaving. The repetition of the phrase, "Another week, another month, another year, and I'm still here," shows the resignation of the singer to their fate, and the lack of options that define their life. They have nowhere to go, so they will stay.

The final lines show the singer coming to some kind of acceptance with their situation. They reveal that the singer's feelings towards their hometown are complicated, with love and hate intertwined. They suggest that while the singer feels the pain of the town's economic decline, they are also capable of finding beauty and solace in the town's culture and sense of community. The line, "My body is freezing, my heart can't feel the pain," speaks to the singer's numbness and disconnection from their environment. They are struggling to connect with the town at a visceral level, but they are trying. The song ends with the singer's affirmation that they will come to terms with their "home, sweet home," a resolution that emphasizes the complex relationship between the singer and their hometown that defines the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

I said this winter was my last,
I thought I'd leave this place for good, this winter.

And Summer came and passed.
Summer went by quickly and it's already over.

The years keep flying by so fast.
Time seems to pass too quickly.

If something doesn't change
If I don't make a change,

I'm gonna go insane.
I'll end up losing my mind.

There goes another year,
Another year has passed.

And I'm still here.
And yet, I'm still here, in the same place.

HEY! HEY! I'll pack my bags and drive away.
I'll leave this place and start over somewhere new.

HEY! HEY! Nowhere to go, I guess I'll stay.
But since I have nowhere else to go, I suppose I'll stay here.

Another week, another month, another year
Time keeps passing by, and nothing really changes.

I've got a love and hate with New York state.
My feelings for this place are mixed - I both love it and hate it.