Talk Of The Town
The Clarks Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

We grew up not far from here
An oaky street, the country air
Porch lights, breezy nights
Dreaming dreams of that girl so right

Stand by her window when, the moon would rise
And put her to bed, with my eyes
Climbed a tree to get a better view
I loved the girl, I never really knew

She's the talk of the town (This town, this town)
Talk of the town (This town, this town)

White lace, the sun would shine
Her Easter suit, pretending she was mine
On holidays we'd meet in church
At the sign of peace, for her I'd search

She worked in town, at the five and dime
And I'd dig for change, so I could stay in line
My knees would shake, when I thought I'd meet her
Cherry cola, palm sweating fever

She's the talk of the town (This town, this town)
Talk of the town (This town, this town)

We grew up not far from here
An oaky street, the country air
Porch lights, breezy nights
Dreaming dreams of that girl so right

Older now, moved and gone
I think of her, and what went wrong
It seemed so right, It's just as well
She was twice my age, when I was twelve

She's the talk of the town (This town, this town)




Talk of the town (This town, this town)
Talk of the town (This town, this town)

Overall Meaning

In The Clarks's song Talk of the Town, the lyrics describe a nostalgic time of adolescence spent in a small town, with dreamy nights spent pining over a girl who became the talk of the town. The singer remembers growing up on an oaky street, breathing in the fresh country air, and spending time dreaming about the girl that he thought was just right.


He would sneak by her window and watch her sleep, and he would lie in bed with his eyes fixed on her. He even climbed a tree overlooking her house to get a better view but never really knew her. The song progresses to describe their encounters: she would wear a white lace dress, and they would meet at church on holidays. She worked at the five and dime in town, and he would dig for change to stay in line just to get close to her. He describes his jittery nerves and sweating palms in the anticipation of seeing her over a cherry cola drink.


As the song comes to a close, the singer is now older and has moved on from the small town. He remembers the girl, but he realizes that it was just a young infatuation that could never have worked out, especially as she was much older than him. The song's bittersweet tone conveys the nostalgia and happiness of looking back on adolescence, mixed with the regret of lost opportunities.


Line by Line Meaning

We grew up not far from here
We were raised nearby this area


An oaky street, the country air
The environment featured oak trees and fresh rural air


Porch lights, breezy nights
The evenings were filled with gentle winds and porch lights


Dreaming dreams of that girl so right
I was fantasizing about a girl that I found attractive


Stand by her window when, the moon would rise
I would lean near her window when the moonlit night approaches


And put her to bed, with my eyes
I would watch her fall asleep through the window


Climbed a tree to get a better view
I would rise up in a tree to have a more vivid sight of her


I loved the girl, I never really knew
I was deeply in love with her, yet did not truly know her


She's the talk of the town (This town, this town)
She is widely discussed and gossiped about by the town people


White lace, the sun would shine
She wore a dress featuring white lace when the sun was bright


Her Easter suit, pretending she was mine
She dressed up on Easter Sunday and I would imagine that she was my girlfriend


On holidays we'd meet in church
We ran into each other during church gatherings on special days


At the sign of peace, for her I'd search
I would remain focused on her once we exchanged peace greetings during a church service


She worked in town, at the five and dime
She was employed in the town's dime store


And I'd dig for change, so I could stay in line
I would search for coins to be able to buy something and stay close to her in line


My knees would shake, when I thought I'd meet her
I would get jittery, anticipating the moment when we meet


Cherry cola, palm sweating fever
I would get a high temperature, with palms sweating, drinking cherry cola while I'm near her


Older now, moved and gone
Time has passed, I left the place and moved on to newer things


I think of her, and what went wrong
I recall our past and contemplate what led to our separation


It seemed so right, It's just as well
At that time, it felt like we were a good match, but it's alright that things turned out differently


She was twice my age, when I was twelve
She was twice as old as me when I was a young boy of twelve


She's the talk of the town (This town, this town)
Even now, she is still a subject of discussion and gossip in this town


Talk of the town (This town, this town)
The people in this town continue to talk about her


Talk of the town (This town, this town)
Her name still lingers in the ears of those living here




Contributed by Jeremiah J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions