Robert Smith said in a fanzine that “Subway Song” was based on:
"a story i was told…"
Subway Song
The Cure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's on her way home
She tries hard not to run
But she feels she's not alone
Echoes of footsteps
Follow close behind
But she dare not turn around
Turn around
The lyrics of The Cure's "Subway Song" depict a woman walking home from the subway late at night. She tries to maintain a steady pace, but can't shake the feeling that she is being followed. The echoes of footsteps that follow her gradually increase in volume, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the song. The woman is too afraid to turn around and see who is behind her, which creates a sense of tension and suspense.
The lyrics of the song may be interpreted in a number of ways. Some listeners may see the song as a straightforward depiction of a woman's fear of walking home alone at night. Others may view it as a metaphor for the ways in which fear and anxiety can follow us through life, always lurking just behind us. The imagery of the subway and the darkness add to the feeling of vulnerability and danger that the woman in the song feels.
Line by Line Meaning
Midnight in the subway
It's night time and the girl is in the subway
She's on her way home
She's commuting back to where she lives
She tries hard not to run
She is cautious and does not want to draw attention to herself
But she feels she's not alone
She has an eerie feeling that someone might be following her
Echoes of footsteps
Sounds of footsteps are being repeated
Follow close behind
The footsteps can be heard closely behind her
But she dare not turn around
She is too scared to turn her head and look behind her
Turn around
The person singing the song is telling the girl to look behind her
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAURENCE ANDREW TOLHURST, MICHAEL STEPHEN DEMPSEY, ROBERT JAMES SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@inakism
Admit it, we all almost died the first time we listened
@danielm2200
Now it is my second time. I am blown away
@arieldevinci6118
The way I dropped my phone on my face plsss
@jackscourage
yup... there it is. thanks for the heads up.
@MrBrno
I almost had a heart attack. It's 01:33 here, that scream was too loud in my ears ffs
@aspentree641
legit jumped out of my seat
@BlakeGM
First time listening to this album today. Needless to say I just about jumped out of my skin when I heard that scream out of nowhere.
@jackscourage
I'm listening right now... so I guess there's gonna be a screen..
@ZeraAxon
Thanks for the heads up 😅
@juanpablocarvajalarias7583
It's 1:22 AM and I'm doing my homework while listening The Cure for the very first time, I'm listening this specific album and when that scream dropped it scared the shit out of me, so I came to YouTube to see the comments of this song so I couldn't feel so alone