Haulin' Hearse
The Ghastly Ones Lyrics


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Chris Isaak
Silvertone
The Lonely Ones
If you drive late at night, and pass the town at night.
And know that someone lies awake not sleeping.
If you drive fast at night, and hear the wind at night.
And know tha sometimes you can hear them weeping, the lonely ones.
The lonely ones.

And though you'd like to stop, you know it's wrong to stop.
The nights' to dark for you to ever reach them, the lonely ones.

The lonely ones.

As you drive on we drive faster,
You try to leave the night behind you but wait...
You hear them still... you always will.

The lonely ones.

Out on the edge of town, you start to turn around.
But in your mirror you see the one who is crying, the lonely ones.





The lonely ones, the lone-ly ones!

Overall Meaning

The Ghastly Ones's song "Haulin' Hearse" paints a picture of a lonely, desolate town that only comes to life at night. The opening lyrics of "If you drive late at night, and pass the town at night. And know that someone lies awake not sleeping" suggests that there is a restless energy that flows through this town after dark. The singer is driving through this town, possibly out of a sense of obligation or duty. The lyrics go on to suggest that there is some sort of tragic event that has left the town with a population of "lonely ones" who are alone and crying at night, clearly in pain.


The singer of the song has the urge to stop and reach out to these lonely ones but is unable to do so due to the darkness of the night. The loneliness is palpable that it evokes pity and sympathy from the listener. It is a deeply affecting and haunting portrayal of the human experience, one that stays with you long after the song has ended.


Line by Line Meaning

If you drive late at night, and pass the town at night.
When you drive late at night and pass through a town, you may encounter people who are awake and unable to sleep.


And know that someone lies awake not sleeping.
You know in your heart that someone is restless and not able to sleep like you.


If you drive fast at night, and hear the wind at night.
When you drive fast at night, you hear the wind and other eerie sounds that seem to fill the empty darkness around you.


And know tha sometimes you can hear them weeping, the lonely ones.
You realize that the sounds you hear may actually be the cries of people who are lonely and struggling with their own troubles.


The lonely ones.
These people who are lonely and suffering represent a mysterious, eerie presence that hovers around you as you drive.


And though you'd like to stop, you know it's wrong to stop.
You feel drawn towards this mysterious presence, but you sense that stopping would be somehow dangerous or wrong.


The nights' to dark for you to ever reach them, the lonely ones.
The darkness is too deep, making it impossible for you to fully understand or help these people who are struggling.


As you drive on we drive faster,
You try to escape from this eerie presence by driving and increasing your speed, thinking that you can outrun it.


You try to leave the night behind you but wait...
You make an effort to move away from the lonely ones and the darkness surrounding them, but you cannot shake off the feeling of unease.


You hear them still... you always will.
You still hear the cries of the lonely ones, and you know that you will always be haunted by them as long as you keep driving.


Out on the edge of town, you start to turn around.
You feel drawn towards the edge of the town, and the feeling becomes too strong for you to resist.


But in your mirror you see the one who is crying, the lonely ones.
You glimpse the person who has been crying and realize that there is a deeper meaning to the presence of the lonely ones on this dark, lonely road.


The lonely ones, the lone-ly ones!
The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the eerie power of the lonely ones who continue to haunt the singer as he drives through the darkness.




Writer(s): Garrett Stephen Immel, Norman Cabrera, Kevin Hair

Contributed by Scarlett D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@mosriteflyinfingers9252

Mosrite, Fender reverb, and B-rated horror movie aesthetics!  You can't go wrong!

@lindalesabre

MOS FF Check out the Ten Foot Faces from the early 80's. Possibly the first band since the Ventures to play 3 Mosrites ! their 1st 7" ep on Independent Projects Records features some serious garage surf thrash, and was recorded in an actual garage by Vitus Matare of The Last !

@thingfish000

Thumbs up for the go-go dancer.

@saxier1

I saw these guys in Vegas about 3 years ago, supporting the legendary Chantays at a Rockabilly, Hotrod & Surf festival. They were a great live act, would love to see them again, but it's a long way to come from Australia. Great guitars and excellent presentation.

@PolaLoveNegativeBand

i love this band!!!

@rocknrollbabey3252

best guitar tone i've ever heard.

@intipampa

I just stumbled on to these guys and I really dig their sound and style. They seem to have that 60's surf rock sound with a spooky twist to it. Can almost see Dracula surfing the pipeline.

@eddieromanov

The Ghastly Ones? Hey! I've heard of them! They’ve got go-go ghouls!

@christinejones1039

One of the best music videos ever!

@justinreedflynn

I love this song! Didn't know there was a music video!

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