Bill Bailey
The Gun Club Lyrics


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Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?
Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?

I'm driving across the wind just to spy you
I never did like that before
My eyes follow you like the tail can wind
They never followed you before

Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?
Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?

Underneath the water and so far along below
My eyes will always be there
So deep, deep inside the Marianas Trench
My life will always find you there

Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?
Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?

Then well, I can answer when you crawl
On your belly in the deep black sand
Real life swung and hurt, pale and useless
You're my kind of man

Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?
Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?

You always say that you're crushed by it all
And everybody blames you
You always say that you are losing your dreams
And yes, I do believe you

Bill Bailey
Well, won't you come on home tonight?
Bill Bailey
Shut up and come back home tonight

Get out of the sea, out of the sea, out of the sea
Get up and come back home tonight




To get out of the sea, out of the sea, out of the sea
Crawl up and go back home tonight

Overall Meaning

The Gun Club's song Bill Bailey is a hauntingly beautiful tune that speaks about longing for someone to come back home. The repetition of the phrase "Bill Bailey, won't you come on home tonight?" emphasizes the singer's desperate wish for the person they are addressing to return. The lyrics create an imagery of the singer following Bill Bailey across the sea, even to the depths of the Marianas Trench, just to keep an eye on him. This is an unusually grim scenario, as the deep sea is a hostile environment where humans cannot survive, and the imagery also highlights the singer's devotion to the subject of the song, no matter where they are.


The lyrics also hint at a sense of guilt or shame that Bill Bailey is experiencing, which is causing him to lose faith in his dreams. The singer seems to sympathize with Bill Bailey's feelings of being "crushed by it all" and losing his dreams, but also urges him to come back home with the repeated phrase "Shut up and come back home tonight." The choice of words is somewhat harsh, which might suggest the singer's own feeling of frustration at Bill Bailey's prolonged absence.


Overall, the Gun Club's Bill Bailey is a well-crafted song that explores the themes of longing, devotion, guilt, and frustration through vivid imagery and a beautifully melancholic melody.


Line by Line Meaning

Bill Bailey Won't you come on home tonight?
Asking Bill Bailey to come back home tonight.


I'm driving across the wind just to spy you I never did like that before My eyes follow you like the tail can wind They never followed you before
Going out of the way to keep an eye on Bill Bailey, paying a lot more attention to him now than before.


Underneath the water and so far along below My eyes will always be there So deep, deep inside the Marianas Trench My life will always find you there
Promising to always be there for Bill Bailey, even in difficult and deep places.


Then well, I can answer when you crawl On your belly in the deep black sand Real life swung and hurt, pale and useless You're my kind of man
Feeling an affinity for Bill Bailey when he is at his lowest and recognizing the difficulties he faces in real life.


You always say that you're crushed by it all And everybody blames you You always say that you are losing your dreams And yes, I do believe you
Acknowledging Bill Bailey's struggles and believing him when he talks about losing his dreams.


Bill Bailey Well, won't you come on home tonight? Bill Bailey Shut up and come back home tonight
Repeating the request to come back home tonight, with a stronger tone this time.


Get out of the sea, out of the sea, out of the sea Get up and come back home tonight To get out of the sea, out of the sea, out of the sea Crawl up and go back home tonight
Urging Bill Bailey to leave whatever he's doing and come back home, in a somewhat poetic way.




Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: HUGHIE CANNON, MORT LINDSEY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

NOEL MAHER

Nothing to do with the British comedian. More inspired by the old song Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home. I think the Bill Bailey in this song is a struggling addict if you read the lyrics written by GLP. Best song on Mother Juno.Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?
Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?

I'm driving across the wind just to spy you
I never did like that before
My eyes follow you like the tail can wind
They never followed you before

Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?
Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?

Underneath the water and so far along below
My eyes will always be there
So deep, deep inside the Marianas Trench
My life will always find you there

Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?
Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?

Then well, I can answer when you crawl
On your belly in the deep black sand
Real life swung and hurt, pale and useless
You're my kind of man

Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?
Bill Bailey
Won't you come on home tonight?

You always say that you're crushed by it all
And everybody blames you
You always say that you are losing your dreams
And yes, I do believe you

Bill Bailey
Well, won't you come on home tonight?
Bill Bailey
Shut up and come back home tonight

Get out of the sea, out of the sea, out of the sea
Get up and come back home tonight
To get out of the sea, out of the sea, out of the sea
Crawl up and go back home tonight



All comments from YouTube:

Robert Felsing

Tremendous. Criminally underrated band.

David Herz

Unique in a great way, singing style, sound, power and I love it! Hooray for Gun Club and New Rose Records who had faith in them back in 1983! Fire of Love!

Robert Felsing

My first comment was too weak. I cannot overstate how fucking beautiful this is.

dylan douglass

There is never words to describe the gun club only the songs can give a hint

asterios lekkas

Their idiom was so unique that the result could have only two directions.Either you love them or hate them. Personally my first experience was ''MIAMI'' in the age of fifteen back in 1987. The first hearing was awkward, the second felt as an investigation to something peculiar. From the third time one thing was certain and still is. If there is a band that fulfills my inner world in every possible way that is definitely The GUN CLUB. The soundtrack of my existence.

TheSixbellschime

I hear ya Bro.

Post Punk 69

Man, you are my soulmate.

shawn steynfeger

The Gun Club...it`s more Blues than Joe Bonamassa & Co....totally underrated. JLP RIP.

Post Punk 69

With each subsequent listening, The Gun Club becomes closer and closer to my heart. The entire JLP discography is a real soundtrack to my life. I believe that one day Jeffrey will become the legend he deserves.

dylan douglass

Just got into the gun club lately & I'm obsessed with this tune. Amazing band. Rip Jeffreg Lee Pierce you will become the legend you deserve to be

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