The Mighty Lemon Drops was an English rock group active from 1985 to 1992. … Read Full Bio ↴The Mighty Lemon Drops was an English rock group active from 1985 to 1992. Originally called the Sherbert Monsters, the quartet first formed in the spring of 1985 in Wolverhampton, in the English Midlands Black Country. Group members Dave Newton and Tony Linehan were the principal songwriters for the group. Their sound can best be described as neo-psychedelia in the vein of Echo & The Bunnymen played with a ringing Rickenbacker as the lead instrument which allowed them to transcend, and not merely imitate, the work of their influences. They were very popular on the College radio circuit and were the soundtrack for many students lives in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In December of 1985 the quartet, now officially The Mighty Lemon Drops, released their first single, Like An Angel, which shot to the top of the UK Indie charts. They also recorded a session for John Peel around the same time. They soon landed a major recording contract when Chrysalis Records signed the group for UK distribution.

Derek Jarman produced the video for the polished Out of Hand EP in 1987 which was followed by their hit Inside Out in 1988. They were eventually dropped by Chrysalis after three albums (Happy Head, World Without End and Laughter) when failing to repeat their initial independent success. During the sessions for Laughter, Linehan left the band being replaced by Marcus Williams.

Releasing a further two albums (Sound... and Ricochet) before finally breaking up in 1992. Three further posthumous album releases followed (All the Way Live in Cincinnati, Rollercoaster: The Best of the Mighty Lemon Drops and Young Gifted And Black Country) and at the end of 2000 the band played a one-off comeback gig.

Hollow Inside
The Mighty Lemon Drops Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Waiting for the last train
Standing in the pouring rain
Thinking, wishing, hoping
that you'll never feel the same again

Lying wide awake at night
Sleeping in the morning light
Doing all these things although

I shouldn't be ashamed of them

You can't stop my heart from turning inside out
Try and stop my world from turning inside out

Clutching on the last straw
Seeing things I've never saw
Must be time I fell
Down to a place I didn't know too well

Waiting for the last train
Standing in the pouring rain
Although I'm starting to break this spell
I know I haven't got a hope in Hell

You can't stop my heart from turning inside out
Try and stop my world from turning inside out

When you've called it a day
You've had things your own way
I guess it's fair to say
I'm gonna make you pay

(Didn't get a chance
Wished inside
Holding on until you draw the line
One step forward
Two steps back
And you're gone, gone)

Waiting for the last train
Standing in the pouring rain
Lying wide awake at night
Sleeping in the morning light

You can't stop my heart from turning inside out
Just try and stop my world from turning inside out

You can't stop my heart from turning inside out
Try and stop my world from turning inside out

Overall Meaning

The Mighty Lemon Drops' song Inside Out is a melancholic song about a person's heartbreak brought about by unrequited love. The song depicts the universal feeling of falling in love and wanting to be loved in return - the desire to be with someone and the heartbreak when the person doesn't feel the same way. The lyrics describe a person who is waiting for the last train in the pouring rain, feeling hopeless and wishing that the person they love will never feel the same again. It is a painful realization that one must go through when faced with the truth that the person they love may never love them back. The person lies awake at night and sleeps during the day, doing things that they shouldn't be ashamed of but still feeling hurt and lost.

The song's chorus, "You can't stop my heart from turning inside out, just try and stop my world from turning inside out," is a raw and honest expression of the person's emotions, indicating that even though they know they have to move on, it doesn't stop the pain or the feeling of being turned inside out. The person is clutching at the last straw, seeing things they've never seen before, and falling down to a place they don't know too well. The verses repeat, emphasizing the feeling of waiting for the last train in the pouring rain and falling deeper into this heartbreak.

Line by Line Meaning

Waiting for the last train
Anticipating a major event that will take place soon, much like waiting for the last mode of transportation at night to arrive.

Standing in the pouring rain
Being exposed to circumstances beyond one's control, such as a driving rainstorm one is stuck in.

Thinking, wishing, hoping / that you'll never feel the same again
Reflecting on the possibility of outcomes that can be damaging, so as to never relive that type of pain once experienced.

Lying wide awake at night
Being unable to fall asleep and engaging with personal thoughts and worries in the darkness.

Sleeping in the morning light
Sleeping in the light of morning, perhaps not having slept the previous night for some reason.

Doing all these things although / I shouldn't be ashamed of them
Performing activities that the singer may feel embarrassed about when in fact they do not warrant shame.

You can't stop my heart from turning inside out
Not being able to suppress one's emotions, especially those that reveal vulnerability.

Try and stop my world from turning inside out
Attempting to prevent or stifle personal emotional responses to various circumstances in life.

Clutching on the last straw
Holding on to the final hope one has despite the way the previous events may have turned out.

Seeing things I've never saw
Having new and unfamiliar experiences that may challenge one's thoughts, beliefs or assumptions.

Must be time I fell / Down to a place I didn't know too well
Realizing the need to drop down into a space where the singer is inexperienced but finds areas which might help to cope with personal anxiety or challenges.

Although I'm starting to break this spell / I know I haven't got a hope in Hell
Realizing that one is becoming aware of their negative thinking and emotions, but feeling helpless and hopeless to change things.

When you've called it a day
When one has decided to give up or move on from a particular situation or relationship.

You've had things your own way
When a person has enjoyed controlling situations or relationships for their benefit.

I guess it's fair to say / I'm gonna make you pay
Stating that the action or behavior of the other person is going to have some consequence imposed on them.

Waiting for the last train / Standing in the pouring rain / Lying wide awake at night / Sleeping in the morning light
Repeating the first verses to offer a cyclic structure and the impression that the singer is stuck in a never-ending cycle of emotional turbulence.

Just try and stop my world from turning inside out
Asserting the artist's right to feel overwhelmed or emotional during life's hardships, and the impossibility of suppressing such natural responses.

Contributed by Emily A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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