Formed in 1985, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones started playing in Boston clubs in the mid-1980s. After a brief period of inactivity due to the schooling commitments of its members, they reformed and released their album Devil's Night Out on Taang! Records. The Bosstones toured relentlessly throughout the 1990s, playing hundreds of shows a year, releasing albums and spinning off the popular rock radio hit "Someday I Suppose". They were eventually signed to Mercury Records. The band appeared in the movie Clueless. In 1997, the success of their single "The Impression That I Get" and its follow up, "The Rascal King" earned them mainstream recognition. In 2000 they put out their critically acclaimed disk Pay Attention. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones released their last album on Side One Dummy Records. They officially went on hiatus in 2003, citing too much time on the road and desire to branch out and do different things. In 2007, the Bosstones announced that they were reforming. They played their 10th Hometown Throwdown in Boston and released a new album, Medium Rare, which consists of rare B-sides, and 3 new songs, including the single, "Don't Worry Desmond Dekker".
The band announced their split in early 2022.
Chasing the Sun Away
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You kept your eyes closed
And pulled down the shades
On your windows
You decided to hideout from the sunlight
It's too bright and it just doesn't sit right
With the way you're feeling today
You're cloudy and gray
To try and chase it away
Hey! You're chasing the sun away
Hey! You're chasing the sun
How could the sun come out after the night
She walked away from what you thought
Was true love and how come
There isn't barrels of rain on the day after
The night she said "there's someone else"
How come, could someone explain
Where is the rain?
Rain, send barrels of rain
To coincide with the pain
Hey! You're chasing the sun away (x3)
Hey! You're chasing the sun
Hey! Hey! Hey! Chase it away
Outside the sun rose you stayed inside
You kept your eyes closed
And pulled down the shades
On your windows
You decided to hideout from the sunlight
It's too bright and it just doesn't sit right
With the way you're feeling today
You're cloudy and gray
Hey! You're chasing the sun away (x3)
Hey! You're chasing the sun
The lyrics of "Chasing the Sun Away" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones tell a story of heartbreak and depression. It seems as though the singer has suffered a recent breakup with someone they believed was their true love. They are so devastated by this loss that they stay inside, shutting themselves off from the world, and even drawing the shades down to block out the sunlight.
The lyrics explore the sense of disorientation and confusion that often comes with heartbreak. The lines "How come there isn't barrels of rain on the day after/ The night she said 'there's someone else'" demonstrate the singer's sense of disbelief that the world could be carrying on as normal after such a significant event has occurred in their life. They might also be questioning why the weather doesn't match their internal emotional state - why is the sun shining when they are experiencing such intense emotional pain?
Overall, the lyrics seem to suggest that while it's understandable to want to hide away and avoid the world when we are struggling emotionally, this won't ultimately help us heal. The repeated refrain of "Hey! You're chasing the sun away" perhaps suggests that refusing to confront our feelings only prolongs our suffering.
Line by Line Meaning
Outside the sun rose you stayed inside
Despite the new day beginning, you chose to remain indoors and not face the sun
You kept your eyes closed
To avoid being forced to confront the outside world
And pulled down the shades
Hiding yourself away from the sunlight and any potential happiness or positivity
On your windows
Further preventing any sunlight from entering your space
You decided to hideout from the sunlight
Your intentional choice to hide from the sunshine and all that it provides
It's too bright and it just doesn't sit right
You find the brightness of the sun overwhelming and it doesn't align with how you're feeling internally
With the way you're feeling today
Your current emotional state is preventing you from embracing the sun and everything it represents
You're cloudy and gray
Your mood is reflected in the grayness of the sky in your mind
OK now you'll take today
You've made the decision to take action in changing your current emotional state
To try and chase it away
You're determined to rid yourself of this emotional darkness and take control of your own happiness
How could the sun come out after the night
You're questioning how the sun could still shine after experiencing heartbreak or disappointment
She walked away from what you thought
A relationship ended and it was not a decision you were prepared for
Was true love and how come
You believed it was true love and now you cannot understand how it could end
There isn't barrels of rain on the day after
You expected to see the sadness reflected in the weather, but it didn't happen
The night she said "there's someone else"
The moment of heartbreak where she revealed that she was leaving you for someone else
How come, could someone explain
You're searching for answers and explanations about how this could happen
Where is the rain?
You expected the weather to mirror your sadness, but it didn't happen and now you're left confused
Rain, send barrels of rain
You're begging for the rain to come and help you express your sadness and pain
To coincide with the pain
You want the weather to match the emotions you're feeling inside
Hey! You're chasing the sun away (x3)
You're actively and intentionally pushing away any positivity or happiness that may come your way
Hey! You're chasing the sun
Reiterating that you're actively blocking out anything that may bring positivity to your life
Hey! Hey! Hey! Chase it away
Encouraging yourself to continue pursuing this emotional state and keeping any positivity at bay
Contributed by Victoria B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Titofunmi Olubekohgh
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are soooooo underrated
Rogue
I give you two thumbs up if I could
Esk8 Jaimes
My new favorite song!
Jairo A.H.
This song should have like one hundred million views! \m/
Argent Cosmonaut
Looks like someone chased the sun away...