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.
You're 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 Mighty Mighty Bosstones's song, "You're Chasing the Sun Away," describes a person who is heartbroken and depressed, choosing to stay indoors and avoid the sunlight. The imagery of keeping eyes closed and pulling down the shades suggest a desire to block out the world and to isolate oneself. The person feels that the brightness of the sun is in contrast with their own internal turmoil and the grayness they feel inside. Through the repetition of the chorus, "Hey, you're chasing the sun away," the song poignantly highlights the sadness and loneliness felt by the person. The verses also ask questions about the lack of weather, like rain, which is typically associated with sadness and heartbreak in literature and song, adding to the sense of despair.
The lyrics of this song can be interpreted as a metaphor for the pain of heartbreak and the desire to rid oneself of all reminders of the lost love. The idea of chasing away the sun suggests a futile attempt to rid oneself of the light and hope that the sun represents. The lyrics also express the hopelessness felt during a break-up, where the person feels that even nature should acknowledge their pain and provide rain to match their mood but does not.
Line by Line Meaning
Outside the sun rose you stayed inside
Despite the sun rising, you chose to stay inside.
You kept your eyes closed
You closed your eyes to avoid the brightness of the sun.
And pulled down the shades on your windows
You closed the shades to block out the sunlight.
You decided to hideout from the sunlight
You made a conscious decision to avoid the sunlight.
It's too bright and it just doesn't sit right with the way you're feeling today
The brightness of the sun is overwhelming and exacerbating your current negative state of mind.
You're cloudy and gray
You are feeling down and depressed.
OK now you'll take today to try and chase it away
You plan to use today as an opportunity to try and improve your mood.
Hey! You're chasing the sun away
You are actively trying to avoid the sun and its brightness.
How could the sun come out after the night
You are questioning why the sun is shining after a night of sadness.
She walked away from what you thought was true love and how come
You are struggling with a breakup and wondering how it could happen.
There isn't barrels of rain on the day after the night she said "there's someone else"
You expected rain to coincide with your sadness after the breakup, but it never came.
How come, could someone explain
You are looking for an explanation for why things happened the way they did.
Where is the rain?
You are still searching for a physical representation of your sadness.
Rain, send barrels of rain to coincide with the pain
You are still hoping for rain to validate your feelings of heartbreak.
Hey! You're chasing the sun away [x3]
You are still actively avoiding the sun and its brightness.
Hey! Hey! Hey! Chase it away
You are urging yourself to continue chasing away the sun and its brightness.
Contributed by Scarlett H. 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...