Not Tonight
The New Cars Lyrics


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I don't know what that cologne is
But it's workin' like a charm
It's easy to imagine rockin' you on my arm, on my arm
I wanna show you around the sights
But not tonight

I like the outfit you're wearing
I like the way that you think
I'd like to call us a cab and take you out for a drink, wink wink
I wanna take you for a little bite
But not tonight--no, no
I'd like to have a chance to treat you right
But not tonight

I could squeeze you in
But my dance card is full
Still I might change plans
If you give a little, just a little more

I hear you have a reputation
They say you like to move fast
They say that you don't give a damn about the price of your gas, that's a gas
So we can drive till the early light
But not tonight--no, no
I'd like to have a chance to treat you right
But not tonight

I could make some calls
Move things around
And cancel stuff
But you're a long, long road
I must go down
One night is enough

I could squeeze you in
But my dance card is full
Still I might change plans
If you give a little, give a little
Give a little more

So put me in your Blackberry
And I'll take you e-mail
And we'll meet when the time is right
But not tonight
And we're gonna drive till the early light
But not tonight--no, not tonight

We're gonna raise a glass--but not tonight
We're gonna burn up gas--but not tonight
We're gonna dine and dance--but not tonight
We're gonna take our chance--but not tonight
We're gonna scan the lights--but not tonight
We're gonna see the sunrise--but not tonight

We're gonna drive till the early light




But not tonight--no, not tonight
Not tonight

Overall Meaning

The song "Not Tonight" by The New Cars is a playful yet ultimately cautious song about a potential romantic encounter. The singer, speaking to someone they are interested in, first comments on the appealing scent of the person's cologne, and then expresses a desire to show them around and take them out for a drink or a bite to eat. However, the singer repeatedly reiterates that it won't happen "tonight," despite the potential for them to change their plans if the person gives them a bit more attention. The song then ends on a list of things they may do in the future, but not tonight.


Line by Line Meaning

I don't know what that cologne is
I'm not sure what scent you're wearing


But it's workin' like a charm
But it's definitely having an effect on me


It's easy to imagine rockin' you on my arm, on my arm
I can easily picture us being a great couple


I wanna show you around the sights
I want to take you sightseeing


But not tonight
But not right now


I like the outfit you're wearing
I really like the clothes you have on


I like the way that you think
I like the way you think about things


I'd like to call us a cab and take you out for a drink, wink wink
I want to take you out for a drink, maybe something more intimate


I wanna take you for a little bite
I want to take you out for a small meal


But not tonight--no, no
But not right now


I'd like to have a chance to treat you right
I want to have a chance to really impress you


I could squeeze you in
I could make time for you


But my dance card is full
But I have a lot going on


Still I might change plans
But I might be able to rearrange my schedule


If you give a little, just a little more
If you could be a little more flexible or patient


I hear you have a reputation
I hear that there are rumors about you


They say you like to move fast
They say that you move quickly


They say that you don't give a damn about the price of your gas, that's a gas
They say that you don't care about the cost of things, which is funny


So we can drive till the early light
So we can keep driving until early morning


I could make some calls
I could rearrange my schedule


Move things around
Change things around


And cancel stuff
Cancel some other plans


But you're a long, long road I must go down
But I have other things I need to do


One night is enough
One night of spending time together is enough


So put me in your Blackberry
So you can add me to your contacts list


And I'll take you e-mail
And I'll give you my email address


And we'll meet when the time is right
And we'll see each other when the circumstances are better


We're gonna raise a glass--but not tonight
We'll toast each other, but not right now


We're gonna burn up gas--but not tonight
We'll drive around a lot, but not right now


We're gonna dine and dance--but not tonight
We'll eat and dance, but not right now


We're gonna take our chance--but not tonight
We'll take our opportunity, but not right now


We're gonna scan the lights--but not tonight
We'll drive around and see the city lights, but not right now


We're gonna see the sunrise--but not tonight
We'll stay up until dawn, but not right now


Not tonight
Not right now


We're gonna drive till the early light
We'll drive until the early morning


But not tonight--no, not tonight
But not right now




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Todd Rundgren, Greg Hawkes, Elliot Easton

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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