Porch Light
The Robert Cray Band Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Midnight
And her porchlight's on
The signal
That her man is gone
She'll open her back door wide
I'll slip down the alley, then slip inside

She's waiting
Just inside the door
In perfume
Probably nothing more
She'll greet me with her arms spread wide
Hit by the darkness, we'll fly, fly, fly

Standing here
I feel just like a criminal
Returning to the seen of the crime
Every time that we steal these loving hours
We promise that it will be the last time

Sneak out
Just before the dawn
Knowing that we've done her man wrong
He's out working while we're at plays
And my conscious hounds me
The whole long day
Mmm

Sun down
My blood starts to stir
All my thoughts go back to her
At midnight my guilt will ease
And I'll be watching her porch-light
Begging please, please, please

Standing here
I feel just like a criminal
Returning to the seen of the crime, yeah, yeah, yeah
And every time that we steal these loving hours




When we're stealing, when we're stealing it
We promise that it will be the last time, yeah

Overall Meaning

The Robert Cray Band's "Porch Light" tells the story of a man who is having an affair with a woman who is in a relationship with another man. The song opens with him arriving at her house in the middle of the night, knowing that her man is gone and that he can slip inside undetected. The woman is waiting for him, and they embrace in the darkness.


As the song progresses, the man grapples with his guilt and the knowledge that what they're doing is wrong. Even as he's enjoying these secret moments with the woman he loves, he can't help but feel like a criminal. He knows that they're both betraying her partner, and he promises himself that each time they're together will be the last.


Despite their best intentions, the two can't stay away from each other. As the song ends, the man is once again longing for the woman he loves, promising to return to her side when the sun goes down and the guilt temporarily fades away.


Overall, "Porch Light" is a poignant and honest portrayal of a love affair that's both thrilling and deeply flawed. It's a reminder that even the most intense love can be overshadowed by guilt and the knowledge that what we're doing is wrong.


Line by Line Meaning

Midnight
It's midnight


And her porchlight's on
Her porch light is on which means her man is gone


The signal
Her porch light is the signal that her man is gone


That her man is gone
The porch light means her man is not home


She'll open her back door wide
She will open her back door wide to let me in


I'll slip down the alley, then slip inside
I will sneak down the alley and slip inside her house


She's waiting
She's waiting for me inside the house


Just inside the door
She's just inside the door, waiting for me


In perfume
She's wearing perfume


Probably nothing more
She's wearing perfume and nothing else


She'll greet me with her arms spread wide
She'll greet me with open arms


Hit by the darkness, we'll fly, fly, fly
We'll embrace in the dark and fly away with our passion


Standing here
I'm standing here right now


I feel just like a criminal
I feel guilty like a criminal


Returning to the seen of the crime
Coming back to where we've done wrong, feels like a crime


Every time that we steal these loving hours
Whenever we spend time together like this, it feels like we're stealing it


We promise that it will be the last time
We keep promising ourselves that we won't do it again


Sneak out
We need to sneak out of the house


Just before the dawn
We need to leave right before sunrise


Knowing that we've done her man wrong
We're aware that we're doing something wrong by being together


He's out working while we're at play
Her man is working while we're together


And my conscious hounds me the whole long day
I feel guilty about it all day long


My blood starts to stir
As the sun sets, I start getting excited


All my thoughts go back to her
I can't stop thinking about her


At midnight my guilt will ease
After a night with her, my guilt will ease up


And I'll be watching her porch-light begging please, please, please
I'll be watching her porch light, begging her to turn it on again so we can be together




Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: PATRICIA WALKER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions