The Stone Roses released their second album, Second Coming, in 1994, which received mixed reviews. The group soon disbanded after several line-up changes throughout the supporting tour, which began with Reni departing in early 1995, followed by Squire in April 1996. Brown and Mani dissolved the remains of the group in October 1996 following their appearance at Reading Festival.
Following much intensified media speculation, the Stone Roses called a press conference on 18 October 2011 to announce that the band had reunited and would perform a reunion world tour in 2012, including three homecoming shows in Heaton Park, Manchester. Plans to record a third album in the future were also floated but only two singles were released. In June 2012, Chris Coghill, the writer of a new film which is set during the Stone Roses 1990 Spike Island show, revealed that the band "have at least three or four new tracks recorded". In June 2013, a documentary about the band's reformation directed by Shane Meadows and titled The Stone Roses: Made of Stone was released.
In 2016, the Stone Roses released their first new material in two decades. The band members continued to tour until June 2017, at which point cryptic remarks by Brown indicated the band had split again, which was later confirmed in a 2019 interview with Squire.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stone_Roses
Studio albums
The Stone Roses (1989)
Second Coming (1994)
Driving South
The Stone Roses Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Driving south 'round midnight in a howling hurricane
I stopped for an old man hitcher at a lonely old crossroad
He said "I'm going nowhere
I'm only here to see if I can steal your soul"
"I'm not trying to make you, I don't want to touch your skin
I know all there is to know about you and all your sins
Any time you want to sell your soul
I've got a toll-free number you can ring"
Yeah, that's what I thought he said anyway
"I'm not trying to make you, I don't want to touch your skin
I know all there is to know about you and all your sins
Well, you ain't too young or pretty, and yer sure as hell can't sing
Any time you want to sell your soul
I've got a toll-free number you can ring"
0 800 treble six, oh yeah
0 800 treble six, oh yeah
I stopped for an old man hitcher at a lonely old crossroads
He said "I'm going nowhere
I'm only here to see if I can steal your soul"
He got!
“Driving South” by The Stone Roses tells the story of a man driving south around midnight through a howling hurricane. He stops for an old man hitchhiker at a lonely crossroad, who reveals his true intentions of wanting to steal his soul. The hitchhiker tells the man that he knows all there is to know about him and all his sins, and even gives him a toll-free number he can ring if he wants to sell his soul. The song ends abruptly with the hitchhiker stealing the man’s soul.
The lyrics of the song are filled with metaphorical and spiritual underpinnings. The old man hitchhiker can be seen as the devil or a representation of evil, tempting and offering the singer the chance to trade his soul for anything he desires. The song can also be interpreted as a cautionary tale of the dangers of sacrificing one’s values or making deals with the devil.
Line by Line Meaning
Driving south 'round midnight, man, I must have been insane
The singer recognizes that driving during a hurricane at midnight is dangerous, but still chose to do it anyways, thinking it must have been a little insane of them.
Driving south 'round midnight in a howling hurricane
The singer sets the scene for the song, noting the dangerous weather that they're driving through.
I stopped for an old man hitcher at a lonely old crossroad
The singer picks up a hitchhiker who is stranded and alone at a desolate crossroad.
He said "I'm going nowhere
The hitchhiker tells the artist that he doesn't have any specific destination in mind; he's just wandering aimlessly.
I'm only here to see if I can steal your soul"
The hitchhiker claims that he's not really looking for a ride, but instead wants to cheat the artist out of his soul.
"I'm not trying to make you, I don't want to touch your skin
The hitchhiker insists that he doesn't want to use any physical force to take the singer's soul, and that it's entirely up to the singer to give it up willingly.
I know all there is to know about you and all your sins
The hitchhiker claims to know everything about the singer's past mistakes and wrongdoings.
Well, you ain't too young or pretty, and yer sure as hell can't sing
The hitchhiker derisively comments that the artist is neither young, attractive, nor musically talented.
Any time you want to sell your soul
The hitchhiker reminds the artist that the offer to sell his soul is always on the table, and suggests that the artist may eventually be tempted to take him up on it.
I've got a toll-free number you can ring"
The hitchhiker provides the artist with a way to contact him should he ever decide to give up his soul, making it sound like a casual and easy transaction.
Yeah, that's what I thought he said anyway
The singer seems uncertain if the hitchhiker's offer was real or just a figment of his imagination.
0 800 treble six, oh yeah
The hitchhiker provides the artist with a phone number to call should he ever decide to sell his soul.
I stopped for an old man hitcher at a lonely old crossroads
The singer repeats that he picked up the strange hitchhiker at a deserted intersection.
He said "I'm going nowhere
The hitchhiker repeats that he doesn't have a destination in mind and is only wandering around.
I'm only here to see if I can steal your soul"
The hitchhiker repeats his claim that he's not really looking for a ride, but instead wants to trick the singer into losing his soul.
He got!
The song ends abruptly, leaving the listener to wonder what happened next and what the hitchhiker ultimately did to the artist.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN SQUIRE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind