Going down
The Stone Roses Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dawn sings in the garden
Phone signs in the hall
This boy's dead from two days life
Resurrected by the call
Penny here we've got to croon
So come on round to me
There's so such fanny, lying here
To touch taste and feel
Ring-a-ding-ding-ding, I'm going down, I'm coming round

Penny's place a crummy room
Her dansette crackles to Jimi's tune
I don't care I taste Ambre Solaire
Her neck, her thighs, her lips, her hair
Ring-a-ding-ding-ding, I'm going down, I'm coming round

All thoughts of sleep desert me, there is no time
Twenty minutes brings me round to her number 9

There she looks like a painting
Jackson Pollock's number five
Come into the forest and taste the trees
The sun starts shining and I'm hard to please
Ring-a-ding-ding-ding, I'm going down, I'm coming round

All thoughts of sleep desert me, there is no time
Twenty minutes brings me round to her number 9
To look down from the clouds you don't need to fly




I've never flown in a plane
I'll live until I die

Overall Meaning

The Stone Roses's song Going Down makes use of vivid and poetic language to describe a man going on a drug trip with a woman named Penny. Dawn sings in the garden as the singer receives phone signs in the hall, suggesting that drugs are a part of his daily routine. The singer feels like he is "dead from two days life", implying that he is feeling trapped and empty, but he is suddenly rejuvenated by a phone call from Penny urging him to come over. There is an implicit sense of yearning for a deeper connection and feeling of aliveness that inspires him to respond and seek her out.


He then arrives at Penny's place, a crummy room where her dansette crackles to Jimi's tune. The smell of Ambre Solaire, a tanning oil, pervades his senses as he delights in her neck, thighs, lips, and hair. The singer revels in the physical sensations of touch, taste, and smell, reinforcing the sense that he is seeking a more deeply fulfilling experience.


As dawn breaks, he feels all thoughts of sleep desert him and senses twenty minutes has brought him round to her number 9. He looks at Penny, enamoured by her beauty which reminds him of Jackson Pollock's number 5 painting. He then makes an elemental connection to the rest of the natural world, suggesting that it is only by living in harmony with nature that he can find true joy and fulfillment.


Line by Line Meaning

Dawn sings in the garden
The morning is beautiful and the birds are singing in the garden


Phone signs in the hall
A phone is ringing in the hall


This boy's dead from two days life
The boy feels like he's been living a boring life for the past two days


Resurrected by the call
He feels alive again after receiving a phone call


Penny here we've got to croon
Let's sing together Penny


So come on round to me
Come visit me


There's so such fanny, lying here
There's nothing exciting here to experience


To touch taste and feel
To experience something new and exciting


Ring-a-ding-ding-ding, I'm going down, I'm coming round
I feel alive and excited, I'm ready to experience something new


Penny's place a crummy room
Penny's place is not very nice


Her dansette crackles to Jimi's tune
Her record player is playing a Jimi Hendrix song but it's crackling and not sounding great


I don't care I taste Ambre Solaire
He doesn't care that he can taste the sunscreen, he's just happy to be there with Penny


Her neck, her thighs, her lips, her hair
He loves everything about Penny's body


All thoughts of sleep desert me, there is no time
He's too excited and there's no time for sleep


Twenty minutes brings me round to her number 9
It only takes twenty minutes to get to Penny's place


There she looks like a painting
She looks beautiful like a work of art


Jackson Pollock's number five
Her beauty rivals that of Jackson Pollock's famous painting 'Number Five'


Come into the forest and taste the trees
Come experience something new with me


The sun starts shining and I'm hard to please
He's feeling good and hard to disappoint


To look down from the clouds you don't need to fly
You don't need a plane to experience something amazing


I've never flown in a plane
He's never experienced flying in a plane


I'll live until I die
He plans to live life to the fullest until he dies




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

molko activity

Dawn sings in the garden
Phone sings in the hall
This boy's dead from two days life
Resurrected by the call
Penny here we've got to come
So come on round to me
There's so much, Penny, lying here
To touch, taste and tease
Ring-a-ding-ding-ding, I'm going down
I'm coming 'round

Penny's place a crummy room
Her dansette crackles to Jimi's tune
I don't care, I taste Ambre Solaire
Her neck, her thighs, her lips, her hair
Ring-a-ding-ding-ding, I'm going down
I'm coming 'round

All thoughts of sleep desert me
There is no time (there is no time)
Thirty minutes brings me round to
Her number 9

There she looks like a painting
Jackson Pollock's No. 5
Come into the forest and taste the trees
The Sun starts shining, and I'm hard to please
Ring-a-ding-ding-ding, I'm going down
I'm coming 'round

All thoughts of sleep desert me
There is no time (there is no time)
Thirty minutes brings me round to
Her number 9

To look down on the clouds
You don't need to fly
I've never flown in a plane
I'll live until I die



Alexander Mendoza

El amanecer canta en el jardín
Dawn sings in the garden

El teléfono canta en el pasillo
Phone sings in the hall

Este chico está muerto de dos días de vida
This boy's dead from two day's life

Resucitado por la llamada
Resurrected by the call

Penny aquí tenemos que venir
Penny here we've got to come

Así que ven a mi
So come on round to me

Hay tanto centavo aquí
There's so much penny lying here

Tocar, saborear y provocar
To touch, taste and tease

Ring a ding ding ding me estoy hundiendo
Ring a ding ding ding I'm going down

Estoy volviendo
I'm coming round

Penny's Place, su horrible habitación
Penny's place her crummy room

Su dansette crepita con la melodía de Jimi
Her dansette crackles to Jimi's tune

No me importa probar Ambre Solaire
I don't care I taste Ambre Solaire

Su cuello, sus muslos, sus labios, su cabello
Her neck her thighs her lips her hair

Ring a ding ding ding me estoy hundiendo
Ring a ding ding ding I'm going down

Estoy llegando
I'm coming around

Todos los pensamientos de sueño me abandonan
All thoughts of sleep desert me

No hay tiempo
There is no time

Treinta minutos me lleva a su número nueve
Thirty minutes brings me round to her number nine

Si, ella parece una pintura
Yeah she looks like a painting

Número cinco de Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock's Number Five

Entra en el bosque y prueba los árboles
Come into the forest and taste the trees

El sol comienza a brillar y soy difícil de complacer
The sun starts shining and I'm hard to please

Ring a ding ding ding me estoy hundiendo
Ring a ding ding ding I'm going down

Estoy llegando
I'm coming around

Todos los pensamientos de sueño me abandonan
All thoughts of sleep desert me

No hay tiempo
There is no time

Treinta minutos me lleva a su número nueve
Thirty minutes brings me round to her number nine

Para mirar las nubes
To look down on the clouds

No necesitas volar
You don't need to fly

Nunca he volado en un avion
I've never flown in a plane

Viviré hasta morir
I'll live until I die



All comments from YouTube:

Keith Pudliner

“Her neck, her thighs, her lips, her hair” - the melody Ian sings there melts my heart every time. That is love.....

Ciaran Ennis

Should of been on the 1st album, it's a genuine gem

Kevin Duncan

I with you on that mate I defo

Alexander Layko

It's a better song than "Don't Stop" that's for sure.

Eduardo Mota

@Alexander Layko dont stop is a gem...and cplts waterfall like no one

Alexander Layko

@Eduardo Mota It's a fun experimental avant-garde song but it completely throws off the entire flow of the album and turns it into an awkward experience. Listening to it feels like a chore.

Dbusdriver71

The Stone Roses had several tunes they didn't use. Even their tunes they didn't use at all sound really good. Its hard to blame them as hindsight is 20/20.

7 More Replies...

JohnnyBhood

This is one of the most perfected catchy gems ive ever heard

Sic Synch

Ian's voice here is angelic

Edi Ferdinan

Musi c

1 More Replies...
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