Named after a Chinese friend whose name sounds like the Mandarin pronunciat… Read Full Bio ↴Named after a Chinese friend whose name sounds like the Mandarin pronunciation of "bandstand," the Ting Tings -- a scrappy, dance-oriented duo consisting of singer/guitarist Katie White and drummer Jules De Martino -- formed in the Salford district of Manchester, England in 2006. Prior to forming the group, the pair worked together in 2001 when White was in the all-female punk-pop group TKO and De Martino wrote some songs for them. Later the pair reunited, and with another friend formed the trio Eskimo Kiss, which signed to Mercury Records but disbanded, in part due to changing personnel at the label. De Martino and White regrouped, working on their own music and others' at Salford's music commune The Islington Mill. Quickly signed to the local indie label Switchflicker Records, the Ting Tings released their debut single, "That's Not My Name," in the spring of 2007. Following the limited-edition, tour-only single "Fruit Machine," the Ting Tings signed to major-label Columbia later that year. The flipside of the Switchflicker single, "Great DJ," was released as the duo's debut Columbia single in March 2008, followed by the reissue of "That's Not My Name" with a new exclusive B-side remix.

"That's Not My Name" rose to the top of the U.K. charts in May 2008, the same month that the duo's debut album, We Started Nothing, appeared. The Ting Tings spent the rest of 2008 and a large part of 2009 touring in support of the album, which eventually sold over two million copies worldwide, won the 2009 Ivor Novello Award for Best Album, and earned the group a Best New Artist Grammy nomination that December. Early in 2010, De Martino and White moved to Berlin to work on songs for their second album. Inspired by the city's atmosphere and the cold weather, they went in a darker, more electronic direction with their new songs. In August 2010, the Ting Tings offered a taste of their new material, premiering the single "Hands" -- which was mixed by Calvin Harris -- on BBC Radio 1 and officially releasing it that October. After extensive touring and over eight months recording in Germany and Spain, in March 2012 the Ting Tings offered their sophomore album, Sounds from Nowheresville, a collection of songs inspired by the exuberant freedom of the Beastie Boys' classic Paul's Boutique. Two years later, third album Super Critical surfaced. Its October release date was preceded by the April release of first single "Wrong Club."

Traffic Light
The Ting Tings Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don't you be a traffic light
With all things said
You turn to red
Don't you be a traffic light

Don't you be a round-about
Not another round-about
We've come this far

Yet back to the start
Don't you be a round-about

Oh now baby don't mis-read the signs
If you turn the key then things will turn out fine

Lets not have a break down
Not another breakdown
You're on your own a long way from home
Lets not have a breakdown

Don't mis-read the signs
If you had just turned the key then things would have turned out fine

You're pushing me, you're breaking
Over taking me you're racing
First placing me not chasing me back home

Don't let me down

Overall Meaning

The Ting Tings's song Traffic Light is about being in a relationship where one person feels like they are constantly being stopped or held back by the other person, similar to a traffic light or a roundabout. The lyrics encourage the other person to not be a hindrance to the relationship and to keep things moving forward. The singer doesn't want to have any more breakdowns or setbacks and wants their partner to take action and move forward with the relationship.

The first verse warns against being a traffic light, as if the relationship is being halted or prevented from moving forward. The second verse warns against being a roundabout, as if they are going in circles and not making progress. The chorus repeats the phrase "don't mis-read the signs" as a way of telling the other person to pay attention to what's happening and to not ignore the issues in the relationship.

The bridge seems to be a warning or a plea from the singer to their partner, telling them to be careful and not mess things up. They're telling them to not push too hard or take too many risks, but to take action in a way that's safe and responsible. The final line of the song, "Don't let me down", is a note of desperation, as if the singer is pleading with their partner to not give up or abandon them.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't you be a traffic light
Don't be indecisive and hold things back from progressing.

With all things said
After considering all the factors and opinions involved.

You turn to red
You're preventing the flow of progress and causing a stoppage.

Don't you be a round-about
Don't be confusing and lead the situation to a dead end like a roundabout.

Not another round-about
Don't repeat the mistake of being confusing and leading the situation to a dead end.

We've come this far
We've made progress and overcome obstacles to get to this point.

Yet back to the start
Don't regress back to the beginning and undo all the progress we've made.

Oh now baby don't mis-read the signs
Don't misinterpret the signals and warning signs that indicate danger or negative outcomes.

If you turn the key then things will turn out fine
If you take action and make the right decisions, the situation will improve and progress will be made.

Lets not have a break down
Let's not give in to stress and pressure and have a meltdown.

Not another breakdown
Don't have a repeat of a previous meltdown or failure.

You're on your own a long way from home
You're alone and distant from a familiar and comfortable environment.

Don't mis-read the signs
Repeat reminder to not misinterpret warning signals.

If you had just turned the key then things would have turned out fine
If you had taken action and made the right decisions in the past, things would have had a positive outcome.

You're pushing me, you're breaking
Your actions are causing stress and strain on me and the situation as a whole.

Over taking me you're racing
You're trying to rush and take control of the situation, leaving me behind.

First placing me not chasing me back home
You're putting yourself first and not considering me or our shared goals, and not making an effort to reconcile and return to a positive state.

Don't let me down
Don't disappoint or betray my trust or expectations.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KATIE WHITE, JULES DE MARTINO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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