West Indian Girl is a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, who released … Read Full Bio ↴West Indian Girl is a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, who released their self-titled debut album in August 2004 on Astralwerks.

The profound power to transcend common themes of fear, hope and love using only phrasing and imagery is a rare gift, second only to one's ability to render out the proper combination of notes and chords with which to propel those words into our hearts. With influences that include British rock and roll and the soul-seeking ethos of 60s psychedelia and modern day jam bands, Robert James and Francis Ten build opulent compositions that revolve around texture, mood and lyrical romanticism-songs that are inspired by ideals and motivated by feeling, much like the two musicians themselves.

Back To You
West Indian Girl Lyrics

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As he rose up to meet the challenge
Words he might have said
An arrow shot through his heart
And stopped him in his tracks

I'm running, running, running back to you

He lied awake counting minutes

He imagined he was underwater
Where she's swimming out beneath the surface
Together between the currents

I'm running, running, running back to you

People believe, I still remember
People lose and still regret
People become, I shouldn't have told her
People dream to forget

He reached out with a whisper
Hoping she might hear
In his mind, she is dancing
I want you

I'm running, running, running back to you

Overall Meaning

The song "Back to You" by West Indian Girl depicts a heartbroken person who is yearning to return to his beloved one. The lyrics reveal a sense of desperation and longing for someone who has already moved on. The first two lines of the song indicate that the man had tried to confront his feelings and perhaps tried to fight for his love, but he was stopped in his tracks by the realization that the woman was no longer interested in him. The phrase 'an arrow shot through his heart' metaphorically reflects that he couldn't bear the pain of rejection.

The chorus of the song is the most dominant aspect of the song, giving the phrase 'running, running, running back to you' a thematic quality that is repeated multiple times in the song. This phrase gives the listener the impression that the singer is making every effort to reach his woman but is continually running into dead ends.

The phrase 'He imagined he was underwater, where she's swimming out beneath the surface' portrays the idea that he is submerged in his emotions and trying to reach his lover in the depths of his heart. The last stanza 'He reached out with a whisper, hoping she might hear, in his mind she is dancing, I want you' portrays the earnestness and intensity of his love.

In summary, "Back to You" is a song that portrays the story of a person who is unable to let go of his past love and is yearning to be with her again, even though she may not feel the same way.

Line by Line Meaning

As he rose up to meet the challenge
As he faced a difficult task ahead of him

Words he might have said
He had words that he thought of sharing

An arrow shot through his heart
He was emotionally affected and hurt

And stopped him in his tracks
He was paused in his actions because of the emotional pain he felt

I'm running, running, running back to you
He is determined to return to the person he loves

He lied awake counting minutes
He was unable to sleep and spent time calculating time

He imagined he was underwater
He had hallucinations of being submerged in water

Where she's swimming out beneath the surface
He remembers her swimming below the water

Together between the currents
He wished he could be with her in the water

People believe, I still remember
It is common for people to believe, but he has not forgotten

People lose and still regret
People have regrets even after losing something

People become, I shouldn't have told her
Sometimes people change and have regrets over something they shared

People dream to forget
People often dream to escape their reality

He reached out with a whisper
He tried to communicate with her quietly so as not to disturb the moment

Hoping she might hear
He wished for her to listen and understand him

In his mind, she is dancing
He has an image of her dancing in his thoughts

I want you
He has a strong desire to be with her

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LIONEL RICHIE, PAUL BARRY, DAVID SNEDDON, CAMILLA BEEPUT, MARLI BUCK, LEMARE OBIKA, MALACHI CUSH, PIPPA FULTON, AINSLIE HENDERSON, KATIE LEWIS, SINEAD QUINN, NIGEL WILSON

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