A song by Australian band
Powderfinger from their 2000 album "
Odyssey Number Five", and the lead
single. The song won the
ARIA Award for "single of the year". It is the highest-charting Powderfinger single so far (peaking at #4), and was #1 on the listener-voted "
Triple J Hottest 100 of 2000".
Generally interpreted as being a love song and often played at weddings, the band claims that it's about the loneliness that comes with touring. Personally I think it's a wonderful song no matter what it's supposed to mean, just like every other song on the album.
Lyrics:
I see your shadow on the street now
I hear you push through the rusty gate
Click of your heels on the concrete
Waiting for a knock coming way too late
It seems an age since I've seen you
Countdown as the weeks trickle into days
{Bridge}
So you come in and put your bags down
I know there's something in the air
How can I do this to you right now
If youre over there when I need you here
{Chorus}
My happiness is slowly creeping back
Now you're at home
If it ever starts sinking in
It must be when you pack up and go
It seems an age since I've seen you
Countdown as the weeks trickle into days
I hope that time hasn't changed you
All I really want is for you to stay
{Bridge}
{chorus}
I know I know I know what is inside {x4}
If youre over there when I need you here
{Chorus x2}
The song opens with a now-famous and very distinctive guitar riff, the wavering effect almost making it seem as though the guitar is crying. Very faintly the drums can be heard in the background as an acoustic guitar accompanies said riff with a simple harmony. Around the end of the first verse, the mellow opening shifts into a heavier, bassier feel for the remainder of the song.