On the Wrong Side
 

 Written by L. Buckingham

I must be going Kiss me goodbye All the colors are changing There's a tear in my eye Hearts filled with passion Eyes without sight Oh, we never went runnin' On the wrong side All the faces of liars And the faces of glass Oh, they walked by the window But they never got past Action for action Fight for fight Oh, we never went runnin' On the wrong side On the wrong side On the wrong side We never went runnin' On the wrong side I must be going Kiss me goodbye All the colors are changing There's a tear in my eye And I'll go on living All the rest of my life And I'll never go runnin' On the wrong side On the wrong side On the wrong side I'll never go runnin' On the wrong side I'll never go runnin' On the wrong side I'll never go runnin' On the wrong side


WEBMISTRESS speculates:

OK, let's play count Lindsey's lyrical repetitions from other songs! "colors are changing" - Surrender the Rain; "wipe the tear from your eye" - Don't Look Down; "faces of liars...faces of glass, they walk...but they don't get past" - Loving Cup and Down on Rodeo. I guess Lindsey wasn't feeling too original the day he wrote this! Still, I like the song. It's got a mellow feel. Since it so echoes Out of the Cradle in the first verse, it's got that same mood of change, of leaving something to get a new start (in his case, FM).

"We never went runnin' on the wrong side" implies that someone always played it safe. I believe he could be referring to he and Stevie abandoning their dream to make it as a duo in order to play it safe by joining FM. That decision cost them their happiness with each other even as it gave them success. Now, he is leaving FM. This time he is going to take the chance, to pursue his dream even if it means no more of the big FM success. He hopes to find the happiness that he used to have when he was just doing what HE (and then Stevie) wanted to do. He doesn't want to "go on living all the rest of [his] life [without] runnin' on the wrong side."

 

DW speculates:

I can't really say that I think I understand this song. But I do have a different impression of the "wrong side" as he speaks about it in this song. I think the "wrong side" here represents something he wanted to avoid rather than something he wanted to pursue. I think he's proud that some relationship or endeavor that he was involved with never went to "the wrong side" -- never was ruined or tainted by something so negative that it spoils the feeling of it. There were heartfelt battles ("hearts filled with passion.../action for action/fight for fight"), but they were honorable battles over the right kinds of things that led to good outcomes.

He's saying goodbye to whatever this event was with some mixed feelings (tears of sadness and hope). There is a sense of accomplishment and pride and the hope that he can be involved in future events that are also as passionate and meaningful and easy to be proud of. "I must be going/Kiss me goodbye/All the colors are changing/There's a tear in my eye/And I'll go on living/All the rest of my life/And I'll never go runnin' /On the wrong side."

 

SPARKTIVITIE speculates:

This is one of my favorite Lindsey solo songs. I find it to be so sad. I never could figure out what this song was about until recently. It just so happens that i was listening to this song when i found out Warren Zevon had died, this is when i realized that the wrong side in this song is reffering to death. the first verse is explaining that the person is dying and he has to except that they are leaving things are different now and he has to shed a tear for the departed. eyes without sight is the fact that no one can see what happens after death, and no one can see what will happen in their own lives once they lose someone. "oh they walked by the window but they never got passed" If they had passed by that window they would have defeated death, but they never made it past, no matter how hard they fought or what they did they had to go to the wrong side.

Later in the song lindsey says"and i'll go on living all the rest of my life and i'll never going runnin on the wrong side" this Is his way of saying it's not my time i need to stay a while longer you can't get me on the wrong side. The "we" he refers to i think is himself in two different personalities. the one side of him wants to go on and just die because he has suffered so much, but the better part of him knows hes not done here yet. He says "we never went runnin....." is his way of saying the one side that wanted to leave couldnt make him so they stayed and will stay away from the wrong side.

 

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