IDLES – When The Lights Come On Lyrics - Genius

2025, In ReviewFeaturedChartsVideosPromote Your MusicSign Up3When the Lights Come OnIDLESProducersMark Bowen & Kenny BeatsTrack 3 onCRAWLER Nov. 12, 20211 viewer25.4K views18 Contributors

When the Lights Come On Lyrics

[Verse 1]The tapping of the feet seem loudThere's a girl in a whirlwind cloudI danced with a Spaniard man’Til we had no breath left in our pounding chestsI shudder like I'm all bereftI danced grief from my poresThe beat pounds like a knocking at the door[Verse 2]The hi-hats dance like a featherI'm in, I’m in a paralytic loveless dreamNot a single face I've seenIs a friend I recognise or recognises meI black out, I don't want your dim sumIt's 3am, I wanna dance 'til the sun comesI wanna fight your cousinI wanna tear through the night like an angel flareI'm a ten-foot snareThat cuts in the sky with no care, no care, no care, no[Chorus]A narcissist on a cucking stoolThe kids are not alrightThe kids are not allSee IDLES LiveGet tickets as low as $107You might also like[Refrain]Feels like I'm coming homeFeels like I'm coming home[Chorus]A narcissist on a cucking stoolThe kids are not alrightThe kids are not3EmbedCancel

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AboutThis song bio is unreviewedSong Bio1 contributor

IDLES released “When The Lights Come On” as the third single from CRAWLER at December 13th, 2021, accompanied by a music video directed by IDLES band member Lee Kiernan.

In this morose rock tune, Talbot swaps his usual angry punk howl for thundering baritone vocals, channelling Nick Cave or maybe Matt Berninger.

Lyrically, the song addresses a subject clubbing and partying in his 30’s. When the sun comes up. the subject has outstayed his welcome. According to Mojo’s magazine Joe Talbot’s interview, “When the Lights Come On” was inspired by an older man he once met hanging round with his friends. Joe says he couldn’t understand what his angle was until years later:

I was DJing at a hip-hop night for seven year and by the end I was like the oldest in the room by… a lot. [After one of his nights, he went to a house party where] they were doing M-Cat. I was like , ‘What am I doing here?’ I am That Guy. And I left. Fuck this. But addiction will do that. You’ll excuse yourself into any sort of social pocket if it allows you to get wasted on drugs. The younger the groups, the easier it is to get away with drinking five nights a week.

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Ask a questionWhat did IDLES say about "When the Lights Come On"?Genius Answer2 contributors

Mark Bowen:

I was a hip-hop DJ for years at a club in Bristol. Later on, I was still into drugs and alcohol but I was starting to feel old. I’d look up and be like, I don’t recognize anyone anymore. There are cold moments where the lights do actually come on in the club and you just suddenly start realizing you’re the last one left in your circle. It’s that feeling that maybe you’ve out-stayed your welcome. I was going to parties with a bunch of uni students who were like 10 years younger than me. Looking back on it, that’s kind of lame — like Frank the Tank from “Old School” or something.

It’s that feeling of four in the morning, and you want to keep going, and you’re searching for the after parties, even though it never, ever gets more fun. It’s got that sense of fun, but it’s also not, at all. That song is directly influenced by late ’70s and early ‘80s post-punk. It kind of sounds like Bauhaus. That was the vibe from start to finish.

—via Consequence of Sound

+5Is there a live performance available?Genius Answer1 contributor +18Who produced “When the Lights Come On” by IDLES?When did IDLES release “When the Lights Come On”?Who wrote “When the Lights Come On” by IDLES?CRAWLER (2021)IDLES

1. 1. MTT 420 RR
2. 2. The Wheel
3. 3. When the Lights Come On
4. 4. Car Crash
5. 5. The New Sensation
6. 6. Stockholm Syndrome
7. 7. The Beachland Ballroom
8. 8. Crawl!
9. 9. Meds
10. 10. Kelechi
11. 11. Progress
12. 12. Wizz
13. 13. King Snake
14. 14. The End

CreditsProducersMark Bowen & Kenny BeatsWritersMark Bowen, Lee Kiernan, Jon Beavis, Adam Devonshire & Joe TalbotPhonographic Copyright ℗Partisan RecordsRecorded AtReal World Studios, EnglandReleased onNovember 12, 2021TagsRockGothic RockArt PunkPost-PunkUK RockUKExpand CommentsAdd a commentSign Up And Drop Knowledge 🤓Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love.Sign Up