Won’t Be Long by The Hives Lyrics Meaning – Dissecting the Great Escape Anthem for the Modern Rebel

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for The Hives's Won't Be Long at Lyrics.org.

Lyrics

No bright lights
No big city
Went to my head
So I wont stick around in this town
No I’m getting out instead

Cause I can’t find a thing and get it done
Raise my heart and ring my ears
So I wont be stick around in this town
That’s true

Cause I won’t
And I can’t
And I don’t understand
You’ve become what you hate,
Or you hate what you’ve become?

Got me a ticket and I won’t be long
Cause I can’t go on
And I gotta get gone
Got me a ticket and I won’t be long
Cause I can’t go on
And I gotta get gone away

So I make my way through the quagmire
Who’s glorifying me?
You is, as the detox in this city
So if I may be excused

Cause I won’t
And I can’t
And I don’t understand

You’ve become what you hate,
Or you hate what you’ve become?

Got me a ticket and I won’t be long
Cause I can’t go on
And I gotta get gone

Got me a ticket and I won’t be long
Cause I can’t go on
And I gotta get gone

Got me a ticket and I won’t be long
Cause I can’t go on
And I gotta get gone

Got me a ticket and I won’t be long
Cause I can’t go on
And I gotta get gone away

Well I won’t be around for the good times
Won’t be around for the bad
And I won’t stick around in this town
No I’m getting out instead

And I won’t
And I can’t
And I live cause I can
And I won’t be back again

Well I got me a ticket and I won’t be long
Cause I can’t go on
And I gotta get gone

Well I got me a ticket and I won’t be long
Cause I can’t go on
And I gotta get gone

Well I got me a ticket and I won’t be long
Cause I can’t go on
And I gotta get gone

Got me a ticket and I won’t be long
Cause I can’t go on
And I gotta get gone away

And I gotta get gone away
Cos I gotta get gone away
Gotta get gone away

Amidst the cacophony of the contemporary music scene, The Hives have thrown open the doors once again with their rebellious anthem ‘Won’t Be Long.’ With its raw energy and piercing lyrics, the track has quickly captured the ethos of the modern rebel, with whispers of dissent and desire for escape pulsing through its veins. The song, a frenetic mix of garage rock gusto laced with incisive commentary, demands further dissection as we unpack the full meaning behind its raucous calls.

As we peel away the layers of ‘Won’t Be Long,’ a narrative of inner struggle and societal fatigue comes to the forefront. The lyrics, simple yet potent, speak to the universal feeling of constriction within the walls of modernity and the yearning to break free. But what lies beneath these cries for liberation? This analysis aims to unravel the intricacies of The Hives’ spirited exhortation and its resonance with the fray of human experience in the digital age.

Escaping Urban Entanglements – A Dive into the Anti-City Sentiment

The Hives don’t mince words when tackling the overbearing nature of city life. ‘No bright lights, no big city’ is hardly a cryptic message. It’s a deliberate opening line that seizes the listener’s attention. Urban existence often comes packaged with a promise of grandeur, growth, and fulfillment, yet for many, it’s a labyrinth that obscures the clarity of simpler lives. When they sing about not sticking around in town and getting out instead, it’s an unequivocal declaration of resistance against urban suffocation and the pretense that can often accompany city dwelling.

This anti-metropolitan sentiment has been a recurring theme across musical genres and eras, but The Hives manage to dress it in garage rock attire, giving it a fresh coat of urgency and agitation. The straightforward disdain for city life is both a nod to their musical predecessors and a current statement aligning with the disillusionment of the digital generation for whom the city’s glitz has worn off, revealing a grittier, lonelier reality beneath.

The Inquiry of Identity and Self-Betrayal

‘You’ve become what you hate, or you hate what you’ve become?’ This recursive question at the heart of ‘Won’t Be Long’ catapults the song from a mere escape anthem to a philosophical inquiry. It suggests a duality of conflict—where the disdain for the surroundings and the self coexist, and it’s unclear which one inspired the other. Are the protesters’ protests a result of hating the system, or do they hate themselves for becoming part of the system they loathe?

This memorable line also serves as a mirror, challenging the listener to confront their complicity in the societal norms they criticize. It’s a call to self-evaluation and a rebellion against complacency, a hallmark of The Hives’ signature defiance.

Navigating through the Quagmire – The Hives’ Take on Mental Emancipation

The notion of ‘making my way through the quagmire’ turns the song into a psychological odyssey. The quagmire represents the murky waters of mental constraints and societal expectations—one that requires a strong will and acute self-awareness to navigate. The lyrics encapsulate the struggle of emerging from the muck of cultural conditioning, striving for a state of mental detoxification from a city symbolic of excess and entrapment.

In an era where mental health is at the forefront of societal discussions, The Hives tap into a collective longing for mental clarity and liberation. The quest for detoxification is not just a physical storied escape, but a mental journey away from the noise, towards a space of personal enlightenment and rebirth.

Chasing the Countdown to Change – An Exaltation to Tag Along

The repeated urgency ‘Got me a ticket and I won’t be long’ is not merely a physical departure—it’s symbolic of a pressing countdown to change. Framing the escape with the immediacy of a ticking clock, The Hives invigorate the listener with a sense of urgency, as if suggesting that waiting is no longer an option. The lines convey that the moment for action is now, fueling the listener with a pulsating drive to make the vital leap.

It’s an exhortation, a rallying cry to the listeners who find themselves on the precipice of a significant pivot in life. The Hives become a voice urging one to not merely embrace change but to charge into it with full force.

The Resilience Refrain – Embracing the Elegy of Perseverance

‘And I live cause I can, and I won’t be back again’ triumphantly closes the poetic circle of the song. It marks a clear end to past inhibitions and restraints, heralding the bloom of resilience. The Hives carve out an elegy to perseverance which ties the narrative together, conveying that the ultimate goal of the journey is not merely escape, but transformation.

In the context of the song, this declaration of perpetual departure singles out the living as an act of defiance, a testament to choosing existence on one’s terms rather than mere survival. This closing sentiment encapsulates the essence of ‘Won’t Be Long’ as a fierce expression of determination and an ode to the unyielding human spirit, which refuses to capitulate to adversity.