Don Henley – The Boys Of Summer
Inspiration Behind the Boys of Summer:
Don Henley wrote the lyrics while Mike Campbell created the music for the Boyd of Summer, part of Henley’s solo album Building the Perfect Beast. The words reflect upon a man who can’t get over the girl that left him. Despite this anti-summer message, the Boys of Summer reached #5 on the Top 100 Hot Billboard Charts. The title comes from Roger Kahn’s 1972 baseball book The Boys of Summer. Henley used this a metaphor for youthful. fleeting romance.
Biblical Application:
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? – 2 Corinthians 6:14
Exegesis of The Boys of Summer:
nobody on the road, nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air, the summer’s out of reach
empty lake, empty streets, the sun goes down alone
I’m drivin by your house, though I know you’re not home
While everyone is now on vacation, out of town, a man is taking a trip down memory lane, checking up on an old girlfriend that he hasn’t been able to let go of.
but I can see you, your brown skin shining in the sun, you got your hair combed back and your sunglasses on, baby I can tell you my love for you will still be strong, after the boys of summer have gone
This man has a flashback of his ex. After any summer flings that she may be having, he wants her to know that his love for her is stronger than ever.
I never will forget those nights, I wonder if it was a dream
remember how you made me crazy, remember how I made you scream
now I don’t understand what happened to our love
but babe I’m gonna get you back, gonna show you what I’m made of
This man has amazing memories of their past together. These special moments revive his desire to get her back, doing everything in his power to show her his relentless love for her.
I can see you, your brown skin shining in the sun, I see you walking real slow, smiling at everyone
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong, after the boys of summer have gone
Another image in his mind of her beauty.
out on the road today I saw a DEAD HEAD sticker on a caddilac
a little voice inside my head said don’t look back you can never look back
I thought I knew what love was, what did I know
those days are gone forever I should just let ’em go, but
A Grateful Dead bumper sticker serves as a reality check to finally move on from this girl. Yet, he is confused, unsure of what love is, clinging to a prayer.
I can see you, your brown skin shining in the sun, you got the top pulled down radio on
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong, after the boys of summer have gone
This man is stuck in the past, unable to let go of her.
I can see you, your brown skin shining in the sun, you got your hair slicked back and those wave fellas on, baby I can tell you my love for you will still be strong, after the boys of summer have gone
He is hoping that time will change her mind, coming back to him in the fall.
Final Thoughts:
As someone who was dumped more in high school than most guys my age, I too struggled to move on. When I was lonely, I drove by the houses of ex-girlfriends, wondering how they were doing. However, while in college, I began to mature. Although it was never easy to move on from someone I cared deeply about, I learned from the school of hard knocks via trial and error. This is simply part of life, living and learning.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 