Drive

Like a lot of people, I have at many times in the past managed to either mishear or misinterpret certain songs. Today's picture reminds me of my childhood, when I first heard The Cars' hit "Drive". Being far too young to understand all the implications of driving someone home (or indeed, being driven home by someone else), the song made very little sense to me back then. Who was going to drive me home at any given date or time was pretty much a concrete certainty, and I wasn't really sure who on Earth spent their whole life in a state of permanent transportational uncertainty.

I managed to go for a couple of decades before hearing the song again, at which point I was close to someone who spent a lot of their time living life on the edge, to the extent that I did often worry how they were going to make their way home at night, and who they'd be entrusting their safety to. One sunny afternoon, "Drive" popped up on the radio, and all the nuances of meaning fell into place. The song still makes me think of that old friend (who, I'm glad to say, is a lot happier and more settled these days), and also makes me slightly wistful for times gone by, when we all knew who was driving us home.

So I suppose for today, I'll leave you with this.


Who's gonna tell you when it's too late?
Who's gonna tell you things aren't so great?
You can't go on thinking nothing's wrong
Who's gonna drive you home tonight?

Who's gonna pick you up when you fall?
Who's gonna hang it up when you call?
Who's gonna pay attention to your dreams?
Who's gonna plug their ears when you scream?

You can't go on thinking nothing's wrong
Who's gonna drive you home tonight?

Who's gonna hold you down when you shake?
Who's gonna come around when you break?

You can't go on thinking nothing's wrong
Who's gonna drive you home tonight?