Under Cover of Darkness Lyrics
Slip back out of whack at your best
It's a nightmare
So I'm joining the army
No house phones, but can I still call?
Will you wait for me now?
We've got the right to live, fight to use it
Got everything but you can just choose it
I won't just be a puppet on a string
[Pre-Chorus]
Don't go that way
I'll wait for you
[Chorus 1]
And I'm tired of all your friends
Listening at your door
I want what's better for you
So long, my friend and adversary
But I'll wait for you
[Verse 2]
Get dressed, jump out of bed into a vest
Are you okay?
I've been all around this town
Everybody's been singing the same song for ten years
I'll wait for you
Will you wait for me too?
[Chorus 2]
And they sacrifice their lives
And they lied about those odds
They'll say it a million times, and they'll say it again
So long, my adversary and friend
[Pre-Chorus]
Don't go that way
I'll wait for you
[Chorus 3]
I'm tired of all your friends
Banging down your door
Get up in the morning yelling, "No more!"
So long, my friend and adversary
But I'll be waiting for you
About
Under Cover of Darkness is the first single from the band’s fourth full-length album, Angles.
Released first online on February 9, 2011 as a free download for 48 hours exclusively, the single was then released on vinyl on February 11, 2011. It was their first single release in almost five years.
The beginning of the music video for this song shows a clip from the You Only Live Once music video, possibly hinting that this song is a continuation from that song.
The music video also contains a reference to their song “Last Nite,” in which Julian throws his microphone stand (which is what he does while singing the line “everybody’s been singing the same song for ten years,” which becomes significant once you consider that Angles came out ten years after Is This It.)
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Julian Casablancas cited Clarence Clemons’s 1985 song “You’re A Friend of Mine” as an inspiration for this song. In a 2011 interview with NME, he stated:
I weirdly like the bridge and the chorus of that Clarence Clemons song … So that was the vibe we were going for. I shouldn’t confess to these things!