Cover art for Come a Little Closer by Cage The Elephant

Come a Little Closer

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Aug. 13, 20131 viewer272.9K views

Come a Little Closer Lyrics

[Bridge]
Ten thousand people stand alone now
And in the evening the sun sank
Tomorrow it will rise
"Time flies by," they all sang along
"Time flies by," they all sang along
"Time flies by," they all sang along
"Time flies by, by"

[Outro]
Come a little closer, then you'll see
Come on, come on, come on
Come a little closer, then you'll see
Come a little closer, then you'll see
Come a little closer, then you'll see

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About

This song bio is unreviewed
Genius Annotation

“Come a Little Closer” is from Cage the Elephant’s album, Melophobia. The song talks about the fact that there are many things you don’t see until you step a little closer and take a look.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Translations
Genius Answer
What did Cage The Elephant say about "Come a Little Closer"?
Genius Answer

We in the Buenos Aires airport, and I saw this amazing flamenco guitarist who was busking. He had this whole gypsy thing going on. The music he played was very hypnotic and powerful – you could hear the burdens of his heart. I got inspired and grabbed my guitar. I went to the next terminal – there weren’t that many people in this one yet – and I started playing what in my head was Bulgarian folk.

I wrote the verse at the airport, inspired by the thought of things appearing different at first and then seeing them in a new light. We went on to San Paulo, and I remember being in my hotel and looking out one morning at this makeshift city on a hill. There were tarps and scrap metal, all of these little boxes with people inside of them. It made me think of an ant hill, but then I also thought, ‘No, wait, these are people living their lives.’ It made me want to look closer. That became the chorus.

Once I showed the parts to the band, we went to a rehearsal studio, pieced everything together, and there was the song. But it all started in that airport in Buenos Aires. Funny how that works sometimes.

Matt Shultz via MusicRadar (September 2013)

What certifications did this track receive?
Genius Answer

“Come a Little Closer” was certified platinum by the RIAA on August 16, 2019.

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