Read My Mind Lyrics
On the corner of Main Street
Just tryna keep it in line
You say you wanna move on and
You say I'm falling behind
Can you read my mind?
Can you read my mind?
[Verse 2]
I never really gave up on
Breaking out of this two-star town
I got the green light, I got a little fight
I'm gonna turn this thing around
Can you read my mind? (Oooh)
Can you read my mind? (Oooh)
[Chorus]
The good old days, the honest man
The restless heart, the Promised Land
A subtle kiss that no one sees
A broken wrist and a big trapeze
Oh, well, I don't mind if you don't mind
'Cause I don't shine if you don't shine
Before you go, can you read my mind?
[Verse 3]
It’s funny how you just break down
Waiting on some sign
I pull up to the front of your driveway
With magic soaking my spine
Can you read my mind? (Oooh)
Can you read my mind? (Oooh)
The teenage queen, the loaded gun
The drop dead dream, the Chosen One
A southern drawl, a world unseen
A city wall and a trampoline
Oh, well, I don't mind, if you don't mind
'Cause I don't shine if you don't shine
Before you jump, tell me what you find
When you read my mind
[Bridge]
Slipping in my faith until I fall
He never returned that call
Woman, open the door, don't let it sting
I wanna breathe that fire again
She said, "I don't mind, if you don't mind (I don't mind, if you don't mind)
'Cause I don't shine if you don't shine" (I don't shine if you don't shine)
Put your back on me, put your back on me (I don't mind, if you don't mind)
Oh, put your back on me
Oooh
[Outro]
The stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun
Can you read my mind? (Oooh oooh)
About
This song is about someone (most likely the singer Brandon Flowers) who has fallen out of favour with his girlfriend.
‘You say you wanna move on and
You say I’m falling behind’
The chorus is about the importance of mental connection and chemistry in a relationship. In the second verse we hear Flowers sing about turning up at her driveway, frustrated and desperate for her to let him back into her life.
‘I pull up to the front of your driveway
With magic soaking my spine’
However, towards the beginning of the song, Flowers also sings about the town he was born in, and his hope to escape from the town.
‘I never really gave up on
Breaking out of this two-star town’
The song also references strongly to Flowers' Mormon beliefs, for example the ‘promised land’ is a reference to the Mormon concept of a promised land. It is also the faith he talks about in the line:
‘Slipping in my faith until I fall
He never returned that call’
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Brandon Flowers wrote the following about the song in the November 8th 2013 issue of NME,
I love ‘Read My Mind’. Every producer is different, but they’re all leaders. That’s why we enlisted Flood and Alan Moulder for ‘Sam’s Town’ – they were two guys who had a huge amount of experience and had worked on a lot of records that we loved, and this was where their experience and leadership came into play the most. We had a different song called ‘Little Angela’, but it just wasn’t ‘Read My Mind’. My melody was a little too much like ‘Mrs. Robinson’, the lyrics weren’t great, and Alan had the balls and the courage to tell me – he said ‘Let’s keep this template, and write a different song over it.’ So the song was born out of us jamming that old song, and it grew from there. When we play it live, you can tell it means a lot to people, and that’s definitely one of the songs that attracts people to the band.
Brandon Flowers, EW interview:
It was originally called ‘Little Angela,’ but we changed that because it didn’t feel right. Thank heavens [producer] Alan Moulder had the courage to tell me he didn’t love it. He thought it was too much like the Simon & Garfunkel song ‘Mrs. Robinson.’ So we changed it, and once I had the lyrics, I started to get a story about my [own] life.
- 1.Sam’s Town
- 2.Enterlude
- 6.Read My Mind
- 7.Uncle Jonny
- 8.Bones
- 9.My List
- 12.Exitlude