The life of Tom Petty through his 10 best lyrics
Tom Petty was a genuinely influential musician, revered by his fans and contemporaries alike. Backed by his The Heartbreakers band, Petty’s solo output spawned some of the biggest hits of the 20th Century, including ‘I Won’t Back Down’ and ‘Free Fallin”.
Discussing the importance that music played in his life, Petty once said, “Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There’s not some trick involved with it. It’s pure, and it’s real. It moves, it heals, it communicates, and does all these incredible things.”
Petty’s influence was so vast, and his output was so well-respected, that he was invited to join one of the most renowned supergroups ever devised, the Traveling Wilburys, including the likes of Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, George Harrison and Bob Dylan.
Today would have marked Tom Petty’s 72 birthday; he sadly passed away in 2017 after suffering a cardiac arrest aged 66. To commemorate Petty’s big day, we’re going to take a closer look at some of the rock icon’s best-ever lyrics.
Tom Petty’s 10 best-ever lyrics:
‘I Won’t Back Down’
“And I’ll keep this world from draggin’ me down
Gonna stand my ground/And I won’t back down”
Arguably the second most popular Tom Petty song after ‘Free Fallin’, ‘I Won’t Back Down’ arrived on 1989’s Full Moon Fever, which had been recorded just after Petty’s house had been burned down by an arsonist while he was inside with his family.
These lyrics show the resolution required to get through difficult times. Petty was evidently grateful to be alive, and despite the trauma the fire would have caused, he was never going to back down from any challenges that life threw at him.
‘The Waiting’
“The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you get one more yard
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part”
‘The Waiting’ came in strong on 1981’s Hard Promises as the album’s lead single. Again, we see the inner strength that had always been a source of inspiration to Petty as he describes the latent ennui of American life.
Discussing the song, Petty said, “I think I got the idea from something Janis Joplin said on television. I had the chorus very quickly, but I had a very difficult time piecing together the rest of the song. It’s about waiting for your dreams and not knowing if they will come true. I’ve always felt it was an optimistic song.”
‘Learning to Fly’
“Well some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I’ve started out for God knows where
I guess I’ll know when I get there”
In many ways, ‘Learning to Fly’ continues Petty’s theme of the importance of resolution in the face of adversity in the hope of coming out as a better person on the other side. The track arrived on 1991’s Into The Great Wide Open.
Petty claimed that the song is about overcoming great tragedy. Perhaps he had still been reeling from the terrible fire in 1987. Petty said of the song, “Everyone has tragedy in their life. You can lay down and let the tragedy overwhelm you, or you can fly above it, and I think that’s sort of what I’m trying to say in that song.”
‘Into The Great Wide Open’
“Into the great wide open
Under them skies of blue
Out in the great wide open
A rebel without a clue”
The title track from Into The Great Wide Open tells the story of a young man named Eddie who moves to Los Angeles in search of fame and fortune, perhaps echoing Petty’s own departure from Florida in 1974. Johnny Depp played Eddie in his first-ever music video appearance.
Petty had taken the line “rebel without a clue” from the Replacements’ song ‘I’ll Be You’. The isolated lyrics here are ones that express the dreamy wishes of the song, full of promise and youthful naivety, on the road to a better life.
‘Breakdown’
“It’s alright if you love me
It’s alright if you don’t
I’m not afraid of you running away
Honey, I get the feeling you won’t”
The first ever single from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers arrived in 1976, just two years after Petty had arrived in Los Angeles. The iconic guitar lick of the track was initially written for the end of the track, but later, upon recording, it was used throughout the tune.
Arguably some of the most open-to-interpretation lyrics of Petty’s catalogue. These lyrics, in particular, seem to suggest that whoever Petty has been romantically involved with is free to do and feel as they wish, even though Petty has a sneaking suspicion that they are indeed in love with him as he is too.
‘A Thing About You’
“Somewhere deep in the middle of the night
Lovers hold each other tight
Whisper in their anxious ears
Words of love that disappear”
‘A Thing About You’ appeared on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ fourth album Hard Promises, released in 1980. The album featured the hit song ‘The Waiting’, and additional vocals on multiple tracks were provided by Stevie Nicks.
‘A Thing About You’ is a straightforward sing-along track that sees Petty address the object of his affection by saying, “It don’t matter what you say, don’t matter what you do/ I got a thing about you.” Although the standout lyrics come in the second verse, where Petty paints a vivid picture of lovers holding each other in the night.
‘Wildflowers’
“You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
You belong with your love on your arm
You belong somewhere you feel free”
‘Wildflowers’ can be found on Petty’s second solo album of the same name, his first of three collaborations with legendary producer Rick Rubin. The song has become a popular live favourite, although it was never released as a single.
The song’s lyrics initially read as though Petty is encouraging a lover to set themselves free from him, despite claiming that “I have seen no other/ Who compares with you.” However, it slowly becomes clear that Petty is singing about someone finding a resting place after death, which makes the lyrics even more beautiful.
‘Only A Broken Heart’
“Stand in the moonlight, stand under heaven
Wait for an answer, hold out forever
But don’t be afraid anymore
It’s only a broken heart”
Another track from Wildflowers, ‘Only A Broken Heart’, seems to have a double meaning. On the one hand, the lyrics read as hopeful; Petty has had his heart broken so many times that he isn’t scared anymore. “It’s only a broken heart”, he sings, suggesting that dark times will bring around better days.
However, the song can also be read as a desperate cry of loneliness. He is worn down by past heartbreaks and is willing to surrender himself to love, telling the subject to go ahead and break his heart; he’s experienced the pain enough times already.
‘Alright For Now’
“Goodnight baby, sleep tight my love
May God watch over you from above
Tomorrow I’m workin’ what would I do
I’d be lost and lonely if not for you”
‘Alright For Now’ appears on Petty’s debut studio album, Full Moon Fever, which featured collaborations with Roy Orbison, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne.
The song is tender, led by gentle guitars, as Petty sings in a lullaby style. Despite Petty’s frequent vocalism against religion – he was once quoted saying, “Religion seems to me to be at the base of all wars” – his inclusion of religious imagery suggests devotion and worship to the subject.
‘Luna’
“Luna come to me tonight
I am a prisoner
Luna glide down from the moon”
Acting as the penultimate track on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ debut album of the same name, ‘Luna’ was “made up on the spot, and we cut it with me playing the organ and Stan [Lynch] playing the drums,” says Petty.
He continued, “It’s very improvised, especially the ending. You hear all these weird stops and little licks. It’s just us jamming together.” Lyrically, Petty asks the moon to save him, begging for an escape from stress and heartbreak.
