LYRICS

Lyrics from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers official songbook - © 1976

"American Girl"
By Tom Petty
Copyright © 1976 Skyhill Pub. Co., Inc.
All rights reserved.

Well she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn't help thinkin'
That there was a little more to life somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
And if she had to die tryin'
She had one little promise she was gonna keep

Oh yeah, all right
Take it easy, baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl

Well it was kinda cold that night
She stood alone on her balcony
Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by
Out on 441 like waves crashin' on the beach
And for one desperate moment
There he crept back in her memory
God it's so painful when something that's so close
Is still so far out of reach

Oh yeah, all right
Take it easy, baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl

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"Breakdown"
By Tom Petty
Copyright © 1976 Skyhill Pub. Co., Inc.
All rights reserved.

It's all right if you love me
It's all right if you don't
I'm not afraid of you running away
Honey, I get the feeling you won't

There is no sense in pretending
Your eyes give you away
Something inside you is feeling like I do
We've said all there is to say

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1978 - YOU'RE GONNA GET IT!

Lyrics from You're Gonna Get It! official songbook - © 1978

"Listen To Her Heart"
By Tom Petty
Copyright © 1977 Skyhill Pub. Co., Inc.
All rights reserved.

You think you're gonna take her away
With your money and your cocaine
Keep thinkin' that her mind is gonna change
But I know everything is okay

She's gonna listen to her heart
It's gonna tell her what to do
She might need a lot of lovin'
But she don't need you

You want me to think that I'm being used
You want her to think it's over
Can't you see it don't matter what you do
Buddy you don't even know her

She's gonna listen to her heart
It's gonna tell her what to do
She might need a lot of lovin'
But she don't need you

And you just can't creep up behind her
And you can't understand that she's my girl
She's my girl

She's gonna listen to her heart
It's gonna tell her what to do
She might need a lot of lovin'
But she don't need you

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"I Need To Know"
By Tom Petty
Copyright © 1977 Skyhill Pub. Co., Inc.
All rights reserved.

Well the talk on the street
Says you might go solo
A good friend of mine
Saw you leavin' by your back door

I need to know, I need to know
If you think you're gonna leave
Then you better say so
I need to know, I need to know
'Cause I don't know how long I can hold on
If you're makin' me wait, if you're leadin' me on
I need to know

Who would've thought that
You'd fall for his line
All of a sudden
It's me on the outside
I need to know
I need to know
Baby, I need to know

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1979 - DAMN THE TORPEDOES

Lyrics from Damn The Torpedoes official songbook - © 1979

"Refugee"
By Tom Petty and Mike Campbell
Copyright © 1979 Skyhill Publishing Co., Inc. (BMI)
All rights reserved.

We got somethin', we both know it,
We don't talk too much about it.
Yeah it ain't no real big secret,
But somehow, we get around it.

It don't really matter to me baby,
You believe what you want to believe,
You don't have to live like a refugee.

Somewhere, somehow,
Somebody must have kicked you around some.
Who knows why you wanna lay there and revel in your abandon.

It don't make no difference to me, baby,
Everybody's had to fight to be free,
You see you don't have to live like a refugee.

Baby, we ain't the first.
I'm sure a lot of other lovers been burned.
Right now this seems real to you,
But it's one of those things you gotta feel to be true.

Somewhere, somehow,
Somebody must have kicked you around some.
Who knows? Maybe you were kidnapped,
Tied up, taken away, and held for ransom.

It don't really matter to me, baby,
Everybody's had to fight to be free,
You see you don't have to live like a refugee.

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"Don't Do Me Like That"
By Tom Petty
Copyright © 1977 Skyhill Publishing Co., Inc. (BMI)
All rights reserved.

I was talkin' with a friend of mine,
He said a woman had hurt his pride,
She told him that she loved him so and
Then turned around and let him go.
Then he said, "You better watch your step
Or you're gonna get hurt yourself.
Someone's gonna tell you lies and
Cut you down to size."

Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that.
I just might love you baby.
Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that.
Don't do me like that.
Someday I might need you honey
Don't do me like that.

Listen honey, can't you see? Baby, it would bury me
If you were in the public eye givin' someone else a try.
So you know you better watch your step
Or you're gonna get hurt yourself.
Someone's gonna tell you lies,
Cut you down to size.

Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that.
I just might love you baby.
Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that.
Someday I might need you honey
Don't do me like that. Somewhere deep down inside,
Somethin' sayin,' "Love doesn't last that long."

I've had this feelin' inside night out and day in,
Baby, I can't take it no more.

Listen honey, can't you see? Baby, it would bury me
If you were in the public eye givin' someone else a try.
So you know you better watch your step
Or you're gonna get hurt yourself.
Someone's gonna tell you lies,
Cut you down to size.

Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that.
I just might love you baby
Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that.
Someday I might need you, honey. Don't do me like that.

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"Even The Losers"
By Tom Petty
Copyright © 1979 Skyhill Publishing Co., Inc. (BMI)
All rights reserved.

It was nearly summer, we sat on your roof,
Yeah, we smoked cigarettes and we stared at the moon,
I showed you stars you never could see.
It couldn't been that easy to forget about me.

Time meant nothing, anything seemed real.
Yeah, you kissed like fire and you made me feel
Like every word you said was meant to be.
It couldn't been that easy to forget about me.

Baby, even the losers, get lucky sometimes.
Baby, even the losers, keep a little bit of pride, they get lucky sometimes.

Two cars park on the overpass, rocks hit the water like broken glass.
I shoulda known right then it was too good to last,
God, it's such a drag to have to live in the past.

Baby, even the losers, get lucky sometimes.
Even the losers, keep a little bit of pride, they get lucky sometimes.

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"Here Comes My Girl"
By Tom Petty and Mike Campbell
Copyright © 1979 Skyhill Publishing Co., Inc. (BMI)
All rights reserved.

You know sometimes, I don't know why,
But this old town seems so hopeless.
Yeah, I ain't really sure, but it seems I remember the good times
Were just a little bit more in focus.

But when she puts her arms around me
I can somehow rise above it.
Yeah, man when I got that little girl standin' right by my side,
You know, I can tell the whole wide world to shove it, hey!

Here comes my girl. Here comes my girl.
Yeah, and she looks so right, she is all I need tonight.

Every now and then I down to the end of the day
And I have to stop and ask myself why I've done it.
It just seems so useless to have to work so hard
And nothin' ever really seems to come from it.

But then she looks me in the eye and says,
"We're gonna last forever."
And man, you know I can't begin to doubt it.
No, . cause it just feels so good and so free and so right.
I know we ain't never goin' to change our minds about it - hey!

Here comes my girl. Here comes my girl.
Yeah, and she looks so right, she is all I need tonight. (Watch her walk.)

Every time it seems like there ain't nothin' left no more,
I find myself having to reach out and grab hold of something.
Yeah, I just catch myself waiting, wondering, worrying
About some silly little things that don't add up to nothin'.

But then she looks me in the eye and says,
"We're gonna last forever."
And man, you know I can't begin to doubt it.
No, . cause it just feels so good and so free and so right.
I know we ain't never gonna' to change our minds about it - hey!

Here comes my girl. Here comes my girl.
Yeah, and she looks so right, she is all I need tonight.

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1981 - HARD PROMISES

Lyrics from Hard Promises album insert - © 1981 Backstreet Records, a Division of MCA Records, Inc.

"The Waiting"
By Tom Petty
Copyright © 1981 Gone Gator Music ASCAP
All rights reserved.

Oh baby don't it feel like heaven right now
Don't it feel like something from a dream
Yeah I've never known nothing quite like this
Don't it feel like tonight might never be again
We know better than to try and pretend
Baby no one coulda ever told me 'bout this
I said yeah yeah

Chorus
The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Well yeah I might have chased a couple women around
All it ever got me was down
Then there were those that made me feel good
But never as good as I'm feeling right now
Baby you're the only one that's ever known how
To make me wanna live like I wanna live now
I said yeah yeah

Chorus
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

Oh don't let it kill you baby, don't let it get to you
Don't let it kill you baby, don't let it get to you
I'll be your bleedin' heart, I'll be your cryin' fool
Don't let this go too far
Don't let it get to you

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1982 - LONG AFTER DARK

Lyrics from Long After Dark album inner sleeve - © 1982 Backstreet Records, a Division of MCA Records, Inc.

"You Got Lucky"
By Tom Petty and Mike Campbell
Copyright © 1982 Gone Gator Music (ASCAP)/Wild Gator Music (ASCAP)
All rights reserved.

You better watch what you say
You better watch what you do to me
Don't get carried away
Girl, if you can do better than me, go
Yeah go but remember

Good love is hard to find
Good love is hard to find
You got lucky babe
Yeah, you got lucky, babe
When I found you --

You put a hand on my cheek
And then you turn your eyes away
If you don't feel complete
If I don't take you all of the way go
Yeah go, but remember good love
Is hard to find
You got lucky babe
Yeah you got lucky
When I found you --

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1985 - SOUTHERN ACCENTS

Lyrics from Southern Accents album inner sleeve - © 1985 MCA Records

"Don't Come Around Here No More"
By Tom Petty and David A. Stewart
Copyright © 1984 Gone Gator Music (ASCAP)/Blue Network Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
All rights reserved.

Chorus
Don't come around here no more
Don't come around here no more
Whatever you're looking for
Hey, don't come around here no more

I've given up, I've given up --
I've given up on waiting any longer
I've given up, on this love getting stronger

I don't feel you anymore
You darken my door
Whatever you're looking for
Hey, don't come around here no more

I've given up, I've given up
I've given up, you tangle my emotions
I've given up, honey please admit it's over

(Repeat Chorus)

Stop walking down my street
Who do you expect to meet?
Whatever you're looking for
Hey, don't come around here no more

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1989 - FULL MOON FEVER

Lyrics from Full Moon Fever album inner sleeve - © 1989 MCA Records, Inc.

"I Won't Back Down"
By Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne
Copyright © 1989 Gone Gator Music (ASCAP)/ SBK April Music Inc. (ASCAP)
All rights reserved.

Well I won't back down, no I won't back down
you could stand me up at the gates of hell
but I won't back down

Gonna stand my ground, won't be turned around
and I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
gonna stand my ground and I won't back down

Chorus
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
hey I will stand my ground
and I won't back down

Well I know what's right, I got just one life
in a world that keeps on pushin' me around
but I'll stand my ground and I won't back down

Hey baby there ain't no easy way out
hey I will stand my ground
and I won't back down
No, I won't back down

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"Runnin' Down A Dream"
By Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Mike Campbell
Copyright © 1989 Gone Gator Music (ASCAP)/ SBK April Music Inc. (ASCAP)/Wild Gator Music (ASCAP).
All rights on behalf of Wild Gator Music administered by WB Music Corp.
All rights reserved.

It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
I had the radio on, I was drivin'
trees flew by, me and Del were singin' little Runaway
I was flyin'

Chorus
Yeah runnin' down a dream
that never would come to me
workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
runnin' down a dream

I felt so good like anything was possible
I hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes
the last three days the rain was un-stoppable
it was always cold, no sunshine

(Repeat Chorus)

I rolled on as the sky grew dark
I put the pedal down to make some time
there's something good waitin' down this road
I'm pickin' up whatever's mine

(Chorus Out)

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"Free Fallin'"
By Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne
Copyright © 1989 Gone Gator Music (ASCAP)/ SBK April Music Inc. (ASCAP)
All rights reserved.

She's a good girl, loves her mama
loves Jesus and America too
She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis
loves horses and her boyfriend too

It's a long day livin' in Reseda
there's a freeway runnin' through the yard
and I'm a bad boy, 'cause I don't even miss her
I'm a bad boy for breakin' her heart

Chorus
And I'm free, I'm free fallin'

All the vampires walkin' through the valley
move west down Ventura Blvd.
And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows
All the good girls are home with broken hearts

(Repeat Chorus)

I wanna glide down over Mulholland
I wanna write her name in the sky
I wanna free fall out into nothin'
Gonna leave this world for awhile

(Repeat Chorus)

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1991 - INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN

Lyrics from Into The Great Wide Open album inner sleeve - © 1991 MCA Records, Inc.

"Learning To Fly"
By Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne
Copyright © 1991 Gone Gator Music (ASCAP)/EMI April Music Inc. (ASCAP)
All rights reserved.

Well I started out down a dirty road
Started out all alone
And the sun went down as I crossed the hill
And the town lit up, the world got still

I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing

Well the good ol' days may not return
And the rocks might melt and the sea may burn

I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing

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

I'm learning to fly, around the clouds,
But what goes up must come down

I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing

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"Into The Great Wide Open"
By Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne
Copyright © 1991 Gone Gator Music (ASCAP)/EMI April Music Inc. (ASCAP)
All rights reserved.

Eddie waited 'til he finished high school
He went to Hollywood, got a tattoo
He met a girl out there with a tattoo too
The future was wide open

They moved into a place they both could afford
He found a nightclub he could work at the door
She had a guitar and she taught him some chords
The sky was the limit

Into the great wide open
Under them skies of blue
Out in the great wide open
A rebel without a clue

The papers said Ed always played from the heart
He got an agent and a roadie named Bart
They made a record and it went in the chart
The sky was the limit

His leather jacket had chains that would jingle
They both met movie stars, partied and mingled
Their A&R man said "I don't hear a single"
The future was wide open

Into the great wide open
Under them skies of blue
Out in the great wide open
A rebel without a clue

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"Mary Jane's Last Dance"
Words And Music By Tom Petty
Copyright © 1993 Gone Gator Music ASCAP
All rights reserved.

She grew up in a Indiana town,
Had a good lookin' mama who never was around.
But she grew up tall and she grew up right
With them Indiana boys on an Indiana night.

Well she moved down here at the age of eighteen,
She blew the boys away; was more than they'd seen.
I was introduced and we both started groovin'
She said, "I dig you, baby, but I got to keep movin' - on.
Keep movin' on."

Chorus
Last dance with Mary Jane, one more time to kill the pain.
I feel summer creepin' in and I'm tired of this town again.

Well I don't know but I've been told, you never slow down, you never grow old.
I'm tired of screwin' up, tired of goin' down,
Tired of myself, tired of this town,
Oh my, my, oh hell yes - Honey put on that party dress.
Buy me a drink, sing me a song,
Take me as I come . cause I can't stay long.

(Repeat Chorus)

There's pigeons down on Market Square,
She's standing in her underwear.
Lookin' down from a hotel room,
Nightfall will be coming soon.
Oh my, my, oh hell yes, you got to put on that party dress.
It was too cold to cry, when I woke up alone.
I hit my last number, I walked to the road.

(Repeat Chorus)

"Something In The Air"
(no lyrics available)