Album: Amplified Heart (1994)

Charted: 3 2

License This Song 

• I step off the train
  I'm walkin' down your street again
  And past your door
  But you don't live there anymore
  It's years since you've been there
  And now you've disappeared somewhere
  Like outer space
  You've found some better place and I miss you
  Like the deserts miss the rain
  And I miss you, oh
  Like the deserts miss the rain
  
  Could you be dead?
  You always were two steps ahead of everyone
  We'd walk behind while you would run
  I look up at your house
  And I can almost hear you shout
  Down to me where I always used to be
  
  And I miss you
  Like the deserts miss the rain
  And I miss you
  Like the deserts miss the rain
  
  Back on the train
  I ask why did I come again
  Can I confess
  I've been hangin' 'round your old address?
  And the years have proved
  To offer nothin' since you moved
  You're long gone but I can't move on
  
  And I miss you
  Like the deserts miss the rain
  And I miss you, yeah
  Like the deserts miss the rain
  
  And I miss you, I step off the train
  I'm walkin' down your street again
  Past your door
  I guess you don't live there anymore
  It's years since you've been there
  And now you've disappeared somewhere
  Like outer space
  You've found some better place and I miss you
  Like the deserts miss the rain
  And I miss you, yeah
  Like the deserts miss the rain
  
  And I miss you, and I miss you
  Like the deserts miss the rain
  And I miss you, yeah
  Like the deserts miss the rain
  
  Deserts miss the rain
  Like the deserts miss the rain (like the deserts miss the rain)
  Like the deserts miss the rain Writer/s: James Thomas Smith, Oliver Sim, Romy Anna Madley Croft
  Publisher: Sentric Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 6

• Angela L. from Deer Park, TxMeaning of "Missing" by Everything But The Girl
  
  The song "Missing" by Everything But The Girl is about longing for a lost love and not being able to find them. The singer laments over their disappearance, which feels like an eternity filled with missing them more and more as time passes. The chorus emphasizes the comparison of longing for the missing person just as the desert misses the rain, conveying a deep sense of longing and pain. The singer reflects on the past, visiting the place where their lost love once lived and recalling how they used to be together until they were gone. The song is a heartbreaking reminder of love gone missing and what it feels like to be without them.
• Rnmorton from West Chester PaJust awesome. Pretty much hits all the high points (or low points) in the lost relationship category.
• Kriz from UkWhen this came out I was about 10 years old and in those days you couldn’t just google a lyric, so I thought it went “like the desert’s myster-y”. Some how that misinterpretation invoked greater imagery
• Dougee from San Bernardino, CaI too like the non-dance version. Much more heartfelt. The drum track on the dance version completely ruins the song for me. One time when the song was relatively new, we were 4x4ing, alone, in the middle of the vast Anza-Borrego Desert, and this song came on a distant AM station. What a feeling... "like the deserts miss the rain" in the middle of the desert.
• Vera from Pittsburgh, PaThis song can be interpreted as a love song, but in fact it is about a friendship found and lost, as Tracey once told in an interview. It is about a friend of hers whom she shared a house with who suddenly disappeared without a trace.
• Jesse from Madison, WiI personally like the original, non-dance version of the song, and was somewhat disappointed when I bought the 12" and the original version was not on it. It seems to capture the spirit of the song better than the house remixes.

More Songfacts:

Louie LouieThe Kingsmen

"Louie Louie" was first recorded in 1955 by an R&B singer named Richard Berry, and his lyrics are easy to understand. When The Kingsmen recorded the hit version, their lyrics were indecipherable.

All Around The WorldLisa Stansfield

"All Around The World" by Lisa Stansfield has a sultry spoken intro inspired by Barry White. He was honored by the homage, and in 1992 joined Stansfield to record a duet version of the song.

Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)Edison Lighthouse

The love is growing in the '70s hit "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" because rosemary is the name of an herb.

Bangla DeshGeorge Harrison

George Harrison's 1971 song "Bangla Desh" was the first major charity single. It was part of a concert held to bring relief to the people of Bangladesh, who were fighting for independence and suffering from a famine.

I Ran (So Far Away)A Flock of Seagulls

"I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock Of Seagulls ends with an alien abduction.

Rock LobsterThe B-52s

Sea creatures mentioned in "Rock Lobster" by The B-52's include a jellyfish, piranha, bikini whale and narwhal.

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Ian Astbury of The CultSongwriter Interviews

The Cult frontman tells who the "Fire Woman" is, and talks about performing with the new version of The Doors.