Ugly Lights

Album: The Weight of These Wings (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Miranda Lambert is heartbroken and is drowning her sorrows at the bar. She's there at happy hour and still sat on her barstool after the last call, when the bartenders switch off the dim lighting for the much brighter fluorescent "ugly lights."

    But I still go and stay too late
    And be the girl bartenders hate
    The one that doesn't need another one
    When the Romeos and Juliets
    Have bummed all of my cigarettes
    The last kiss in the parking lot is done
    I'll be sitting here alone
    When the ugly lights come on


    Lambert co-wrote this raw song with frequent collaborator Natalie Hemby and Liz Rose, who co-penned many of Taylor Swift's earlier tunes.
  • When Lambert performed this song in Evansville on January 26, 2017 during her Highway Vagabond Tour, she admitted to her fans the tune was inspired by the aftermath of her divorce from Blake Shelton:

    "I got divorced last year so I started drinking a little extra," she told the crowd, "S--t happens, you know?"

    "Anyway, I moved to Nashville and I started spending too much time at the Midtown bars, and I realized that I was taking an Uber for the third day in a row to pick up my Jeep - I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee," Lambert continued. "I smelled like smoke and I was wearing clothes from yesterday and I was like, 'This is three days in a row. This is probably a problem.'"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Joe Ely

Joe ElySongwriter Interviews

The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Ian Astbury of The Cult

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.