“Eastside” is a love song about two people who fall for each other and look back on their life together.
“Eastside” was Benny Blanco‘s debut. The musician, producer and songwriter went on to receive numerous awards for his work. The track features Khalid and Halsey on vocals.
A Sentimental Journey
Throughout the heartfelt lyrics of this track, the singers trace the journey of their characters’ relationship. They look back together on the things that have happened and what they’ve gone through – all things that have made them the couple that they are today.
There’s some clever wordplay going on in the pre-chorus, sung by Khalid:
“She used to meet me on the Eastside / In the city where the sun don’t set”
El Paso, Texas, is the city where Khalid calls home. It’s no coincidence, then, that his hometown also goes by the nickname of “Sun City.” The area is known for stunning sunsets as well as its hot and dry climate, and many fans believe that’s what he’s referring to. This is opposed to another interpretation of it being about New York City, the so-called city that never sleeps.
Next, we hear:
“And every day, you know that we’d ride / Through the backstreets in a blue Corvette / Baby, you know I just wanna leave tonight / We can go anywhere we want / Drive down to the coast, jump in the sea / Just take my hand and come with me, yeah”
It’s hard to tell where the nostalgia ends and the fantasy begins. He’s saying that he’d go anywhere and do anything with her as long as they’re together. Through this framing device, the lyrics drive straight from their past into their future.
In the chorus, we get:
“We can do anything if we put our minds to it / Take your old life, then you put a line through it / My love is yours if you’re willing to take it / Give me your heart ’cause I ain’t gonna break it / So come away, starting today / Start a new life together in a different place / We know that love is how all these ideas came to be / So baby, run away with me”
It almost sounds like he wants to elope or at least make a fresh start somewhere else. He expresses how heartfelt he is, assuring her that she can put her trust in him.
A More Mature Perspective
Halsey takes the second verse, where things get more real:
“Seventeen, and we got a dream to have a family / A house, and everything in between / And then, oh, suddenly, we turned twenty-three / And now we got pressure for taking our life more seriously / We got our dead-end jobs and got bills to pay / Our old friends are now our enemies / And now I, I’m thinking back to when I was young / Back to the day when I was falling in love”
At this point, reality sets in. The struggles of real life and the adult world that they both have to navigate start to take over. They both have to deal with responsibilities and changes. Still, their love and the memories of what it was like when they first got together keep their relationship going strong.
In the bridge and outro, there’s a refrain of:
“Run away now, run away now / Run away now”
Then, after this desperate plea to leave together, the outro leaves you with one last taste of nostalgia:
“He used to meet me on the Eastside / She used to meet me on the Eastside”
Lyrics
Uh
Yeah, yeah
When I was young, I fell in love
We used to hold hands, man, that was enough (yeah)
Then we grew up, started to touch
Used to kiss underneath the light on the back of the bus (yeah)
Oh no, your daddy didn’t like me much
And he didn’t believe me when I said you were the one
Oh, every day she found a way out of the window to sneak out late
She used to meet me on the Eastside
In the city where the sun don’t set
And every day you know that we ride
Through the backstreets of a blue Corvette
Baby, you know I just wanna leave tonight
We can go anywhere we want
Drive down to the coast, jump in the seat
Just take my hand and come with me, yeah
We can do anything if we put our minds to it
Take your whole life then you put a line through it
My love is yours if you’re willing to take it
Give me your heart ’cause I ain’t gonna break it
So come away, starting today
Start a new life, together in a different place
We know that love is how these ideas came to be
So baby, run away, away with me
Seventeen and we got a dream to have a family
A house and everything in between
And then, oh, suddenly we turned twenty-three
Now we got pressure for taking our life more seriously
We got our dead-end jobs and got bills to pay
Have old friends and know our enemies
Now I, I’m thinking back to when I was young
Back to the day when I was falling in love
He used to meet me on the Eastside
In the city where the sun don’t set
And every day you know where we ride
Through the backstreets in a blue Corvette
And baby, you know I just wanna leave tonight
We can go anywhere we want
Drive down to the coast, jump in the seat
Just take my hand and come with me
Singing
We can do anything if we put our minds to it
Take your whole life then you put a line through it
My love is yours if you’re willing to take it
Give me your heart ’cause I ain’t gonna break it
So come away, starting today
Start a new life, together in a different place
We know that love is how these ideas came to be
So baby, run away with me
Run away, now
Run away, now
Run away, now
Run away, now
Run away, now
Run away, now
He used to meet me on the Eastside
She used to meet me on the Eastside
He used to meet me on the Eastside
She used to meet me on the Eastside
In the city where the sun don’t set
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Ashley Nicolette Frangipane / Benjamin Joseph Levin / Edward Christopher Sheeran / Khalid Robinson / Nathan Perez
Eastside lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
