Home Sweet Home – English Lyrics

• By: Mötley Crüe, Dolly Parton
• Album: From the Beginning

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the story behind Mötley Crüe's heartfelt ballad, "Home Sweet Home," and explore themes of homesickness and the desire for connection. Delve into the lyrics and learn how this iconic song helped define the power ballad era in rock music, and how it continues to touch hearts today, even inspiring a collaboration with Dolly Parton .

[English]

You know I'm a dreamer

But my heart's of gold

I had to run away high

So I wouldn't come home low

Just when things went right

It doesn't mean they were always wrong

Just take this song and you'll never feel

Left all alone

Take me to your heart

Feel me in your bones

Just one more night

And I'm comin' off this

Long and winding road

I'm on my way

I'm on my way

Home sweet home

Tonight tonight

I'm on my way

I'm on my way

Home sweet home

...

You know that I've seen

Too many romantic dreams

Up in lights, fallin' off

The silver screen

My heart's like an open book

For the whole world to read

Sometimes nothing keeps me together

At the seams

I'm on my way

I'm on my way

Home sweet home

Tonight tonight

I'm on my way

Just set me free

Home sweet home

...

Home sweet home

Home sweet home

...

Home sweet home

...

I'm on my way

I'm on my way

Home sweet home

Yeah yeah

I'm on my way

Just set me free

Home sweet home

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household. adverb - at or to one's house or residence.
sweet /swiːt/ A2	adjective - having the pleasant taste characteristic of sugar or honey; (of a person or thing) pleasant and attractive. noun - a small confection, esp. candy.
dreamer /ˈdriːmər/ B1	noun - a person who is impractical or idealistic; a person who dreams while sleeping.
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system; the emotional or moral nature of a human being.
gold /ɡoʊld/ A2	noun - a yellow precious metal, valued as a symbol of wealth and status; a valuable quality or thing. adjective - made of gold; having the color of gold.
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - move at a speed faster than a walk, never having both or all feet on the ground at the same time. verb - (of a machine or engine) be in operation. noun - an act or spell of running.
high /haɪ/ A2	adjective - of great or considerable vertical extent; far above ground level, sea level, etc. adverb - at or to a considerable height. noun - a high level, position, or standard.
low /loʊ/ A2	adjective - of small or limited height, especially in relation to its width; below average in amount, extent, or intensity. adverb - at or to a low level, position, or standard. noun - a low level, position, or standard.
right /raɪt/ A1	adjective - morally good, justified, or acceptable; true or correct as a fact. adverb - immediately; exactly. noun - that which is morally good, justified, or acceptable.
wrong /rɔːŋ/ A1	adjective - not correct or true; unjust, dishonest, or immoral. adverb - in an incorrect or inappropriate way. noun - an unjust, dishonest, or immoral act.
song /sɔːŋ/ A1	noun - a short poem or other set of words set to music or meant to be sung.
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - experience an emotion or sensation; perceive or examine by touch. noun - an act of feeling or touching.
alone /əˈloʊn/ A2	adjective - having no one else present; by oneself. adverb - on one's own; without others.
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a wide way leading from one place to another, especially one with a specially prepared surface which vehicles can use.
winding /ˈwaɪndɪŋ/ B1	adjective - having a twisting or turning course. noun - a turn or bend in a road, path, etc.
romantic /roʊˈmæntɪk/ B1	adjective - of, characterized by, or suggestive of an idealized love or passion; dealing with love.
screen /skriːn/ B1	noun - a flat, typically vertical, surface on which movies, slides, or television pictures are projected or displayed. noun - a movable partition used to divide, conceal, or protect. verb - show (a movie or television program).
open /ˈoʊpən/ A1	adjective - allowing access, passage, or view through an empty space; not closed or obstructed. verb - (of a door, window, or lid) move from a closed position.
free /friː/ A1	adjective - not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or be done as one wishes. verb - release from captivity, restraint, or slavery. adverb - without cost or payment.
bones /boʊnz/ A2	noun - any of the pieces of hard, whitish tissue making up the skeleton in humans and other vertebrates.

Key Grammar Structures

• I had to run away high So I wouldn't come home low

  ➔ Past Obligation and Purpose Clause

  ➔ The phrase ""had to"" expresses a past necessity or obligation. ""So I wouldn't"" introduces a purpose clause, indicating the reason or intended negative outcome that was avoided.

• Just when things went right It doesn't mean they were always wrong

  ➔ Temporal Clause and Negation of Implication

  ➔ ""Just when"" introduces a precise moment or circumstance. ""It doesn't mean"" is used to negate a common or assumed implication, clarifying that one thing does not necessarily imply another.

• Just take this song and you'll never feel Left all alone

  ➔ Imperative + 'and' for consequence, and Past Participle as Complement

  ➔ An imperative command (""take this song"") is followed by ""and"" to show a direct consequence (""you'll never feel""). ""Left all alone"" is a past participle phrase acting as a complement to ""feel"", describing the resulting state.

• Just one more night And I'm comin' off this Long and winding road

  ➔ Present Continuous for Future Action (informal) and Phrasal Verb

  ➔ The present continuous ""I'm comin' off"" (informal for ""I'm coming off"") is used to express a planned or imminent future action. ""Come off"" is a phrasal verb meaning to leave or depart from something.

• You know that I've seen Too many romantic dreams

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense and Quantifier

  ➔ The present perfect ""I've seen"" indicates an experience that occurred at an unspecified time in the past but has relevance to the present. ""Too many"" is a quantifier expressing an excessive or undesirable quantity.

• Up in lights, fallin' off The silver screen

  ➔ Present Participle (informal) used as an Adjective/Adverb

  ➔ ""Fallin' off"" is an informal contraction of ""falling off"". The present participle is used here to describe an ongoing action or state related to the dreams, functioning adverbially or adjectivally.

• My heart's like an open book For the whole world to read

  ➔ Simile with 'like' and Purpose/Result Infinitive Phrase

  ➔ ""Like"" is used to make a simile, comparing the heart to an open book. ""For the whole world to read"" is an infinitive phrase expressing the purpose or the intended result of the heart being like an open book.

• Sometimes nothing keeps me together At the seams

  ➔ Negative Subject and Idiomatic Phrasal Verb

  ➔ ""Nothing"" as the subject emphasizes a complete lack of anything that can maintain composure or integrity. ""Keep someone together at the seams"" is an idiom meaning to help someone remain emotionally stable or prevent them from falling apart.