Lights

"Lights" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from Bright Lights (2010), the reissue of her debut album, Lights (2010). Written by Goulding, Richard Stannard and Ash Howes, the song was inspired by Goulding's childhood fear of the dark. It was released in the United Kingdom on 13 March 2011 as the album's sixth single overall, and second from Bright Lights. Originally a bonus track on the iTunes edition of Lights, the song was re-edited for inclusion on Bright Lights in late 2010, serving as the single version. "Lights" received critical acclaim from most music critics, who praised the song's production and Goulding's "ethereal" vocals. The song was also a commercial success, reaching the top ten and top twenty in several countries. In the United States, "Lights" was a sleeper hit, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 after thirty-three weeks on the chart, and becoming one of the few songs to have spent more than a year on the Hot 100. The song has sold over four million copies in the US. In late 2012, "Lights" was ranked number five on the Hot 100 year-end chart, while topping the Pop Songs year-end chart.

[Verse 1] I had a way then Losing it all on my own I had a heart then But the queen has been overthrown And I'm not sleeping now The dark is too hard to beat And I'm not keeping now The strength I need to push me [Chorus] You show the lights that stop me, turn to stone You shine it when I'm alone And so I tell myself that I'll be strong And dreaming when they're gone 'Cause they're calling, calling, calling me home Calling, calling, calling home You show the lights that stop me, turn to stone (Home) You shine it when I'm alone (Home) [Verse 2] Noises I play within my head Touch my own skin And hope that I'm still breathin' And I think back to when My brother and my sister slept In an unlocked place The only time I feel safe [Chorus] You show the lights that stop me, turn to stone You shine it when I'm alone And so I tell myself that I'll be strong And dreaming when they're gone 'Cause they're calling, calling, calling me home Calling, calling, calling home You show the lights that stop me, turn to stone (Home) You shine it when I'm alone (Home) [Post-Chorus] (Lights, lights, lights, lights) (Lights, lights, lights, lights) Home, home (Lights, lights, lights, lights) (Lights, lights) [Chorus] You show the lights that stop me, turn to stone You shine it when I'm alone And so I tell myself that I'll be strong And dreaming when they're gone 'Cause they're calling, calling, calling me home Calling, calling, calling home You show the lights that stop me, turn to stone (Home) You shine it when I'm alone (Home) [Post-Chorus] Home, home (Lights, lights, lights, lights) (Lights, lights, lights, lights) Home, home (Lights, lights, lights, lights) (Lights, lights, lights, lights)