White Houses is the lead single from Vanessa Carlton’s sophomore album Harmonium.
The track’s lyrics is a coming of age story, and features the narrator dealing with the loss of her virginity as she moves on to adulthood.
The song peaked at #86 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2004.
[Verse 1]
Crashed on the floor when I moved in
This little bungalow with some strange new friends
Stay up too late, and I'm too thin
We promise each other it's till the end
[Verse 2]
Now we're spinning empty bottles
It's the five of us
With pretty eyed boys girls die to trust
I can't resist the day
No, I can't resist the day
[Verse 3]
Jenny screams out and it's no pose
'Cause when she dances, she goes and goes
And beer through the nose on an inside joke
And I'm so excited, I haven't spoken
[Pre-Chorus]
And she's so pretty and she's so sure
Maybe I'm more clever than a girl like her
The summer's all in bloom
The summer is ending soon
[Chorus]
It's alright
And it's nice not to be so alone
But I hold on to your secrets
In white houses
[Verse 4]
Maybe I'm a little bit over my head
I come undone at the things he said
And he's so funny in his bright red shirt
We were all in love and we all got hurt
[Verse 5]
I sneak into his car's cracked leather seat
The smell of gasoline in the summer heat
Boy, we're going way too fast
It's all too sweet to last
[Chorus]
It's alright
And I put myself in his hands
But I hold on to his secrets in white houses
Love, or something ignites in my veins
And I pray it never fades
In white houses
[Bridge]
My first time
Hard to explain
Rush of blood, oh
And a little bit of pain
And on a cloudy day
It's more common than you think
He's my first mistake
[Verse 6]
Maybe you were all faster than me
We gave each other up so easily
These silly little wounds will never mend
I feel so far from where I've been
[Chorus]
So I go
And I will not be back here again
I'm gone as the day is fading
On white houses
I lie
Wrote my injuries all in the dust
In my heart, it's the five of us
In white houses
And you, maybe you'll remember me
What I gave is yours to keep
[Outro]
In white houses
In white houses
In white houses
White Houses was written by Vanessa Carlton & Stephan Jenkins.
White Houses was produced by Stephan Jenkins.
Vanessa Carlton released White Houses on Mon Aug 30 2004.
A dance rehearsal for the “White Houses” music video was included on the Japan version of the album. The rehearsal can be seen below: