The Lights Are On But Nobody’s Home Lamps brighten a residence, but when it comes to absence of people, they stand unacknowledged. Residencies devoid of human presence stay dark. Not a soul to welcome the lamp, no one's residence to brighten. Uninhabited dwellings remain void of light, leaving the lamps meaningless. Illumination searches occupants, but in no one's dwelling, there's absence of people to illuminate.