This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Just a small town girl
Livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere
Just a city boy
Born and raised in south Detroit
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere
A singer in a smoky room
A smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on, and on, and on
Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlights, people
Living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night
Working hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin' anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some are born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on, and on, and on
Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlights, people
Living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night
Don't stop believin'
Hold on to the feelin'
Streetlights, people
Don't stop believin'
Hold on
Streetlights, people
Don't stop believin'
Hold on to the feelin'
Streetlights, people
Livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere
Just a city boy
Born and raised in south Detroit
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere
A singer in a smoky room
A smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on, and on, and on
Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlights, people
Living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night
Working hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin' anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some are born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on, and on, and on
Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlights, people
Living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night
Don't stop believin'
Hold on to the feelin'
Streetlights, people
Don't stop believin'
Hold on
Streetlights, people
Don't stop believin'
Hold on to the feelin'
Streetlights, people
Lyrics submitted by numb, edited by kymara1053, Mellow_Harsher, Alberto09
Don't Stop Believin' Lyrics as written by Stephen Ray Perry Jonathan Cain
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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What a bunch of simpletons (not all of you, there are some insightful posts on here)!
Yes there are lyrics that loosely allude to a hooker. It's called an allegory people (look it up if you need to).
The song is about the common search for love and the fear of loneliness. The lyrics you are focusing in on are a metaphor for all of the things we use to fill the void in out lives so we don't feel the pain of emptiness and loneliness. The chorus provides an optimistic counterpoint to this - "Don't stop belivin'" Yes, it's a lonely world, and finding someone is hard, but hope makes it all bearable (believing that there is someone there for you).
It also addresses escaping from your past, whatever it may be, and looking toward a better tomorrow.
For those who have to have it spelled out line by line (or at least stanza by stanza):
Small town girl..city boy...midnight train: A commonality between us all, regardless of our backgrounds, the loneliness of adolescence, escaping from your past.
Smokey room...for a smile...on and on: Metaphoric for the places/circumstances we seek love and companionship (the stereotype being a bar). We are so desperate to not be lonely that we'll form a relationship simply on the basis of a smile (again metaphorical, though often literal). "On and On," again referring to our common condition, this scene is repeatedly played out day in and out - we're all searching for love and companionship.
"Strangers waiting": We are all strangers to each other, no one has experienced exactly what you have, and there is a certain inherent isolation in that. "Up and down the boulevard": Everywhere, every town, every person, through all life experience. "Their shadows searching in the night": The night represents isolation and separation from others. Shadows are our own inner darkness (or demons, our deepest secrets). We are haunted by our personal ghosts, and are seeking someone who will understand and relate to us despite who we are. The shadows aren't really seeking (since shadows aren't actually anything, but the absence of light), but us seeking someone with whom we can share who we really are. "Streetlight, people": What we project ourselves to be to the world - how we want people to see us. "Living just to find emotion": Again, we are isolated and seeking meaningful relationships, but willing to settle for something to make us feel less empty, so we will fill that void with any sort of connection. "Hiding, somewhere in the night": See above, any sort of superficial emotional connection seems to be preferable to being alone in the darkness.
"Working hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill":Putting forth a great deal of effort to make those connections, the fact that we often substitute cheap thrills (sex?) for true meaning and connection in relationships. "Payin' anything...": We will sacrifice a great deal to avoid being loney, even if the reward is fleeting. "Some will win...": Some will find a true, meaningful relationship, some won't, some never will. "the movie...": This cycle goes on and on with, just the players change over time.
"Don't stop believin', Hold on to that feelin'": Don't give up hope, keep searching for that meaningful relationship regardless of how difficult and trying the search is. "Streetlight people": Again, see above - everyone has their "public face" which we present. Despite our inherent shallowness, keep seeking the deeper, more meaningful connection.
I know it's popular to bash Journey and this song simply because of how popular they were in the 80's and that they to some extent defined popular music for that era - move beyond that. I'm a huge Rush fan, I love the work that Neil Peart puts into crafting his lyrics and the meaning behind them. That said, I defy you to find another song that in 19 lines more accurately sums up the human condition when it comes to seeking out someone to connect with and the loneliness everyone feels. I guarantee you a good portion of the popularity of this song is that so many people can relate to it, even if they can't exactly define why. This is a masterfully written (and performed piece of art), and deserves recognition as such.
@Tristar I completely appreciate every word you took the time to break this down so well, seems like You wrote the song!
@Tristar LMAO... are you a dumbass. Calling people names, when you are 100% off the writer of the song, comes right out and proclaims its about his walk to jesus. Before you start throwing rocks, best make sure your in a kevlar building...l.facebook.com/l.php
That one line..."some will win, some will lose.." That line couldnt be more true. this one time i won, and then this other time, i lost. steve perry really tells it like it is.
This song is about never giving up on love. Everyone feels lonely sometimes. This song makes me think that every time I am sad or lonely there is someone else out there who might be lonely too and that someday we will meet. It sounds dumb I guess, maybe naive or hopelessly romantic but I think its true. I "hold on to that feeling" of hope all the time.
This song is extremely special to me. My father died when I was young and always used to tell me "Keep the faith, Kris. Keep the faith." This song has never let me down and I think it's exactly that; keep the faith and don't stop believing no matter what happens. There is always something great out there as long as you believe it exists. I've experienced some rough things in my life and whenever I asked God to help me, this song would play on the radio or wherever I was.
I was supposed to graduate from college in May 2011, and I couldn't because I had to repeat my 90 hours for teaching. I knew God had a plan for me for some reason although I didn't know what. I ended up student teaching at the school attached to my Church. I could not have asked for a better experience. I honestly could not or would not have asked for a better sign from God that I have a bright future in this field.
Never give up on yourself or your dreams, keep going and NEVER stop believing.
i love this song. best journey song hands down.
I think this song is defintely about fate, hope, love, and of course, believing. We all want love/thrill/emotion.. and we try to find it, often through lust. we end up not getting it. it's saying just don't stop believing. it will happen someday.
this song is about fate. How two lonley people from two different areas are lookingand waiting for love. Everybody wants emotion(love) but not all of us are that lucky. And for those who arn't that lucky well "Dont stop believin".
<br /> <br /> Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world <br /> She took the midnight train going anywhere <br /> <br /> just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit<br /> He took the midnight train going anywhere<br /> <br /> ( Ok so listen up because this is where you have to really start thinking... I solely hope to concey both clearly and simply to you why this song is in my mind, about prostitutes. Yes, hookers, harlots, and whores... To many times people for lack of better words " Judge a book by it's cover". I know that the first couple of lines have confused many people, but what the writer really tries to get you to do is create in your mind a character for you to get to understand, and hopefully also sympathies with by the end of the narrative. People will confuse themselves often, as they create the story in their minds with two protagonists for the song, because well they want to think it is about themselves. Though while it is an effective literary technique to put the reader in the story, I believe that this story is ment to be looked at from afar to picture a story of people we will probably never get to know. Now that I have your attention please feel free to re-read the lyrics, I have even provided my own comments on the lines for those who chose to read them ) . . . . . .<br /> <br /> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br /> A singer in a smoky room<br /> The smell of wine and cheap perfume<br /> <br /> ( when writers tell a story they know that one element of that tale is the setting, the where, the when, and sometimes the why. In the case of these lines the author, as i will call the writer or writers, the author is developing the where, by enlightening multiple of our senses to the setting. The singer gives us something to picture hearing, and maybe even watching as she is providing entertainment. The smoky room gives us something to picture smelling, and again maybe is gives us a visual of smoke in hanging in the air as it often does in a bar. The last line I will leave you to interpret, but i would ask if you try to let your imagination wander.)<br /> <br /> For a smile they can share the night<br /> It goes on and on and on and on<br /> <br /> ( Now that the author has developed a setting for us he reintroduces the protagonist [ Prostitute ],<br /> and the other character [ male Client ]. And then for whatever reason, destiny or randomness, these two people, which few people on here tend to agree on what method is the right one. Yes the male smiles and yes the pair share the night in whatever ways your imagination can take you. )<br /> <br /> Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard<br /> Their shadows searching in the night<br /> <br /> ( Now the author ask us to picture a different setting, note that the protagonist is not necessarily present. The author shows us people on a boulevard probably one that looks much like one you've seen as it is your own creation to imagine. There shadows most typically an ominous symbol in literature describe the setting quite differently than the up beat tempo of the music. This darkness is actually quite a prevalent theme throughout. " Midnight Train", "Shadows searching in the night". )<br /> <br /> Streetlight people, living just to find emotion<br /> Hiding somewhere in the night<br /> <br /> ( These lines tell us about the people in this new scene. The streetlight's depict how they can be found on street corners, where the look for emotion, whether it is happiness because of that they feel nought, or also find sadness, because there possibly self-destructive habits lead them to repeatably find themselves in terrible situations, "On and on and on and on.".<br /> <br /> Working hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill<br /> Paying anything to roll the dice just one more time<br /> <br /> ( The use of the word my should suggest to the reader that the author is now speaking in first person through the protagonist. She is work hard at prostitution just to get a fill, not a T.V. or Car, like many of us including myself, look forward to saving for. But after all as we have been told many times, prostitution is the oldest profession and, "Everybody wants a thrill". There is a reason why there is a general consensus, that, "Streetlight People" as I like to call them are some of the lowest people. This is because they have said au revoir to there morals and paid the highest price and made the greatest sacrifice in selling the one thing they truly own... their bodies.)<br /> <br /> Some will win, some will lose, some were born to sing the blues<br /> Oh the movie never ends, it goes on and on and on and on<br /> <br /> ( Yes some people will win, they will be rich maybe be famous, others will lose as we all have once or twice, and, "Some were born to sing the blue's". And what better music for the author to use to describe the life of a prostitute than the most soulful, most passionate, and often the saddest ever produced. And yes this movie you have imagined for yourself, "Goes on and on and on and on".<br /> <br /> Don't stop believing<br /> Hold on to that feeling<br /> Streetlight people <br /> <br /> ( And the story ends with touching sentiments and a kind high pitched final farewell, to all those Streetlight people that obviously everyone seems to like so much. )<br /> <br /> <br /> * This is my take of the song, I hope you enjoyed how I tried to connect most every line if not word, but if you still have any questions or if you want to try to rebut me feel free to email me at shajosy32@aol.com my name is Stephen Graham Hajosy and would love to hear other peoples input to a song that I personally love to sing at the top of my lungs at every home Oregon Ducks football game**<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />
Damn
it's just basically telling us that there is that special someone out there for each of us. except i think i would be the one who "sings the blues" as steve perry put it.
Love what Glee did with this. The cover is amazing, and I think it captures all the energy of the original. Wow. This was (and still is) such a FANTASTIC song!
I have always interpreted this song as to the randomness of two souls finding each other. Out of nowhere, completely unexpected, not even looking, but their hearts are open to the possibility. The conclusion of these lyrics is actually the first verse of the song.
The rest is filled with methaphors of the arduous journey, and seemingly hopeless search. It may seem like a lost cause at times, but like the title of the song says, "Don't stop believin'".