In the liner notes to the 2003 compilation Stand Up And And Shout: The Anthology, Ronnie James Dio had this to say:

In the liner notes to the 2003 compilation Stand Up And And Shout: The Anthology, Ronnie James Dio had this to say:

“We wrote this song for the motion picture Heavy Metal, a groundbreaking animated film. I was the only one in the band to see a prototype of the film, and I got it instantly. They wanted a song for a sequence where these people living behind a walled city are about to be attacked by barbarians. It was real science fiction, which I love, and the characters had horns coming out of their heads and all this evil imagery,...

“We wrote this song for the motion picture Heavy Metal, a groundbreaking animated film. I was the only one in the band to see a prototype of the film, and I got it instantly. They wanted a song for a sequence where these people living behind a walled city are about to be attacked by barbarians. It was real science fiction, which I love, and the characters had horns coming out of their heads and all this evil imagery, so I came up with the title “The Mob Rules,” and Tony and I wrote the song. We recorded it in a house in Ascot, England, owned by Ringo Starr at the time. There was a studio in the basement. We spent three days there. It was an awesome experience, and the song turned out to be a blockbuster for us.”

I would agree that the song and video explores the difference between whats promised and whats delivered ( as stated above ) but its confusing that whats promised is the bad diabolical stuff in the first verse and the good stuff (maybe ) in the second verse . If thats true the chorus means two entirely different things seen as a responsive call , if you see my point . After the first verse its a " maybe personal "wish (prayer) against diabolical forces prevailing , after the second verse its a maybe personal prayer or yearning for the...

I would agree that the song and video explores the difference between whats promised and whats delivered ( as stated above ) but its confusing that whats promised is the bad diabolical stuff in the first verse and the good stuff (maybe ) in the second verse . If thats true the chorus means two entirely different things seen as a responsive call , if you see my point . After the first verse its a " maybe personal "wish (prayer) against diabolical forces prevailing , after the second verse its a maybe personal prayer or yearning for the arrival of a golden time ( without defiance ) . There could be many interpretations / contexts that this could relate to , also maybe a historical narrative . All in all , very clever but not sure I agree

The meaning of a song or poem is not set in stone, good writing is meant to open doors and leave space, these spaces are to be filled by our individual life experiences or what we may wish or have wished for. This song is very meaningful personally. It is a great reminder for what possibly could have been and what no longer can be. A story of young man hoping to catch the eye of a girl he dreams of. Time at that point means nothing to him and the worth of waiting is never questioned. The hat...

The meaning of a song or poem is not set in stone, good writing is meant to open doors and leave space, these spaces are to be filled by our individual life experiences or what we may wish or have wished for. This song is very meaningful personally. It is a great reminder for what possibly could have been and what no longer can be. A story of young man hoping to catch the eye of a girl he dreams of. Time at that point means nothing to him and the worth of waiting is never questioned. The hat is symbolic of attraction/attention. The woman is engulfed in a past she cannot break free of, her eye catches no one, her sight is blinded by rejection. She is a self imposed prisoner. Her mind is the warden. She walks the same path daily, looks his way but never sees the man. Her life has always been a measured step, her secrets never shared. Her solitude and the people that caused it are like unbreakable chains, their words were added link by link over a lifetime. The hat hides the eyes, covers the ears and fortifies the walls. As she walks by day after day his eyes slowly close like night falling, like a clock that is running out of time. He has realized just as a soldier who is vastly outnumbered, he cannot win, yet he continues to show up and stand guard by the sign, day after day, until the clock ticks no longer. With fallen eyes he gets blown away by the wind. Ironically her hat is also blown away and her eyes start to open, a clock ticks again but this one is hers. The words start to become transparent, not invisible yet but she can finally start to see through them. As she walks by she looks at her surroundings and for once sees them for how they truly are. She glances over at the sign, she feels something is missing but no one is there, for it's 2 late.
A simple song written about two people who never get the timing right. Now if you were to hear her version of the song it may mean something totally different, or maybe it would have a similar meaning? That is the beauty of this song. Simply written but endless possibilities...