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"
In the heart of the night
In the cool southern rain
There's a full moon in sight
Shinin' down on the Pontchartrain
And the river she rises
Just like she used to do
She's so full of surprises
She reminds me of you
In the heart of the night
In the heart of the night
In the heart of the night
Oh, down in New Orleans
There's a night bird singing
Right on through till the dawn
And the streets are still ringing
With people carrying on
It's been so long waiting
Just to be here again
Anticipating
All the time I could spend
In the heart of the night
In the heart of the night
In the heart of the night
Oh, down in New Orleans
And I trust in your love
Never fallin' down
And I trust in your love
Just like I do in this town
Oh, never fallin' down
Oh, never fallin' down
In the heart of the night
In the cool fallin' rain
There's a full moon in sight
Shinin' down on the Pontchartrain
And the river she rises
Just like she used to do
She's so full of surprises (oh mama)
She reminds me of you (right here)
In the heart of the night
In the heart of the night
In the heart of the night
Oh, down in New Orleans
And I'm so glad to be back in New Orleans
Please don't wake me, don't shake me
If it's only, if it's only just a dream
Cause it's the only place that I can face
It makes me feel so right
Below that Dixie moon and lovin' you
In the heart of the night
In the cool southern rain
There's a full moon in sight
Shinin' down on the Pontchartrain
And the river she rises
Just like she used to do
She's so full of surprises
She reminds me of you
In the heart of the night
In the heart of the night
In the heart of the night
Oh, down in New Orleans
There's a night bird singing
Right on through till the dawn
And the streets are still ringing
With people carrying on
It's been so long waiting
Just to be here again
Anticipating
All the time I could spend
In the heart of the night
In the heart of the night
In the heart of the night
Oh, down in New Orleans
And I trust in your love
Never fallin' down
And I trust in your love
Just like I do in this town
Oh, never fallin' down
Oh, never fallin' down
In the heart of the night
In the cool fallin' rain
There's a full moon in sight
Shinin' down on the Pontchartrain
And the river she rises
Just like she used to do
She's so full of surprises (oh mama)
She reminds me of you (right here)
In the heart of the night
In the heart of the night
In the heart of the night
Oh, down in New Orleans
And I'm so glad to be back in New Orleans
Please don't wake me, don't shake me
If it's only, if it's only just a dream
Cause it's the only place that I can face
It makes me feel so right
Below that Dixie moon and lovin' you
In the heart of the night
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Oh man. I love this song. I had the original 8-track. Fantastic.
An abolutely brilliant Paul Cotton song. As the followup to "Crazy Love", it hit #20, but deserved to be a much bigger hit. Paul's r & b flavored tribute to New Orleans combined with Rusty Young's amazing pedal steel work is classic. If Poco is only remembered for one song, "Heart of the Night" deserves to be the one.
Beautiful lyrics...makes me very homesick for my hometown. Have moved away but still miss New Orleans! This song conjures up some lovely memories
I have always loved this song with those strings coming in on the final verse. I am frustrated by the mistake on your lyrics. The line is " There's a full moon in TIGHT shining down on the ponchetrain. It refers to a full moon on the horizon the looks closer, or in tighter to earth. this would be more dramatic reflecting off the big smooth surface of the huge lake.