The Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin

My take on these lyrics is firstly don't search for too much deep meanings therein, great music, a lot of drugs, thrown in some sex and you've got it, however I always liked the poem at the end, it actually seemd to capture the circle of life with a dispassionate moon watching over the entire panorama. I'm listening to it now, well actally moved on the "Timothy Leary is Dead". Mike

Greetings. As far as the songs I suppose that the word, "kinghts" or "nights" could both apply to its' meaning. I am in my mid 40's and I vaguely rememeber my Dad listening to MB in the mid 70's. (On the Threshold of a Dream.)

To me, this song refers to the journey of life that we are all on. While not everyone is a romantic I feel that most of us (human beings) seek love, companionship or at the very least acknowledgement and understanding.

Being a "knight" in white satin is like being a chivalrous night of Old (King Arthurs) time. Seeking a sense of completion from finding and connecting with that fair maiden (soul mate or love.) or current love interest. Psss. Don't worry ladie's I am not leaving you out. A female can be a Knight in White satin.

Anyhow, all of us who have been intwined in a romantic liason know the many corridors, avenues and sometimes dead ends that our minds and thoughts can take us down. We also know what it is like to create illusions on how things are, can be, and should be. If we are lucky (and diligent) we might find someone to share the "illusion" with. Yet, "how long can we share the illusion?" It depends upon the two and many other variables. Family, money life and or whatever factors that the two feel/ar affected by.

In the song he mentions "beauty I have missed with these eyes before." I feel he is refering to what alot of us take for granted or fail to see. It sounds to me that he is at a poignant and pondering type of moment. Maybe he's sitting on a park bench in Central Park. Better yet, Hyde park in London.

Here he is observing life going on. From a mother's pt. of view, to the elderly, lonely man, to impassioned lovers.

Finally, the last stanza in reference to the moon, "cold hearted orb, that rules through the night," is the inanimate objectivity of the moon and how it just is. It neither is good or bad, it merely is.

It apppears cold to him for maybe he is in a state of confusion or sadness. Perhaps it may seem bleak because of the weather where he is. (say England). I think that it is his state of mind though.

Inevitably, no matter what the outcome of a love affair, or life or anything we experience or go through. It all comes back to you. And how you choose to perceive and look back on an issue or event. "And which is an illusion."

not one woman whould have thought that, It HAD to be "Nights". We all wanted that night for ourselves in that white satin!! Still do..............

Ha. You are not kidding. I never thought about that until now. I wonder why we did thing that it was Knights?

i think a lot of us thought of "Knights in white satin," because for some reason that title has more mystique, than the more obvious "Nights... Nonetheless, a beautiful (a bit redundant, but compelling) song accompanied by music which contributes the mystique.

knights in white satin is that not the crusaders,white satin with a red cross

@grouping I thought of a Knight killed in combat and was being laid to rest clothed in white satin... tearful lover, kids present at the funeral, whatever. We (males) may have thought that way because of the war which was very near the forefront of MY thoughts. Back then, you went one of three places, college, Vietnam, or Canada.

@grouping Actually, it does represet "Kinights in White Satin". or at least the cover artist thought it had that double-meaning. Most poetry does. Its called metaphor. If you look at the cover for Days of Future Past in the upper left-hand corner is a picture of a knight charging with a lance on a horse.

As a child, this was a very powerful image. As I heard this song, I never knew the "Nights in White Satin" romantic analogy. But the white knights never reaching the end is a perfectly complete poetic and meaningful meaning to the song. And I would bet Hayward and Pinder knew that. After all, according to the cover artist they carefully approved and chose the imagery for all their early album covers. They put the Knight in there for a reason....

@grouping I always knew it was "Nights," when perhaps I should have thought "Knights."

that's why i love the moody blues- they have an opera rock sound that bands like queen had tried to grasp.

I know how you feel. Love isn't black and white.

don't feel bad, 'ladyofshalott,' i chose otherwise also and lost the love of my life forever. a sad story, needless to say, for he was the only love in my life whose love was unconditional. you are not alone in carrying those memories. this is the hand we are dealt, and it's all a sojourn.

@ladyofshalott Your Interpretation of this song gives new meaning to it. In 2012 I remember hearing this song. I was in a new and exciting relationship after just being let go of from a 20 year marriage. I had heard Nights so many times before but on this occasion I knew that this song had a different meaning than what I thought. Your interpretation was the most similar to my situation at the time. I too chose otherwise, for the sake of doing what my integrity thought was right. But it doesn't always work out that everyone has the same amount of integrity in a relationship. I then tried for years to get back to what I had given up but trust and other issues seem to side track that relationship. We did keep our friendship and learned more about each other. Seven years later and she's mine now. Keep writing those letters and send them.

You've surely hit the nail on directly on the head, Squako!! Unfortunately, my congratulations come nearly 9 years after you added this interpretation.