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Late for the Sky Lyrics
Now, the words had all been spoken
And somehow the feeling still wasn't right.
And still we continued on through the night.
Tracing our steps from the beginning
Until they vanished into the air
Trying to understand how our lives had led us there
Looking hard into your eyes
There was nobody I'd ever known
Such an empty surprise to feel so alone.
Now for me some words come easy
But I know that they don't mean that much
Compared with the things that are said when lovers touch
You never knew what I loved in you
I don't know what you loved in me
Maybe the picture of somebody you were hoping I might be
Awake again I can't pretend that I know I'm alone
And close to the end of the feeling we've known
How long have I been sleeping
How long have I been drifting alone through the night
How long have I been dreaming I could make it right
If I closed my eyes and tried with all my might
To be the one you'll need
Awake again I can't pretend and I know I'm alone
And close to the end of the feeling we've known
How long have I been sleeping
How long have I been drifting alone through the night
How long have I been running for that morning flight
Through the whispered promises and the changing light
Of the bed where we both lie
Late for the sky
And somehow the feeling still wasn't right.
And still we continued on through the night.
Tracing our steps from the beginning
Until they vanished into the air
Trying to understand how our lives had led us there
There was nobody I'd ever known
Such an empty surprise to feel so alone.
But I know that they don't mean that much
Compared with the things that are said when lovers touch
You never knew what I loved in you
I don't know what you loved in me
Maybe the picture of somebody you were hoping I might be
And close to the end of the feeling we've known
How long have I been drifting alone through the night
How long have I been dreaming I could make it right
If I closed my eyes and tried with all my might
To be the one you'll need
And close to the end of the feeling we've known
How long have I been drifting alone through the night
How long have I been running for that morning flight
Through the whispered promises and the changing light
Of the bed where we both lie
Late for the sky
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This is Jackson's masterpiece. It is one of the most beautifully and touchingly heartbroken songs ever written by anyone. This is an exquisitely crafted song.
I love the juxtapositions of
and I love the function of this progression:
And still we continued on . . . Awake again . . . How long have I been sleeping? How long have I been drifting . . . How long have I been dreaming . . . How long have I been running . . .
For all of its literary technique, it remains eternally fresh. I'll add an additional nod to David's slide guitar which is glorious.
Well put. I so admire JB's ability to structure his language. What a gift: lucky us! It is fun to deconstruct his lyrics. If one likes to craft lyrics, there is no better teacher than Jackson.
Well put. I so admire JB's ability to structure his language. What a gift: lucky us! It is fun to deconstruct his lyrics. If one likes to craft lyrics, there is no better teacher than Jackson.
I have always loved the line "Of the bed where we both lie" where the word "lie", of course, has two meanings. That line reminds me of Dylan at his best.
For an interesting comparison, listen to the song by Jackson's good friend, the late great Warren Zevon, Hasten Down the Wind. Warren was a little more concise than Jackson was, but no less eloquent a songwriter, and Hasten Down the Wind is a great companion piece about the painful end of a relationship where the parties just drift apart and can't recapture what they had, but can't figure out why it isn't working any more. And if you really want to get the emotion in the song, go to archive.org and go to the Zevon archive and listen to the version in the 1976 WMMR radio show interview where he sits at a piano and plays solo.
@jswjr 11 years later, this is still a great take on Hasten Down the Wind. Zevon was a gifted artist and Hasten Down the Wind is as much a masterpiece as Late for the Sky for Browne. One observation: I don't know if a song about the end of a relationship should necessarily be concise. Feeling the feels takes time.
@jswjr 11 years later, this is still a great take on Hasten Down the Wind. Zevon was a gifted artist and Hasten Down the Wind is as much a masterpiece as Late for the Sky for Browne. One observation: I don't know if a song about the end of a relationship should necessarily be concise. Feeling the feels takes time.
I first heard Late for the Sky in 1974. 33 years and at least 6000 listenings later this piece still kicks my ass. However, despite hours and hours of disection and interpretation and consideration, I still have not gotten my head around the phrase, "Late for the Sky" What the heck? Sky Blue Sky Black Jesus in the Sky.... But Late for the Sky? Any ideas?
For me "Sky" seems to be a metaphor for heaven (the place where we allow the dead to go). In this song, the narrator suddenly realizes that his relationship with his lover died some time ago. The time is past due to accept that it is over and to let it go. The time is also overdue to leave the coop and find another gig "farther on". This is such a beautifully touching song and an example of why Jackson Browne's music still remains on my most frequently played list.
For me "Sky" seems to be a metaphor for heaven (the place where we allow the dead to go). In this song, the narrator suddenly realizes that his relationship with his lover died some time ago. The time is past due to accept that it is over and to let it go. The time is also overdue to leave the coop and find another gig "farther on". This is such a beautifully touching song and an example of why Jackson Browne's music still remains on my most frequently played list.
For me "Sky" seems to be a metaphor for heaven (the place where we allow the dead to go). In this song, the narrator suddenly realizes that his relationship with his lover died some time ago. The time is past due to accept that it is over and to let it go. The time is also overdue to leave the coop and find another gig "farther on". This is such a beautifully touching song and an example of why Jackson Browne's music still remains on my most frequently played list.
For me "Sky" seems to be a metaphor for heaven (the place where we allow the dead to go). In this song, the narrator suddenly realizes that his relationship with his lover died some time ago. The time is past due to accept that it is over and to let it go. The time is also overdue to leave the coop and find another gig "farther on". This is such a beautifully touching song and an example of why Jackson Browne's music still remains on my most frequently played list.
Kicks my ass, too. Kills me. It's got a simple chord structure in C that works on down the scale, and then the tag at the end from C to Bb, back and forth to the tonic.
Kicks my ass, too. Kills me. It's got a simple chord structure in C that works on down the scale, and then the tag at the end from C to Bb, back and forth to the tonic.
Re: the "sky" references, I heard him say, in concert, that his family/friends had put a ban on some of these words of which JB is so fond. Sky, angels, light-dark-night with their suffixes. LOL. Clearly I have too much time on my hands, but one day I took a couple of these words and made a tic sheet. Oh boy....
Re: the "sky" references, I heard him say, in concert, that his family/friends had put a ban on some of these words of which JB is so fond. Sky, angels, light-dark-night with their suffixes. LOL. Clearly I have too much time on my hands, but one day I took a couple of these words and made a tic sheet. Oh boy.
It's hard when you have accessible words which are so versatile and are so nicely given to metaphor.
Late for the sky...where dreams become and where you are allowed to soar, yet he is late. All of his dreams were grounded and never allowed to take flight, but such is the plight of those drifting alone, along through the night.
Late for the sky...where dreams become and where you are allowed to soar, yet he is late. All of his dreams were grounded and never allowed to take flight, but such is the plight of those drifting alone, along through the night.
And it's exactly where he leads us with his words, to the words between the lines, that allow deep personal meaning to transpire.
And it's exactly where he leads us with his words, to the words between the lines, that allow deep personal meaning to transpire.
Not to mention that guitar which thanks for the chords, MMMerry, as I'm just beginning to learn to play the acoustic!
Not to mention that guitar which thanks for the chords, MMMerry, as I'm just beginning to learn to play the acoustic!
I agree with what others have already said regarding the metaphorical significance of the phrase "late for the sky" (heaven, a place to dream and soar, etc.). Without discounting any of this, the song's last lines ("How long have I been running for that morning flight...late for the sky") have always brought a very literal image to my mind: someone having a stress dream that they're running through an airport for a flight that they're late for (and, presumably, going to miss).
I agree with what others have already said regarding the metaphorical significance of the phrase "late for the sky" (heaven, a place to dream and soar, etc.). Without discounting any of this, the song's last lines ("How long have I been running for that morning flight...late for the sky") have always brought a very literal image to my mind: someone having a stress dream that they're running through an airport for a flight that they're late for (and, presumably, going to miss).
This is purely subjective (nothing in the lyrics suggests that JB intended this...
This is purely subjective (nothing in the lyrics suggests that JB intended this literal dream image). Even with this overly literal interpretation, however, the line still packs abundantly rich metaphorical possibilities (e.g., feelings of: we blew it, we missed out, we overslept, we're stuck on the ground, we've missed an opportunity to really go somewhere, we should've waken up sooner and gotten out of here, etc., etc.). That's the beauty of true poetry: one interpretation doesn't negate, but rather builds upon, other non-mutually-exclusive perspectives.
I also love the insight and naked honesty of lines like: "You never knew what I loved in you/I don't know what you loved in me/Maybe the picture of somebody you were hoping I might be" (and just about every other line in the song).
Don't know why, but this song has haunted me for decades. Thanks for initiating a thought-provoking discussion, Bruce.
In Vietnam '67 the term "sky up" or just "sky" was used meaning "to exit" or "to leave" Perhaps here "late for the sky" means that he should have left this relationship sooner.
In Vietnam '67 the term "sky up" or just "sky" was used meaning "to exit" or "to leave" Perhaps here "late for the sky" means that he should have left this relationship sooner.
@BRUCErulz -- The "sky" part refers to heaven. The relationship Jackson sings about has been dead for a while, yet they haven't left each other yet, so it lingers on. It is late for the sky, the afterlife. It means the relationship is dead, yet has lingered on unnecessarily after it's death, and should be put to rest.
@BRUCErulz -- The "sky" part refers to heaven. The relationship Jackson sings about has been dead for a while, yet they haven't left each other yet, so it lingers on. It is late for the sky, the afterlife. It means the relationship is dead, yet has lingered on unnecessarily after it's death, and should be put to rest.
And as feralhamster pointed out, Jackson uses the imagery of being late for a morning plane to emphasize the anxiety and fear he has over this lingering, dead relationship. He really should be leaving, but he is very late...
And as feralhamster pointed out, Jackson uses the imagery of being late for a morning plane to emphasize the anxiety and fear he has over this lingering, dead relationship. He really should be leaving, but he is very late in doing so.
@BRUCErulz The title actually came from a conversation Jackson had with someone about being late for a flight. He said, "I'm late for my plane, I'm late for the sky." He thought the phrase "Late for the Sky" would be a good title for a song in the future and this was the product. The title could have a deeper meaning like all of you have listed, but from what I've heard, that's at least where the title originated for the song
@BRUCErulz The title actually came from a conversation Jackson had with someone about being late for a flight. He said, "I'm late for my plane, I'm late for the sky." He thought the phrase "Late for the Sky" would be a good title for a song in the future and this was the product. The title could have a deeper meaning like all of you have listed, but from what I've heard, that's at least where the title originated for the song
@BRUCErulz everyone pretty much got it. It’s heaven, the afterlife, spirituality, dreams etc. Compare to the first two stanzas of the The Road (physical life) and the Sky (the afterlife, etc) from the same album:
@BRUCErulz everyone pretty much got it. It’s heaven, the afterlife, spirituality, dreams etc. Compare to the first two stanzas of the The Road (physical life) and the Sky (the afterlife, etc) from the same album:
When we come to the place where the road and the sky collide Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide They told me I was going to have to work for a living But all I want to do is ride I don't care where we're going from here Honey, you decide
When we come to the place where the road and the sky collide Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide They told me I was going to have to work for a living But all I want to do is ride I don't care where we're going from here Honey, you decide
Well I spend my time at the bottom of...
Well I spend my time at the bottom of a wishing well And I can hear my dreams singing clear as a bell I used to know where they ended and the world began But now it's getting hard to tell I could be just around the corner from heaven or a mile from hell
@BRUCErulz I should have left here awhile ago, I should already be on a plane to somewhere far away. I'm still here but I'm doing the wrong thing because I should already have taken off . . . that said I believe he's said it was just a nonsense phrase.
@BRUCErulz I should have left here awhile ago, I should already be on a plane to somewhere far away. I'm still here but I'm doing the wrong thing because I should already have taken off . . . that said I believe he's said it was just a nonsense phrase.
@BRUCErulz Yes , I’ve heard Jackson explain this …….one night after a concert he took a young lady back to his room …..in the morning he was due to fly out to the next gig ……..as he left her , he said I have to go ….I’m late for the sky
@BRUCErulz Yes , I’ve heard Jackson explain this …….one night after a concert he took a young lady back to his room …..in the morning he was due to fly out to the next gig ……..as he left her , he said I have to go ….I’m late for the sky
@BRUCErulz The words "Late for the sky" hooks off the previous line. They've been up all night, never slept, Late for the Sky is Late for falling asleep, late for sleep, late for arriving at the depths of dark night sky, i.e, not yet to sleep. Awake all night, drifting in and out of half sleep, but never reaching deep sleep, his mind in reverie is working toward understanding the end of his relationship with "the one in the bed where we both lie." Then it's juxtaposed by realizing that it is almost dawn.
@BRUCErulz The words "Late for the sky" hooks off the previous line. They've been up all night, never slept, Late for the Sky is Late for falling asleep, late for sleep, late for arriving at the depths of dark night sky, i.e, not yet to sleep. Awake all night, drifting in and out of half sleep, but never reaching deep sleep, his mind in reverie is working toward understanding the end of his relationship with "the one in the bed where we both lie." Then it's juxtaposed by realizing that it is almost dawn.
Rolling Stone's original review of the album says it all to me: http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/jacksonbrowne/albums/album/262007/review/6068364/late_for_the_sky
I really love the title Late For The Sky.
To me it has two meanings:
1) Late to take off to the sky (i.e. "for"= destination as in the plane for Rio)
2) Late FOR the sky- as in, the sky is late in its changing
Both ways fit for the song. Pure brilliance.
This is such an incredible song, that I agree with the above poster who can't believe nobody else has placed a comment. Staying too long in a relationship, knowing it's essentially over, not knowing why when in your head you have the answers, but just can't bring yourself to leave. The song literally aches with the relaization that it's OVER and all that's left is to admit it out loud and get on with it. Sometimes the pain of ending a relationship is harder that staying in one that isn't working and feeling you failed at something you really tried at and wanted to work. You ask yourself, "how did this happen and how did it come to this" (How long have I been sleeping? - that i didn't notice the disintergration of my relationship...) That's what this song has always meant to me. It's a haunting tune as well. Fantastic. Jackson at his best.
"Looking hard into your eyes There was nobody I'd ever known Such an empty suprise To feel so alone."
"Awake again, I can't pretend That I know I'm alone, And close to the end"
This is amazing song writing! This song is awe inspiring.
I too have loved this song since the 70's along with all of the other Jackson Browne offerings from that period, yes even "Lawyers in Love". The title has always conjured up an image of an airplane leaving, so I guess I have to agree with makebusy7 in this.
What amazes me most is that although I savor Browne's double meanings, I never tumbled the double meaning of "in the bed where we both lie". What a great website this is for introspection.
This song was one of my best friend's favorite songs. Taxi Driver was also one of his favorite movies.
He decided to take his own life on march 6th 2008.
So what does this song mean to me?......Him, my best friend.
I created an account, just to reply to this. Just wanted you to know that the combination of this song, plus your comment, really put me in a mood. I'm very sorry about your friend and hope that all has been good for you in the last five or so years.
I created an account, just to reply to this. Just wanted you to know that the combination of this song, plus your comment, really put me in a mood. I'm very sorry about your friend and hope that all has been good for you in the last five or so years.
This song is incredibly powerful and I appreciate your comments. Be well and God bless you, friend.
This song is incredibly powerful and I appreciate your comments. Be well and God bless you, friend.