Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
Laying down the law, listen to the hammer
Mouth of madness, watch the wicked gather
Streets of stone, underneath the grey skies
Nights come, they speak of devils in disguise
It takes people like you, to make people like me
It take people like me to make like you
Let's start a riot, another night in London
Let's start a riot, while the night is still young
Let's start a riot, another night in London
Let's start a riot, while the night is still young
While the night is still young
Shadows of light, not a glimpse of the sun
Going 'til morning, 'til the battles won
Streets of stone, underneath the grey skies
Nights come, they speak of devils in disguise
It takes people like you, to make people like me
It take people like me to make like you
Let's start a riot, another night in London
Let's start a riot, while the night is still young
Let's start a riot, another night in London
Let's start a riot, while the night is still young
Shots fired, the sound of a new generation
No future, no revolution
For you
For you
For me
No fucking revolution you
Let's start a riot, another night in London
Let's start a riot, while the night is still young
Let's start a riot, another night in London
Let's start a riot, while the night is still young
Shots fired, fights
While the night is still young
Mouth of madness, watch the wicked gather
Streets of stone, underneath the grey skies
Nights come, they speak of devils in disguise
It takes people like you, to make people like me
It take people like me to make like you
Let's start a riot, another night in London
Let's start a riot, while the night is still young
Let's start a riot, another night in London
Let's start a riot, while the night is still young
While the night is still young
Shadows of light, not a glimpse of the sun
Going 'til morning, 'til the battles won
Streets of stone, underneath the grey skies
Nights come, they speak of devils in disguise
It takes people like you, to make people like me
It take people like me to make like you
Let's start a riot, another night in London
Let's start a riot, while the night is still young
Let's start a riot, another night in London
Let's start a riot, while the night is still young
Shots fired, the sound of a new generation
No future, no revolution
For you
For you
For me
No fucking revolution you
Let's start a riot, another night in London
Let's start a riot, while the night is still young
Let's start a riot, another night in London
Let's start a riot, while the night is still young
Shots fired, fights
While the night is still young
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Bertoldi Brothers
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
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"
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
isn't similar theme to Meet The Wretched ?? about playing gigs etc?