I want to grab a stranger's hand and
Hold it as tightly as I can and
I will tell by their reaction
If they're like me or if I am crazy

When the lights of the city hit my
Eyes on the plane looking out the window
I am consumed by a comforting notion
That you are there and I am welcome

If our miles have added up to
A giant pile of distance that we
Cannot reach past, climb or conquer
Will you dig a tunnel to me?

Every move suspends an action
Any attempt to engage will push away
What you want becomes a magnet
Opposing poles, never meeting

Can you combine a friend and mother?
Can you blend a dad and brother?
Must we have to pick one or the other?
Will we know this or always wonder?
(Always wonder)

You can tell what you've done to me
To be seen in hell from your place in a tree
Always helping, ever loving
But will you always be above me?

I won't ignore nor will not forget
The kindness that's been done to me
You are the surest and safest bet that
I could ask for, so I'm asking

Soon we will be side by side the
Plane will land and the wings will glide
The bags in hand and the car will drive
Into you, I will arrive
By your side
By your side


Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher

City Lights song meanings
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    General Comment

    This opens the beautiful 4 song set on Prairie Home Companion. I am too amazed to speak. The city lights are Detroit. The penultimate and third from the last stanza might be spoken either to the one loved or to the Christ, as love contains a conjunction or confusion of the beloved and the divine. The nursery rhyme rhythm is like that in Friends, here expressing the pathos of near breakdown in the collapse of love. A very nice piece, Thanx, Jack!

    mmcdonaldon October 01, 2017   Link

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