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"
Somewhere out on that horizon
Out beyond the neon lights
I know there must be somethin' better
But there's nowhere else in sight
It's survival in the city
When you live from day to day
City streets don't have much pity
When you're down, that's where you'll stay
In the city (oh, oh)
(Ooh)
In the city
(Oh, oh)
I was born here in the city
With my back against the wall
Nothing grows and life ain't very pretty
No one's there to catch you when you fall
Somewhere out on that horizon
Far away from the neon sky
I know there must be somethin' better
And I can't stay another night
In the city (oh, oh)
(Ooh, ooh)
In the city
(Oh, oh)
In the city
In the city
In the city (oh, oh)
Out beyond the neon lights
I know there must be somethin' better
But there's nowhere else in sight
It's survival in the city
When you live from day to day
City streets don't have much pity
When you're down, that's where you'll stay
In the city (oh, oh)
(Ooh)
In the city
(Oh, oh)
I was born here in the city
With my back against the wall
Nothing grows and life ain't very pretty
No one's there to catch you when you fall
Somewhere out on that horizon
Far away from the neon sky
I know there must be somethin' better
And I can't stay another night
In the city (oh, oh)
(Ooh, ooh)
In the city
(Oh, oh)
In the city
In the city
In the city (oh, oh)
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
In the City Lyrics as written by Barry R. De Vorzon Joe Fidler Walsh
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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No comment on this one? Jeez...
The neon sky is refering to the glow of the street lights in the city. This song is one of the most beautiful ones I've ever heard in my life. It's about how the city isn't as pretty as it looks and how you miss the simple things in nature once you get caught up in it. It's pretty self explainitory if you read the lyrics.
The song was written by Joe Walsh and Barry DeVorzon. Walsh's version appears in "The Warriors". The Eagles later re-recorded it and included in "The Long Run" album. You can tell the difference in the 2 versions. The version in the movie has female backing vocals, whereas The Eagles version has the band members doing the backing vocals. Either version is great nonetheless.
I agree - the Warriors version seems like a<br /> live-in-the-studio take, the Eagles recording<br /> is like all their stuff: perfectly smooth
yeah the song really self explanatory... one of their best too in my humble opinion... i wonder why there are so few comments ( just 1 before mine to be precise) i used the lyrics in my SAT 2 writing essay :) Theyre so cool! i love you don henley...
this fucking song just rocks. I dont know about you all but i really appreciate songs that rock and dont have to have words such as "bling-bling" or "nigger" or "im gonna fucking kill you" like all the fucking rap shit we have to put up with nowadays. This song is a prime example of ACTUAL music
this song was indeed written by joe walsh and it was originally a joe walsh solo song written and performed for a movie released in the late 1970's called "The Warriors". the movie is about gang life in New York City in the 70's and focuses mainly on a gang from Coney Island. the "neon lights" refer to the bright lights from all the carnival games and rides, most notably the Wonder Wheel ferris wheel and the Cyclone roller coaster that are Coney Island landmarks. i suggest you watch the movie to really understand what the song's talking about... once you see it you can clearly understand what joe's talking about. plus, it's a bad ass movie... one of my favorites.
haha yeah the Warriors rules...i only knew this as another eagles song for years, and then when i finally saw The Warriors a few months ago, i was like "hey! the eagles! that makes this movie even better!" hahaha
Another piece of gold from the Eagles.
This song is amazing. I loved when they played it on the movie The Warriors [ending]
Joe Walsh was born in Wichita, and in order lived in Columbus, NYC, Montclair NJ - he went to Kent St Univ and his rock and roll roots are in Cleveland - his interp of life In The City for the street gang The Warriors is genius if he didn't see that side of life, becuz it's how he imagines it - please remember that the author of Civil War masterpiece Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane, wrote about Civil War battles in great accuracy and never saw one
Rap is kids music. But you know what they say, that what is kid's music today is the old music of 2 generations later. You know what they said about rock and roll when it first came out. I think it's sad that hip-hop will become the pop music of tomorrow (it already is getting that way), since most of it lacks real melody, harmony and musical arrangements. Even rock has those elements of good music. My opinion is, rap is the music made and listened to by people who think it's uncool for boys to sing. Which is completely not true, but that sure is the standard in most public elementary schools unfortunately. I was surprised when I had switched from a private elementary school to a public one when I moved beginning in fourth grade, and one of the biggest differences I noticed was that classes mocked the music teacher, especially the boys, and wouldn't sing unless compelled to. Such a shame, I hope maybe the popularity of American Idol has changed that. But I digress.
What I want to know is why Joe Walsh, who I presume is the songwriter, wanted to write a song about how tough the city is. I don't know squat about his background, but I have the inkling that even if he grew up in the city it wasn't a "tough neighborhood."
please see my later comment re: Joe and background -<br /> cheer up, rock and roll never dies