You can't run away forever
But there's nothing wrong
With getting a good head start
You want to shut out the night,
You want to shut down the sun
You want to shut away the pieces of a broken heart

Think of how we'd lay down together
We'd be listening to the radio so loud and so strong
Every golden nugget coming like a gift of the gods
Someone must have blessed us when he gave us those songs

I treasure your love, I never want to lose it
You've been through the fires of hell
And I know you've got the ashes to prove it
I treasure your love, I want to show you how to use it
You've been through a lot of pain in the dirt
And I know you've got the scars to prove it

Remember everything that I told you,
And I'm telling you again that it's true
When you're alone and afraid, and you're completely amazed
To find there's nothing anybody can do
Keep on believing, and you'll discover baby

There's always something magic,
There's always something new
And when you really really need it the most
That's when rock and roll dreams come through
The beat is yours forever, the beat is always true
And when you really really need it the most
That's when rock and roll dreams come through for you

Once upon a time was a backbeat,
Once upon a time all the chords came to life
And the angels had guitars even before they had wings
If you hold onto a chorus you can get through the night

Remember everything that I told you,
And I'm telling you again that it's true
You're never alone cause you can put on the phones
And let the drummer tell your heart what to do
Keep on believing, and you'll discover baby

The beat is yours forever
That's when rock and roll dreams come through


Lyrics submitted by spliphstar

Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through song meanings
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9 Comments

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  • +3
    General Comment

    The way I see it he's talking about how no matter how bad things get there is always a special song that you can listen to to bring you up. It's about how music can lift your spirits, inspire you take you back to a certain memory,and when you feel the music in you you might even write that song that will make you a star. Maybe it will make your Rock and Roll Dreams come true.

    fantom1971on February 10, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I don't think he's refering to God. He's referencing himself. And saying how no matter whats going on in your life, you can turn to rock and roll and the music and messages in the songs to get you through it, (ie. "You're never alone cause you can put on the phones And let the drummer tell your heart what to do) Rock and roll takes on a healing quality here, similar to religion or god. But that about God is a good interpretation too. Because no matter the song, we all hear it differently and it tells us "what to do" individually.

    MusicDiva2000on April 12, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    There's no doubt about it - this song is God telling someone with a broken heart that He is there for them... He will help them, that He knows what they are going through and will be walking alongside them through it. Lyris that stand out particularly:

    "I treasure your love, I never want to lose it You've been through the fires of hell And I know you've got the ashes to prove it I treasure your love, I want to show you how to use it You've been through a lot of pain in the dirt And I know you've got the scars to prove it Remember everything that I told you, And I'm telling you again that it's true When you're alone and afraid, and you're completely amazed To find there's nothing anybody can do Keep on believing, and you'll discover baby"

    -God is saying "keep trusting in me - I know what you are going through and I am here always"

    "And when you really really need it the most That's when rock and roll dreams come through"

    -When you least expect it.. that's when God often moves in your life.

    "You're never alone cause you can put on the phones And let the drummer tell your heart what to do"

    -God is there for your all the time - at anytime of the day or night.

    mtuon April 01, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think is song is amazing. I think the song is about how even though you may go through some bad things in your life, you've always got to hold on to hope and that things will get better. I think it is also saying that there is always someone else worse off than you so you should be happy. I think he use the musical terms as a metaphor for hope too. It's about belief and how you should keep it at your worst times and it will come true if you keep hold of it.

    beautiful_soulon April 23, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Look at any song long enough and you'll start seeing religious undertones in it.

    To me, it seems more like he's singing to a girl about her troubled past. "You can't run away forever" is obviously referencing the old saying, "You can't run away from the past."

    The second stanza is him telling her how things would be if she was with him. Then the chorus, basically saying, "I love you; I know you've had a rough past, but that doesn't mean you should shut me out and never love again." She just needs to "keep on believin'" that she'll get over her past.

    He uses lots of musical terminology as metaphor in this song. "Once upon a time was a backbeat..." is probably a reference to her past relationships. "The beat is yours forever" is just telling her not to let somebody else bother her so much so that they start to consume her.

    DoubtFullon July 14, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Normally, I love ML, but something here just didn't connect. The concept is kind of cheesy, even for Loaf, and the song just never picks up steam and takes off like "Bat" or "Paradise". Some have called this his best song, but it's my least favorite.

    Juniper Prismon January 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Anjelina Jolie was in the video for this.

    samwaltonon June 13, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Ok I see why you can think that God is telling this to a person that's going through a rough time, but I personally think that it's like "music" is the one telling this.

    Its kinda saying that, even though you've gone through so many hard times and you think that it will never get better and all you want to do is get away from everything, that "music" can always help you through. I also think that when it says "The beat is yours forever, the beat is always true" says that when everything seems like a lie and that nothing can last forever, music is always there for you, it can never lie or leave you.

    So basically I think this song is just saying that music can save you, even when you're going through a horrible time you have to know that there is something in the world that can't leave you, and that you can have it forever.:)

    XmeatXloafXfreakXon October 18, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    Hope found in music. Music is not only a gift, it can be a balm, a salve, a companion when you most need it.

    "If you hold on to a chorus it can get you through the night" and "you're never alone cause you can put on the phones and let the drummer tell your heart what to do" says that when no one else understands and when nothing else can help, the music will always pull you through, if you let it.

    It's not God (since not everyone believes in God), it's music. Music reaches everyone, regardless of religion, and it's that connection with the songs that speak to your heart that can get you through a bad night where you just want to give it all up, that can make things look better in the morning, that can offer you hope that your dreams can come true.

    Loranyson August 24, 2013   Link

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