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Tonight's The Night (Parts I & II) Lyrics
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night.
Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van.
A sparkle was in his eye
But his life was in his hands.
Well, late at night
when the people were gone
He used to pick up my guitar
And sing a song in a shaky voice
That was real as the day was long.
Tonight's the night, yes it is,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, yes it is,
tonight's the night.
Early in the mornin'
at the break of day
He used to sleep
until the afternoon.
If you never heard him sing
I guess you won't too soon.
'Cause people let me tell you
It sent a chill
up and down my spine
When I picked up the telephone
And heard that he'd died
out on the mainline.
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night.
Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van.
Well, early in the morning
at just about the break of day
He used to sleep
until the afternoon.
Tonight's the night, yes it is,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night.
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night.
He used to load that Econoline van.
A sparkle was in his eye
But his life was in his hands.
when the people were gone
He used to pick up my guitar
And sing a song in a shaky voice
That was real as the day was long.
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, yes it is,
tonight's the night.
at the break of day
He used to sleep
until the afternoon.
If you never heard him sing
I guess you won't too soon.
It sent a chill
up and down my spine
When I picked up the telephone
And heard that he'd died
out on the mainline.
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night.
He used to load that Econoline van.
Well, early in the morning
at just about the break of day
He used to sleep
until the afternoon.
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night.
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The titular phrase is Neil saying "tonight's the night I heard the news that Bruce died." Simple as that. I'm sure Neil was aware that Berry had a serious drug problem and was shocked but not surprised to find out about his death. It's almost him saying, "So THIS is the night he passes away...I knew this was coming, and if it hadn't been tonight, then it would have been some other night."
makes sense to me
makes sense to me
This song goes hand in hand with the needle and the damage done.
Neil famously said that this is not an album for 11 in the morning.
He was working through his grief at two close friends dying to the needle. The whole album was recorded in a warehouse over the course of two weeks. They ate burger after burger and drank lots of tequila. Most of it is drunken pain. Kind of like an Irish wake? But he doesn't seek to wallow in it, or escape it. But to live in it for long enough to get through it.
But he didn't really come out of it until the Zuma album, says Neil.
I've always wondered what the phrase "tonights the night" actually refers to here. I understand the songs about his friends that overdosed, but that part seems incomplete: Tonights the night that....something happens.
Any ideas?