The Barricades of Heaven Lyrics

Lyric discussion by dreamgirl1983 

Cover art for The Barricades of Heaven lyrics by Jackson Browne

How can this song not have any comments yet?? I love this song -- remembering childhood, the time when everything was possible, the young standing on the borderline of dreams and knowing some of them might someday come true. The time when things seemed easy, not knowing the obstacles you have to face later in life ("pages we were years from learning").
And even realizing afterwards things aren't as easy as they seem when you are young ("faded pages open in the sun"), fond memories of those days always remain. Beautiful, nostalgic song.

The first verse, he's driving on the shore, only using the gas pedal, "couldn't tell you what those brakes were for", trying to find his sound for music. It expresses the joy and carelessness of being young and free.

His friend found his sound as soon as he won a guitar and they played music all the time. Music became life, life became music, "life became the paradox...", and they dreamt of playing in Hollywood "...and the stretch of road running to L.A."

Pages turning symbolizes growing older or life experiences and the...

I think JordanMacPhee sums it up pretty well. It's all about coming of age, being passionate about music, and ultimately getting into the music business. I especially like your thoughts about what redemption and the barricades of heaven mean in the context of the song.

I believe that the "Paradox", the "Bear" and the "Rouge et Noir" in the second verse refer to clubs they played music in in southern California.

One of my favorite songs.