Wow! Its really neat to see how many ways people interpret this song. I think that is one of the marks of a great songwriter. A song can mean different things to different people and it just kinda depends on where you're at...or maybe where you've been.
I have a take on the phrase "darkness on the edge of town" that is a bit different from what i've so far read. "darkness on the edge of town" (doteot) symbolizes the sense that we all have about our selves. It is that sense that we were meant for greater things. Or maybe that we were meant to live a life for what we are passionate about and not just take the safe and easy way of life, the normal 9-5 suburbia lives that we complacently accept.
He is singing about the guy from Racing in the Streets. Sure he loved his wife, but he loved racing cars too. That was his passion. His wife didn't share that passion (But that blood it never burned in her veins) and he couldn't live a married life and give up racing. So for this character, he chose a life doing what he was passionate about instead of taking the path of least resistance. I think it was Thoreau who said that most men lead lives of quiet desperation. Thats because they choose to avoid the doteot. The secret that we carry with us, it think that he is not talking about a secret in the terms of only being a secret that we keep hidden and we hope no one will find out. I think of it a side of ourselves that we don't let others see. It is the thing that we are passionate about and we would live our lives for if we weren't so scared. Its our dream. Its what we dream we are all about. We are scared to let it go and we're scared to let it out. Till one day, we either give up on our dream or we live our whole lives never being satisfied with anything because nothing we ever do could measure up to our dream. (They carry it with them every step that they take Till some day they just cut it loose Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down)
When we realize I will be dragged down by this dream if I don't face it, then we realize that we will only drag down the people around us as well. This character came to that understanding and has no regrets about his choice. He sees that his ex-wife is still trying to maintain the image of having the good life.
I think the hill is a place where he goes to find himself. A place to pray perhaps or meditate or just do the soul searching that needs to be done. He's lost some things that were important to him and he has taken a leap of faith and realizes that he has to give it all he's got. To go the direction he is going was not a decision he made lightly and he has already paid the cost. But thats the price you pay if you are going to find things outside of the life you are born into.
Wow! Its really neat to see how many ways people interpret this song. I think that is one of the marks of a great songwriter. A song can mean different things to different people and it just kinda depends on where you're at...or maybe where you've been.
I have a take on the phrase "darkness on the edge of town" that is a bit different from what i've so far read. "darkness on the edge of town" (doteot) symbolizes the sense that we all have about our selves. It is that sense that we were meant for greater things. Or maybe that we were meant to live a life for what we are passionate about and not just take the safe and easy way of life, the normal 9-5 suburbia lives that we complacently accept.
He is singing about the guy from Racing in the Streets. Sure he loved his wife, but he loved racing cars too. That was his passion. His wife didn't share that passion (But that blood it never burned in her veins) and he couldn't live a married life and give up racing. So for this character, he chose a life doing what he was passionate about instead of taking the path of least resistance. I think it was Thoreau who said that most men lead lives of quiet desperation. Thats because they choose to avoid the doteot. The secret that we carry with us, it think that he is not talking about a secret in the terms of only being a secret that we keep hidden and we hope no one will find out. I think of it a side of ourselves that we don't let others see. It is the thing that we are passionate about and we would live our lives for if we weren't so scared. Its our dream. Its what we dream we are all about. We are scared to let it go and we're scared to let it out. Till one day, we either give up on our dream or we live our whole lives never being satisfied with anything because nothing we ever do could measure up to our dream. (They carry it with them every step that they take Till some day they just cut it loose Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down)
When we realize I will be dragged down by this dream if I don't face it, then we realize that we will only drag down the people around us as well. This character came to that understanding and has no regrets about his choice. He sees that his ex-wife is still trying to maintain the image of having the good life.
I think the hill is a place where he goes to find himself. A place to pray perhaps or meditate or just do the soul searching that needs to be done. He's lost some things that were important to him and he has taken a leap of faith and realizes that he has to give it all he's got. To go the direction he is going was not a decision he made lightly and he has already paid the cost. But thats the price you pay if you are going to find things outside of the life you are born into.