I heard the knock on my door
I heard the ring of the bell
I got the letter but I couldn't go
So many thoughts in my head
So many places to be
So many faces that I long to see
Standing in front of me tonight
The lights will take me where I long to be
Just like a thousand nights before
Somebody said to me
Why do you do this to you
Why sit back and relax
Go to the islands and forget it all

Slow down, you're moving too fast
You seem afraid it won't last
Take my advice, go straight and settle down
Thank you for caring, but tonight the lights will take me where I long to be
Just like a thousand nights before
I can't explain, it gives me something

Give me the lights, precious lights
Give me lights
Give me my hope, give me my energy
You can turn the wrong into right
Precious lights
Illuminate me, carry me away
Carry me, carry me



Interpretation

The "lights" are the spotlights shining on the singer on stage. The life of a rock star is not as easy as some might think, but being up on stage under the lights and before the fans makes it all worthwhile.

I guess we used to be the lucky ones
Good fortune smiled on everyone
Stop
A voice said you best beware
Stop
Bad luck is everywhere
And sure enough the voice was right
My luck changed overnight
Stop
Please tell me what went wrong
Stop
I can't take these ups and downs

Hard times come, hard times go
And in between you hope and pray
The scars don't show
'Cause life is strange and so unsure
The days you hardly make it through
You swear that there's a curse on you
'Cause nothing seems to fit
And things won't go your way
You know you've had enough
You've got the right to say
Why me, why me

Rubelator

Stop
Here comes anxiety
Stop
Won't you please let me be, I need relief
Hard times come, hard times go
In between you hope and pray
The scars don't show
'Cause life is strange and so unsure
The days you hardly make it through
You're sure that there is a curse on you
If nothing seems to fit
And things won't go your way
You know you've had enough
You can't take another day
Where to go and what to do
You've got those bills to pay
You're really not alone you know
'Cause everybody says,
Why me

Why me
"Why me? That's what I want to know. You know what I mean? Huh. I don't know."



Interpretation

When things go wrong for people, they usually ask themselves "why me?" when instead they should just see that these things happen to everybody--it's part of life.

A rubelator is probably referring to a Rube Goldberg machine, which is an overly complex contraption for completing a simple and mundane task, embodying the feeling that life is overly complex and frustrating when it ought to be more simple and routine.

Babe, I'm leaving, I must be on my way
The time is drawing near
My train is going, I see it in your eyes
The love, the need, your tears
But I'll be lonely without you
And I'll need your love to see me through
Please believe me, my heart is in your hands
And I'll be missing you.

You know it's you Babe
Whenever I get weary and I've had enough
Feel like giving up
You know it's you Babe
Giving me the courage and the strength I need
Please believe that it's true
Babe, I love you.

You know it's you Babe
Whenever I get weary and I've had enough
Feel like giving up
You know it's you Babe
Giving me the courage and the strength I need
Please believe that it's true
Babe, I love you.

Babe, I'm leaving, I'll say it once again
Somehow try to smile
I know the feeling we're trying to forget
If only for a while
But I'll be lonely without you
And I'll need your love to see me through
Please believe me, my heart is in your hands
And I'll be missing you
Babe, I love you.



Interpretation

Dennis wrote this song for his wife, Suzanne. It was not intended to be a Styx song at the time, but it eventually became their first N1 single. The song is about how difficult it is to be on the road, away from his wife, who he loves dearly.

Never, never, never say never
Ne dis jamais jamais
Better, better believe in forever
And it can be that way

You think that you could never love again
The one time really tore you apart
So don't even try to touch your heart
You're never going to give it again

Never, never, never say never
Ne dis jamais jamais
Better, better believe in forever
And it can be that way

You think that too much joy can only bring pain
Before you know it, it can be gone
But give me a chance to prove you're wrong
You'll never say never again

Never, never, never say never
Ne dis jamais jamais
Better, better believe in forever
And it can be that way

Take time to smell the roses
Don't hold back your one chance
It hardly lasts, it hardly lasts
Better, better believe in forever

Out here I stand with my heart in my hand
My hopes on a wing and a prayer
I must have been born with a hole in my head
Cause I've never said these things before

Never, never, never say never
Ne dis jamais jamais
Better, better believe in forever
And it can be that way



Interpretation

Just because your first love ended in a broken heart, don't say that you will never love again. Love requires you to open your heart, but love is worth that risk.

Take me down to my boat on the river
I need to go down, I need to come down
Take me back to my boat on the river
And I won't cry out any more
Time stands still as I gaze In her waters
She eases me down, touching me gently
With the waters that flow past my boat on the river
So I won't cry out anymore

Oh the river is deep
The river it touches my life like the waves on the sand
And all roads lead to Tranquillity Base
Where the frown on my face disappears
Take me back to my boat on the river
And I won't cry out anymore

Oh the river is wide
The river it touches my life like the waves on the sand
And all roads lead to Tranquillity Base
Where the frown on my face disappears
Take me back to my boat on the river
And I won't cry out anymore
And I won't cry out anymore
And I won't cry out anymore

Yeah yeah!
Don't look now, but here come the eightees!

I was so cool back in sixty-five
I had it made 'cause I understood what to do to survive
I had my car, and I made the scene
Didn't give a damn about no gasoline
They can go to hell
My friend we never thought about the world
And its realities
The promised land was ours
We were the Great Society

I'm so confused by the things I read, I need the truth
But the truth is, I don't know who to believe
The left say yes, and the right says no
I'm in between and the more I learn
Well, the less that I know
I got to make a show

Livin' high, living fine
Livin' high on borrowed time

Yes! No!
Yes! No!
No! Yes!
No! Yes!

Faith be with me now
I'm just a dreamer in a dreamland
Faith be with me now
I'm just a dreamer in a dreamland

'Cause we're
Livin' high
Livin' fine (You know I'm livin' fine)
Livin' high (Yes I'm livin' high)
On borrowed time (On borrowed time)
Livin' high (Whoohoo!)
Livin' fine (Ahhh!)
Livin' high
On Lake Shore Drive (Midnight ride)
Livin' high (We're livin' high)
On Leslie Lane (Let's go back and play it again!)
Livin' high (We're livin' high)
On Red Bud Trail (On Red Bud, Red Bud Trail!)
Livin' high
On Central Drive (He's on Central Drive!)
Livin' high (We're livin', livin' high)
On Prestwick Drive (Catch me on Prestwick Drive!...)
Livin' high (...gettin' in and drivin' my Mercedes...)
Livin' fine (...up and down and up and down -- sh*t! I don't....)



Interpretation

Life is not as simple as it used to seem when we were younger and blind to the realities of the world around us. The world is a complicated place, and most things are too complex for a black and white view.

The Great Society was President Lyndon B. Johnson's vision of a poverty-free America, propped up by his ambitious social programs. They sounded good at the time, but the vision never came to pass.

The statement "the left says yes and the right says no" is representing the social permissiveness of the liberal left and the contrasting social conservatism of the conservative right. Most Americans fall somewhere in between.

All we can do is make the most of our situation.

The streets listed at the end of the song are the streets where the members of Styx were living in Chicago at the time the song was written. Chuck Panozzo lived on Lake Shore Drive. John Panozzo lived on Leslie Lane. Tommy Shaw lived on Red Bud Trail. James Young lived on Central Drive. Dennis DeYoung lived on Prestwick Drive.

The lights are low
And we're alone
The fire's glow
It keeps us warm
As I reach out and touch your face
The moon lights up our first embrace
But please don't hesitate
Hold my hand, don't be afraid
Of the feelings in your heart
Just close your eyes, no one will mind
If we're to fall in love this first time

Don't be afraid of love
Don't be afraid of love
Don't be afraid of love

It's the first time
The first time for love
There could be so many worlds and mountains
We could climb
Together, the two of us tonight

The two of us, we're quite a pair
These lonely nights we both can share
So don't be shy, 'cause it's okay
I understand feeling that way
Hold my hand, don't be afraid
Of the feelings in your heart
Close your eyes, no one will mind
If we're to fall in love this first time
It's the first time
The first time for love
There could be so many worlds and mountains
We could climb
Together, the two of us tonight



Interpretation

One line from the song says it all: "Don't be afraid of love." Falling in love the first time can be scary, but the wondrous possibilities that love presents justify the emotional risk.

I woke up today, the papers spoke of a man we know
He's made of the stuff they say that first made our country grow
Living in style, traveling to distant lands
Better hang tough, for now it's time to make your stand
Can we ignore the basic facts of history
Or deny what people say is destiny
I think the message is ever so loud and clear

Eddie, now don't you run
You know you're a bootlegger's son
And you saw just what it's done to the others
Eddie, now don't you run
It's the end of all your fun
And you saw just what they've done
To your brothers

Can we ignore the basic facts of history
Or deny what people say is destiny
First in the eighties but last of the sons
First in the eyes of his countrymen
I think the message is ever so loud and clear

Eddie, now don't you run
You know you're a bootlegger's son
And you saw just what it's done to the others
Eddie, now don't you run
It's the end of all your fun
And you saw just what they've done
To your brothers



Interpretation

Written in 1979, Eddie is a warning to Senator Edward Kennedy to drop his bid ("Eddie, now don't you run") for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States lest he risk suffering the same tragic fate as President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy ("And you saw just what they've done/To your brothers"). The line "First in the eighties but last of the sons" reminds us that while at the peak of his popularity Ted Kennedy was the only one of his brothers still alive as the eighties approached.

The time is now to take my wares to the street
And I know how, the street's been good to me
Maybe it's the sign of a wise man
Maybe it's the sign of a fool
Maybe it's the night for a rendezvous with a woman like you

It's gone too far, I'll take my life into the streets
I feel the need and I can't stop myself
Maybe it's time to be a strong man
Maybe it's time to be cool
Maybe I'll take to the boulevard
Where there's nothing I won't do

Can you tell me where my heart is
When I'm looking for love in the midnight
There's a burning in my body
And I'm looking for love in the midnight

Better hold on tight, I'm a ravenous man
I'll tell you anything to make you think I'm alright
You know the moonlight brings out the devil in me
For tomorrow, I'll regret it in the daylight

Can you tell me where my heart is
When I'm looking for love in the midnight
Won't you tell me where my heart is
When I'm looking for love

Better hold on tight, I'm a ravenous man
I'll tell you anything to make you think I'm alright
You know the moonlight brings out the devil in me
For tomorrow, I'll regret it in the daylight

Can you tell me where my heart is
When I'm looking for love in the midnight
There's a burning in my body
And I'm looking for love in the midnight
Won't you tell me where my heart is
When I'm looking for love



Interpretation

Love In The Midnight is about a man looking for a one night stand late at night. It isn't the first time he's done this ("And I know how, the street's been good to me"), and he cannot control his urge ("I feel the need and I can't stop myself" and "There's a burning in my body" as well as in the chorus, "Better hold on tight, I'm a ravenous man/I'll tell you anything to make you think I'm alright/You know the moonlight brings out the devil in me/For tomorrow, I'll regret it in the daylight"). However, he's questioning the effect this has on his soul ("It's gone too far..." and in the chorus, "Can you tell me where my heart is/When I'm looking for love in the midnight").