I stepped out on a celluloid night
That flickered on a black and white reel
Looking for something that I could not explain
I could only feel
These were the songs upheld by the shades
That spoke to me as I left town
Israelite's, the harder they come, 56-47
I hear them now
And the words of the prophets never sounded
As good as the echo of a hard one drop
To be forever enslaved by the sound the creator made
Don't let it stop

Come again, midnight passenger
There to accompany down
To the end of the souls lost avenue
Feel it now

I kept walking in the dust all night
Looking for a diamond in the crush
Halfway under in bars like a ship that was going down or coming up
It was not the sun that stung,
But the feel of loss and the voice of suffering and fate
Till I just stopped listening to the chatter of all those yesterdays crime pays

We will show up with all our secret problems
And if we can't find land
There's a tone written into soul songs that understands
We will be free

Overall Meaning

Common Rider's "Midnight Passenger" is a reflective and introspective song that explores the emotions experienced by an unnamed protagonist during a solitary walk through the city at night. The song opens with the singer stepping out into a "celluloid night" that flickers on a black and white reel, searching for something that they cannot explain but can only feel. The songs of Israelites, The Harder They Come, and 56-47 play in the background, representing the shades that speak to the singer as they leave town. The lyrics evoke feelings of restlessness, unease, and longing for something more.

As the singer continues to walk, they describe the dusty bars and the feeling of being halfway under, like a ship that's either sinking or rising. The singer no longer wants to listen to the chatter of yesterday's crime, preferring instead to embrace the unknown possibilities of the future. The song emphasizes the idea that soul songs written with a tone of understanding can help individuals be free.

Overall, "Midnight Passenger" is a song that explores themes of restlessness, longing, and the search for meaning. The lyrics paint a picture of a lonely journey through the city at night, where the singer seeks solace in the music and the idea of being free from their problems.

Line by Line Meaning

I stepped out on a celluloid night
I went outside on a night that looked like it was in a movie

That flickered on a black and white reel
The night had flashes of light that looked like they were in an old, black and white movie

Looking for something that I could not explain
Trying to find something that I didn't understand

I could only feel
The only sense I had was feeling, nothing more

These were the songs upheld by the shades
These were the songs that people in the shadows loved to listen to

That spoke to me as I left town
That talked to me as I was leaving town

Israelite's, the harder they come, 56-47
These were some of the songs that were speaking to me

I hear them now
I can hear them in my head right now

And the words of the prophets never sounded
The words that the prophets spoke about

As good as the echo of a hard one drop
Sounded as good as the bass drop in a reggae song

To be forever enslaved by the sound the creator made
To be captivated by the music that was created by the creator

Don't let it stop
Don't let the music stop

Come again, midnight passenger
Come back again, midnight traveler

There to accompany down
To travel together down a road

To the end of the souls lost avenue
To the end of the path that lost souls travel on

Feel it now
Experience it now in the present

I kept walking in the dust all night
I continued walking through the dust all night long

Looking for a diamond in the crush
Searching for something valuable in the chaos

Halfway under in bars like a ship that was going down or coming up
Feeling stuck in bars, like a ship that was sinking or rising

It was not the sun that stung,
It wasn't the sun that hurt

But the feel of loss and the voice of suffering and fate
But the overwhelming sense of loss and the sound of people suffering showed the hand of fate

Till I just stopped listening to the chatter of all those yesterdays crime pays
I stopped paying attention to all the talk of past crimes and the rewards they brought

We will show up with all our secret problems
We will arrive with all of our hidden issues

And if we can't find land
If we can't find a place to belong

There's a tone written into soul songs that understands
There are songs with a deep understanding of the human soul

We will be free
We will finally be free and at peace

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