Stewart grew up in the coastal resort town of Bournemouth, Dorset. According to Songfacts, in days of youthful folly Stewart played in a beat group with later BBC DJ Tony Blackburn before moving to the capital to seek fortune and fame.
Having bought his first guitar from future Police guitarist Andy Summers, Stewart traded in his electric guitar for an acoustic guitar when he was offered a weekly slot at Bunjies Coffee House in London's Soho in 1965. From there, he went on to compete at the Les Cousins folk club on Greek Street, where he played alongside Cat Stevens, Bert Jansch, Van Morrison, Roy Harper and Ralph McTell
Although he had his share of the breaks, including a tenure at Bunjees coffee house and a record deal with CBS, life wasn't always easy for the young troubadour; his first serious love affair ended in disaster, and he experienced all the usual insecurities of the stranger in the big city trying to find his way.
In January 1970, Melody Maker named his second release Love Chronicles its Folk Album Of The Year, but in spite of his obviously carving out quite a name for himself, it was not until Year Of The Cat - the single and even more so the monster album - that he really shot to fame.
He emigrated to the United States as his career took off in the mid 1970s, and still lives in California. While studio albums are now few and far between, he still tours extensively in the United States, and, most years, in Europe. Recordings of concerts are often made available through his fan clubs.
In The Dark
Al Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let let us hope that he prevails."
The souvenirs provide details
Of distant monarchy
Moving through the human tide
With the Princess at his side
Tribesmen cheer and gaze wide-eyed
The Royal smile from magazines
Waving hands from limousines
The crowd holds pictures of the Queen
The magic entity
These images are beamed to me
Ten thousand miles across the sea
Lately I don't seem to be
Concerned with what they mean
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
'Cause I never saw the changes in your heart
Those angry words you soon regret
Are gone but not forgotten yet
She may forgive, she won't forget
Each individual scar
You make it up and say no more
And go on living like before
But every wave erodes the shore
And tarnishes the star
You sow each seed of discontent
Wonder where the loving went
Every night that's heaven sent
The dawn can sweep away
And in the background all the time
Like some ironic church bell chime
You watch the Royal couple climb
Towards their destiny
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
I never saw the changes in your heart
So yes, let's bless the Prince of Wales
Cheer for him and if all fails
Wrap him in Valkyries' sails
The golden vanity
I am free to choose my part
But still can't find the place to start
To find my way back to your heart
That place of mystery
In Africa the anchor slips
They bid farewell to the Royal ship
The newly painted fences chip
Life falls into routine
We go on from day to day
Living in the usual way
I don't know, and you won't say
What happened in between
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
'Cause I never saw the changes
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
I never saw the changes in your heart
Oh, I never saw the changes in your heart
The first verse of the song "In the Dark" describes the frenzy that accompanied Prince Charles and Princess Diana during their royal tour of Australia. The crowds cheered for the heir to the throne, held pictures of the Queen, and souvenirs provided details of distant monarchy. According to the lyrics, these images were beamed to the singer from ten thousand miles away, but he didn't seem to care much about what they meant. The chorus of the song repeats the line "in the dark," suggesting that the singer is unaware of the danger or changes happening around him.
The second verse shifts the focus from the Prince of Wales to the singer's personal life. The lyrics describe a relationship that has soured, with angry words that have been said but not forgotten. The singer acknowledges that they may make amends, but each argument leaves behind scars that cannot be erased. The chorus repeats, emphasizing that the singer was feeling like a stranger and didn't see the changes happening in their partner's heart.
Line by Line Meaning
They said "God Bless the Prince of Wales
Let let us hope that he prevails."
People hoped for and wished the best for Prince of Wales.
The souvenirs provide details
Of distant monarchy
Souvenirs are a representation of the distant monarchy.
Moving through the human tide
With the Princess at his side
Tribesmen cheer and gaze wide-eyed
At such celebrity
Prince of Wales and Princess had a huge following of people who cheered and looked at them with admiration.
The Royal smile from magazines
Waving hands from limousines
The crowd holds pictures of the Queen
The magic entity
The celebrities smile and wave in pictures and from cars while people hold pictures of the Queen, which creates a magical feeling.
These images are beamed to me
Ten thousand miles across the sea
Lately I don't seem to be
Concerned with what they mean
The images of celebrities and monarchy are being sent to the artist from afar but he is not concerned with what they mean.
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
'Cause I never saw the changes in your heart
The singer never noticed the changes in his partner's heart and feels like a stranger being left in the dark.
Those angry words you soon regret
Are gone but not forgotten yet
She may forgive, she won't forget
Each individual scar
Hurtful words are hard to forget and can leave scars even after forgiveness.
You make it up and say no more
And go on living like before
But every wave erodes the shore
And tarnishes the star
Apologies are made and things go back to normal, but each time it happens it tarnishes the relationship a little more.
You sow each seed of discontent
Wonder where the loving went
Every night that's heaven sent
The dawn can sweep away
Doubts and insecurities grow and make the artist question where the love went, but each dawn brings a new beginning.
And in the background all the time
Like some ironic church bell chime
You watch the Royal couple climb
Towards their destiny
The artist is always aware of the celebrity life in the background while they continue towards their own destiny.
So yes, let's bless the Prince of Wales
Cheer for him and if all fails
Wrap him in Valkyries' sails
The golden vanity
Even if things go wrong, people will still support and admire him with a golden perception of reality.
I am free to choose my part
But still can't find the place to start
To find my way back to your heart
That place of mystery
The artist is free to choose their own path, but still struggles with finding their way back to their partner's heart, a place of mystery.
In Africa the anchor slips
They bid farewell to the Royal ship
The newly painted fences chip
Life falls into routine
The Royal ship leaves Africa and life goes back to its routine with new things starting to lose their shine and fade away.
We go on from day to day
Living in the usual way
I don't know, and you won't say
What happened in between
Life continues on a daily basis and things seem usual, but the singer is unaware of what happened in between them and their partner.
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
'Cause I never saw the changes
The singer never noticed the warning signs and now feels like a stranger after the changes in their partner's heart.
Oh, I never saw the changes in your heart
The artist admits to not being aware of the changes in their partner's heart.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Actual Music, S.L.
Written by: Christian Burns, Dennis Waakop Reijers, Tijs Verwest
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tropicwave1
In The Dark
Al Stewart
They said "God Bless the Prince of Wales
Let let us hope that he prevails."
The souvenirs provide details
Of distant monarchy
Moving through the human tide
With the Princess at his side
Tribesmen cheer and gaze wide-eyed
At such celebrity
The Royal smile from magazines
Waving hands from limousines
The crowd holds pictures of the Queen
The magic entity
These images are beamed to me
Ten thousand miles across the sea
Lately I don't seem to be
Concerned with what they mean
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
'Cause I never saw the changes in your heart
Those angry words you soon regret
Are gone but not forgotten yet
She may forgive, she won't forget
Each individual scar
You make it up and say no more
And go on living like before
But every wave erodes the shore
And tarnishes the star
You sow each seed of discontent
Wonder where the loving went
Every night that's heaven sent
The dawn can sweep away
And in the background all the time
Like some ironic church bell chime
You watch the Royal couple climb
Towards their destiny
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
I never saw the changes in your heart
So yes, let's bless the Prince of Wales
Cheer for him and if all fails
Wrap him in Valkyries' sails
The golden vanity
I am free to choose my part
But still can't find the place to start
To find my way back to your heart
That place of mystery
In Africa the anchor slips
They bid farewell to the Royal ship
The newly painted fences chip
Life falls into routine
We go on from day to day
Living in the usual way
I don't know, and you won't say
What happened in between
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
'Cause I never saw the changes
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
I never saw the changes in your heart
Oh, I never saw the changes in your heart
Written by: CHRISTIAN ANTHONY BURNS, TIJS M. N VERWEST, REIJERS N WAAKOP
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
@tropicwave1
In The Dark
Al Stewart
They said "God Bless the Prince of Wales
Let let us hope that he prevails."
The souvenirs provide details
Of DISTANT monarchy
Moving through the human tide
With the Princess at his side
Tribesmen cheer and gaze wide-eyed
At such celebrity
The Royal smile from magazines
Waving hands from limousines
The crowd holds pictures of the Queen
The magic entity
These images are beamed to me
TEN THOUSAND MILES ACROSS THE SEA
Lately I don't seem to be
Concerned with what they mean
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
'Coz I never saw the changes in your heart
Those angry words you soon regret
Are gone but not forgotten yet
She may forgive, she won't forget
Each individual SCAR
You make it up and say no more
And go on living like before
But every wave erodes the shore
And tarnishes the STAR
You sow each seed of discontent
Wonder where the loving went
Every night that's heaven sent
The dawn can sweep away
And in the background all the time
Like some ironic church bell chime
You watch the Royal couple climb
Towards their destiny
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
I never saw the changes in your heart
So yes, let's bless the Prince of Wales
Cheer for him and if all fails
Wrap him in Valkyries' sails
The golden vanity
I am free to choose my part
But still can't find the place to start
To find my way back to your heart
That place of mystery
In Africa the anchor slips
They bid farewell to the Royal ship
The newly painted fences chip
Life falls into routine
We go on from day to day
Living in the usual way
I don't know, and you won't say
What happened in between
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
'Cause I never saw the changes
In the dark, in the dark
Oh I never saw the danger or the spark
In the dark, in the dark
I was feeling like a stranger
I never saw the changes in your heart
Oh, I never saw the changes in your heart
"In the Dark" as written by Tijs M. N Verwest Christian Anthony Burns
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
@dananutter3977
One of the best
He never disappoints live
God Bless Al
@alanhall7058
Tremendous song! One of my favs and so over looked in his great catalog of work. UK's lost was America's gain. He should be on everyone's bucket list to see Al Stewart live. Saw him in Fairhope AL. Great evening,
@rac717
I've seen Al probably 30 times. If he ever played In the Dark live, every hair in my body would stand at attention.
@shubhoroy8438
"I am free choose my path, but still can't find the place to start, find my way to back your heart - that place of mystery"
hauntingly beautiful lyrics
@dananutter1739
Al is truly. A gem thats been overlooked. As always a pleasure to see live.
@dananutter3977
A master with vocabulary
A great songwriter
@randyspotts4480
thanks for posting this one of the greatest love songs ever written to see al stewart
is one of life greatest pleasures over hundreds of songs written ive seen him over 7 times and the only thing better is to see him a 8th time
@rac717
I just saw him perform in Phoenixville, Pa on Oct 21. The entire Cat album was performed with a band, Empty Pockets. What a great treat. In the Dark is one of my faves as well. BRILLIANT!
@Deblen
masterclass !!
@steveasat2
Who says topical songs age badly? This is as fine as the day it was recorded. And these days it's even topical again.