Soho
Al Stewart and Shot in the Dark Lyrics


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Rainstorm, brainstorm, faces in the maelstrom
Huddle by the puddles in the shadows where the drains run
Hot dogs, wet clogs clicking up the sidewalk
Disappearing into the booze shop
Rainbow queues stand down by the news stand, waiting for the late
show
Pin ball, sin hall, minds in free fall
Chocolate-colored ladies making eyes through the smoke-pall
Soho (needless to say)
I'm alone on your streets on a Friday evening
I've been here all of the day
I'm going nowhere with nowhere to go
Football supporters taking the waters
They're looking round for the twilight daughters
Non-stop strip club pornographic bookshop
Come into the back and take your time and have a good look
Old man laughs with flowers in his hair
Newspaper headline "Midde East Deadline"
Jazz musicians are down on the breadline
Soho (needless to say)
I'm alone on your streets on a Friday evening
I've been here all of the day
I'm going nowhere with nowhere to go
Soho feeds the needs and hides the deeds, the mind that bleeds
Disenchanted, downstream in the night
Soho hears the lies, the twisted cries, the lonely sighs
Till she seems lost in dreams
The sun goes down on a neon eon
Though you'd have a job explaining it to Richard Coeur de Lion
Animation, bar conversation, anticipation, disinclination
Poor old wino turns with dust in his eyes
Begs for the dregs from the bottom of the kegs, man
You've never seen a lady lay down and spread her legs like
Soho (needless to say)
I'm alone on your sheets on a Friday evening
I've been here all of the day
I'm going nowhere with nowhere to go
Soho (needless to say)
I'm alone on your streets, or am I dreaming




I've been here all of the day
I'm going nowhere with nowhere to go

Overall Meaning

The song "Soho" by Al Stewart describes the bustling, vibrant, and chaotic area of Soho in London. The lyrics paint a picture of the varied people and experiences that can be found in the neighborhood. The rain, hot dogs, and clicking wet clogs create a sensory experience, against which Stewart lays his observations. He describes rainbow queues waiting for a late show, pinball and sin hall, and chocolate-colored ladies making eyes through the smoke-pall. Football supporters and twilight daughters mingle, and the strip club-pornographic bookshop beckons the curious. The old man laughs with flowers in his hair, perhaps a symbol of Soho's ability to make the old seem new and weirdly beautiful.


Stewart captures the dichotomy of Soho, which provides for the needs of people, while hiding their nefarious deeds. The mind that bleeds can be lost in the neon lights and the anonymity of the crowds. Jazz musicians huddle on the breadline and the poor old wino begs for the dregs. Soho hears the lies, twisted cries, and lonely sighs, and still it seems lost in dreams. The song ends with Stewart alone on the streets of Soho, going nowhere with nowhere to go, creating a sense of isolation even in the midst of the crowd.


Overall, "Soho" is a poetic tribute to a neighborhood that is full of life but also hides a dark side. The song is an evocative and vivid portrayal of Soho's streets and characters.


Line by Line Meaning

Rainstorm, brainstorm, faces in the maelstrom
It’s raining heavily and people are hurrying through the streets trying to find shelter


Huddle by the puddles in the shadows where the drains run
People are standing close to the edges of the streets trying to avoid the water flowing in the drains


Hot dogs, wet clogs clicking up the sidewalk
People are walking on the pavements and the sound of their shoes is audible over the sound of the rain


Disappearing into the booze shop
People are entering a bar/liquor store to escape from the rain


Rainbow queues stand down by the news stand, waiting for the late show
People are standing in lines waiting for a late show/movie outside a news stand with rainbow-colored adverts


Pin ball, sin hall, minds in free fall
People are playing pinball in a hall where sinful things are also happening, and no one is trying to stop them


Chocolate-colored ladies making eyes through the smoke-pall
Women are making suggestive eye contact through the smoky haze


Soho (needless to say)
Referencing Soho, which is known to many


I'm alone on your streets on a Friday evening
The singer is alone on the streets of Soho on a Friday evening


I've been here all of the day
The singer has been in Soho the entire day


I'm going nowhere with nowhere to go
The singer is wandering aimlessly with no particular destination in mind


Football supporters taking the waters
Football supporters are relaxing at a spa


They're looking round for the twilight daughters
The supporters are searching for prostitutes


Non-stop strip club pornographic bookshop
A bookshop promoting pornographic strip clubs that never closes


Come into the back and take your time and have a good look
Customers are invited to check out the store's merchandise at their leisure


Old man laughs with flowers in his hair
An elderly man is laughing while wearing flowers as decoration


Newspaper headline 'Middle East Deadline'
There is a deadline approaching for Middle Eastern news stories


Jazz musicians are down on the breadline
Jazz musicians are struggling financially


Soho feeds the needs and hides the deeds, the mind that bleeds
Soho caters to people's desires and protects their secrets, but it also attracts those with troubled minds


Disenchanted, downstream in the night
People are feeling disillusioned and defeated as they move through the dark streets


Soho hears the lies, the twisted cries, the lonely sighs
Soho is witness to lies, distressing outbursts, and the signs of loneliness


Till she seems lost in dreams
Soho appears as if it is lost in its own dream world


The sun goes down on a neon eon
As the sun sets, the neon lights in Soho become more prominent


Though you'd have a job explaining it to Richard Coeur de Lion
It would be difficult to explain the atmosphere of Soho to someone who lived over 800 years ago


Animation, bar conversation, anticipation, disinclination
There is lively chatter in the bars, people are excitedly anticipating something, and others are indifferent


Poor old wino turns with dust in his eyes
A homeless alcoholic man turns around with dust in his eyes


Begs for the dregs from the bottom of the kegs, man
The man is asking for leftover alcohol at the end of the night


You've never seen a lady lay down and spread her legs like
A lady is performing a sexual act like nothing ever seen before


Soho (needless to say)
Referencing Soho, which is known to many


I'm alone on your sheets on a Friday evening
The singer is alone in Soho on a Friday evening


I've been here all of the day
The singer has been in Soho the entire day


I'm going nowhere with nowhere to go
The singer is wandering aimlessly with no particular destination in mind


Soho (needless to say)
Referencing Soho, which is known to many


I'm alone on your streets, or am I dreaming
The singer feels as though they might be dreaming, or that their experience in Soho is surreal


I've been here all of the day
The singer has been in Soho the entire day


I'm going nowhere with nowhere to go
The singer is wandering aimlessly with no particular destination in mind




Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALISTAIR IAN STEWART

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@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.



All comments from YouTube:

@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.

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