In 1976, he achieved a national breakout with the studio album Night Moves. On his studio albums, he also worked extensively with the Alabama-based Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, which appeared on several of Seger's best-selling singles and albums.
Seger's first marriage in 1968 lasted for "one day short of a year". He had a long-term relationship with Jan Dinsdale from 1972 until 1983. In 1987, he married actress Annette Sinclair and they divorced one year later. He married Juanita Dorricott in 1993, in a small private setting at The Village Club, in Bloomfield Hills; they have two children. Seger lives mainly at his home in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. He owns a condo in Naples, Florida.
Politically, Seger has characterized himself as a centrist: "[I'm] right down the middle", he remarked. He supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. He tackled antiestablishment themes in early songs such as "2+2=?" (1968) and "U.M.C. (Upper Middle Class)" (1974), according to Brian McCollum of the Detroit Free Press. On his 2014 album Ride Out, he addressed topics such as gun violence, and wrote "It's Your World" about climate change. On the subject, he said, "There are a lot of culprits in climate change, and everybody's responsible, myself included. Nobody gets a free pass on this one. We've got to change our ways and change them fast.
A roots rocker with a classic raspy, shouting voice, Seger wrote and recorded songs that deal with love, women and blue-collar themes and is an example of heartland rock. Seger has recorded many hits, including "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man", "Night Moves", "Turn the Page", "Still the Same", "We've Got Tonight", "Against the Wind", "You'll Accomp'ny Me", "Shame on the Moon", "Like a Rock", and "Shakedown", which was written for Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). Seger also co-wrote the Eagles' number-one hit "Heartache Tonight", and his iconic recording of "Old Time Rock and Roll" was named one of the Songs of the Century in 2001.
With a career spanning six decades, Seger continues to perform and record today. Seger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012. Seger was named Billboard's 2015 Legend of Live honoree at the 12th annual Billboard Touring Conference & Awards, held November 18–19 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York.
Seger was known as one of the last holdouts regarding making his catalog available for digital download and streaming. However, as of 2017, much of his work is available.
Leanin on My Dream
Bob Seger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And what should I happen to see
There were picket lines
And the people were a shoutin'
"Down with democracy"
As I strolled on by someone grabbed my arm and said
"buddy where do you stand"?
I said "I stand wherever I choose my friend
As I walked away on a sunny day, I swear IÂ heard him scream
"you know you're leanin' on my dream"
"Hey man you're leanin on my dream"
Got home and turned on the tv set
And sat me down to eat
And a man came on
Talkin' bout the coppers
They were blockin' off another street
Seems some folks was raisin' cain
And a riot had broke out
and they flashed the camera on the guy who had stopped me
I watched him runnin' about
As the cops were draggin him away
I heard on of 'em scream
"you know you're leanin' on my dream"
"these kids are leanin' on my dream"
oh yeah
well I got up and turned off the tv set
And to tell you I was feelin' mean
An I thought a while
Tryin to make some sense
Out of everything that I have seen
I was addin' the score when there's a knock on the door
Was a letter addressed to me
It read "greetings from the president, united states"
I fell down on my knees
The next day I was on the picket line
And Lord you should have heard me scream
"you know you're leanin' on my dream"
"hey man you're leanin' on my dream"
The lyrics of Bob Seger's "Leaving On My Dream" describe a series of events that the singer encounters as he goes about his day. As he walks to the drugstore, he witnesses a protest against democracy, and when he refuses to take sides, he is confronted by a man who accuses him of "leaning on my dream." This phrase refers to the idea that the singer's dream is to live in a world where everyone has a say, and by refusing to take a side, the singer is impeding that dream. Later, he watches on television as a riot breaks out and sees the man who confronted him being dragged away by the police. He then receives a letter from the President, which leads him to join the picket line and scream the same phrase that he had been accused of earlier.
Line by Line Meaning
I was walkin to the corner drug store
The singer was walking towards the corner drug store
And what should I happen to see
The singer saw something unexpected
There were picket lines
There were lines of people protesting
And the people were a shoutin'
The people were shouting loudly
"Down with democracy"
They were against democracy
As I strolled on by someone grabbed my arm and said
As the singer was walking, someone stopped him by grabbing his arm and said
"buddy where do you stand"?
They wanted to know the singer's position on the matter
I said "I stand wherever I choose my friend
The artist replied by saying he will stand wherever he wants
And you best let go of my hand"
The artist asked the person to let go of his hand
As I walked away on a sunny day, I swear I heard him scream
As the artist walked away, he heard the person scream after him
"you know you're leanin' on my dream"
The person accused the singer of leaning on his dream
"Hey man you're leanin on my dream"
The person repeated his accusation
Got home and turned on the tv set
The singer went home and turned on the TV
And sat me down to eat
The singer sat down to eat
And a man came on
A man appeared on TV
Talkin' bout the coppers
The man was talking about the police
They were blockin' off another street
The police had blocked off a street
Seems some folks was raisin' cain
Some people were causing trouble
And a riot had broke out
A riot had started
and they flashed the camera on the guy who had stopped me
The TV crew showed footage of the person who had stopped the artist
I watched him runnin' about
The artist saw him running around
As the cops were draggin him away
The police were taking him away
I heard on of 'em scream
The singer heard a police officer scream
"you know you're leanin' on my dream"
The police officer accused the person of leaning on his dream
"these kids are leanin' on my dream"
The police officer repeated his accusation
well I got up and turned off the tv set
The singer got up and turned off the TV
And to tell you I was feelin' mean
The singer was feeling angry
An I thought a while
The artist thought for a while
Tryin to make some sense
The artist was trying to make sense of everything he had seen
Out of everything that I have seen
The singer was trying to make sense of everything he had seen
I was addin' the score when there's a knock on the door
The singer was keeping track of everything when there was a knock on the door
Was a letter addressed to me
The artist received a letter
It read "greetings from the president, united states"
The letter had greetings from the president of the United States
I fell down on my knees
The artist fell down on his knees
The next day I was on the picket line
The next day, the singer was protesting
And Lord you should have heard me scream
The artist screamed loudly
"you know you're leanin' on my dream"
The singer accused others of leaning on his dream
"hey man you're leanin' on my dream"
The singer accused others of leaning on his dream again
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BOB SEGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mike67006700
Great Story for that Time................I was walkin to the corner drug store
And what should I happen to see
There were picket lines
And the people were a shoutin'
"Down with democracy"
As I strolled on by someone grabbed my arm and said
"buddy where do you stand"?
I said "I stand wherever I choose my friend
And you best let go of my hand"
As I walked away on a sunny day, I swear IВ heard him scream
"you know you're leanin' on my dream"
"Hey man you're leanin on my dream"
Got home and turned on the tv set
And sat me down to eat
And a man came on
Talkin' bout the coppers
They were blockin' off another street
Seems some folks was raisin' cain
And a riot had broke out
And they flashed the camera on the guy who had stopped me
I watched him runnin' about
As the cops were draggin him away
I heard on of 'em scream
"you know you're leanin' on my dream"
"these kids are leanin' on my dream"
Oh yeah
Well I got up and turned off the tv set
And to tell you I was feelin' mean
An I thought a while
Tryin to make some sense
Out of everything that I have seen
I was addin' the score when there's a knock on the door
Was a letter addressed to me
It read "greetings from the president, united states"
I fell down on my knees
The next day I was on the picket line
And Lord you should have heard me scream
"you know you're leanin' on my dream"
"hey man you're leanin' on my dream"
@tank1964864
I stand where ever i choose my friend and you best let go of my hand !!! Dont ever lean on my dream!!
@LaurieLaSalle26
His vocals were kick ass on this album, a record filled with what he was passionate about. It saddens me that the regular fan has no idea as to the brilliant work he did pre Silver Bullet.
@Nycholas17
Brilliant song. Hits hard and is clear n' funky.
@humanjukebox1958
I agree. As much as I love all Bob's stuff, everything he released before Beautiful Loser is so diverse and cool to listen to.
@kirbykennedy137
Loved this song. Thanks.
@lindaveal9275
Love bob Seger music Rock on baby
@mike67006700
Great Story for that Time................I was walkin to the corner drug store
And what should I happen to see
There were picket lines
And the people were a shoutin'
"Down with democracy"
As I strolled on by someone grabbed my arm and said
"buddy where do you stand"?
I said "I stand wherever I choose my friend
And you best let go of my hand"
As I walked away on a sunny day, I swear IВ heard him scream
"you know you're leanin' on my dream"
"Hey man you're leanin on my dream"
Got home and turned on the tv set
And sat me down to eat
And a man came on
Talkin' bout the coppers
They were blockin' off another street
Seems some folks was raisin' cain
And a riot had broke out
And they flashed the camera on the guy who had stopped me
I watched him runnin' about
As the cops were draggin him away
I heard on of 'em scream
"you know you're leanin' on my dream"
"these kids are leanin' on my dream"
Oh yeah
Well I got up and turned off the tv set
And to tell you I was feelin' mean
An I thought a while
Tryin to make some sense
Out of everything that I have seen
I was addin' the score when there's a knock on the door
Was a letter addressed to me
It read "greetings from the president, united states"
I fell down on my knees
The next day I was on the picket line
And Lord you should have heard me scream
"you know you're leanin' on my dream"
"hey man you're leanin' on my dream"
@VTtom62
Such a great LP!
@paullevine1813
Sure remember those days , I've had this record since 1970 , still plays great but after trying to find the cd I could not believe the price ... i'll transfer it to a cd myself . Thanks for the post
@donaldellis8952
paul levine I found a used cd of this about 30 years ago for a couple of bucks was my lucky day. Saw them on this tour.