Recordings:
* Leprechauns Are Upon Me (1959 as Dory Langdon)
* On My Way to Where (1970) - United Artists
* Reflections in a Mud Puddle/Taps Tremors and Time Steps (1971) - United Artists
* Mythical Kings and Iguanas (1971) - United Artists
* Mary C. Brown and the Hollywood Sign (1972) - United Artists
* Dory Previn (1974) - Warner Bros
* We're Children of Coincidence and Harpo Marx (1976) - Warner Bros
* "Dory & Andre Previn (1983)
* "Planet Blue" - (2002)
Twenty-Mile Zone
Dory Previn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Screaming at the night
Screaming at the dark
Screaming at fright
I wasn't doing nothing
Just drive about
Screaming at the dark
That's all I was doing
Just letting it out
Well, along comes a motorcycle
Very much to my surprise
I said, "Officer, was I speeding"
I couldn't see his eyes
He said, "No, you weren't speeding"
And he felt where his gun was hung
He said, "Lady, you were screaming
At the top of your lung"
And you were, doing it alone
You were doing it alone
You were screaming in your car
In a twenty-mile zone
You were doing it alone
You were doing it alone
You were screaming
I said, "I'll roll up all my windows"
Don't want to disturb the peace
I'm just a creature
Who is looking for a little release
I said
"And what's so wrong with screaming
Don't you do it at your games
When the quarterback breaks an elbow?"
When the boxer beats and maims
But you were, doing it alone
You were doing it alone
You were screaming in your car
In a twenty-mile zone
You were doing it alone
You were doing it alone
You were screaming
I said, "Animals roar when they feel like
Why can't we do that too
Instead of screaming 'Banzai baby'
In the war, in the human zoo"
He said, "I got to take you in now
Follow me right behind
And let's have no more screaming
Like you're out of your mind"
So he climbed aboard his cycle
And his red-eyed headlight beamed
And his motor started spinning
And his siren screamed
He was doing it alone
He was doing it alone
He was screaming on his bike
In a twenty-mile zone
He was doing it alone
He was doing it alone
He was screaming
I was doing it alone
I was doing it alone
I was screaming in my car
In a twenty-mile zone
I was doing it alone
I was doing it alone
I was screaming
We were doing it together
We were doing it together
We were screaming at the dark
In a twenty-mile zone
We were doing it together
We were doing it together
We were screaming
We were doing it together
We were doing it together alone
In a twenty-mile zone
In the song "Twenty-Mile Zone," Dory Previn sings about driving alone and screaming into the night. She contends that she wasn't doing anything wrong except for finding a little comfort in releasing her pent up emotions. Suddenly, a motorcycle pulls up behind her, and she is pulled over by a stern officer who instructs her to stop screaming, and to follow him to the station. There is a contrast between Previn's efforts to relieve herself of pent-up emotions and the officer's stern reaction to her scream.
Throughout the lyrics, Previn references the twenty-mile zone, which is a speed limit zone in Los Angeles, California, where the song is set. The twenty-mile zone serves as a metaphor for the boundaries that society sets for appropriate behavior, and the frustration one can feel when trying to stay within those limits.
Ultimately, Previn realizes that the motorcycle officer is just like her – keeping his emotions pent up and screaming into the night while riding his motorcycle. The song speaks to the universal human need to release emotions and the tendency of society to police and punish those who express themselves in unconventional ways.
Line by Line Meaning
I was riding in my car
I was driving without any specific purpose or destination.
Screaming at the night
I let out my frustrations and anxiety by screaming aloud.
Screaming at the dark
I felt overwhelmed and fearful of the unknown.
Screaming at fright
I was screaming due to feelings of terror and panic.
I wasn't doing nothing
I was not engaged in any particular activity except driving.
Just drive about
I was aimlessly navigating on the road.
Screaming at the dark
I was screaming as a way to let out my emotions and frustrations.
Letting it out
I was venting my anger, fear, and anxiety.
That's all I was doing
My aim was solely to release my innermost emotions.
Just letting it out
I was trying to ease the tension by releasing pent-up emotions through screaming.
Well, along comes a motorcycle
A police officer came my way while riding a motorcycle.
Very much to my surprise
I was caught off guard by the arrival of the officer.
I said, "Officer, was I speeding"
I asked the officer if I had violated any speed limit laws.
I couldn't see his eyes
I could not determine the officer's thoughts or intentions due to his dark sunglasses.
He said, "No, you weren't speeding"
The officer told me I had not been speeding on the road.
And he felt where his gun was hung
I sensed that the officer was uneasy about my behavior.
He said, "Lady, you were screaming
The officer pointed out that I was screaming very loudly.
At the top of your lung"
I was screaming loudly, almost to the point where it was unbearable.
And you were, doing it alone
I was the only one screaming in my car, without any company.
You were doing it alone
I was feeling isolated and alone in my car while screaming.
You were screaming in your car
I was releasing my emotions by screaming while driving.
In a twenty-mile zone
I was driving in a residential neighborhood where the speed limit allowed only up to 20 miles per hour.
I said, "I'll roll up all my windows"
I offered to close all the windows in my car to avoid causing a disturbance.
Don't want to disturb the peace
I tried to avoid causing any disturbances or noise that could cause alarm to others.
I'm just a creature
I am human by nature, capable of experiencing emotions that must be expressed every so often.
Who is looking for a little release
I was searching for an outlet to express my feelings and alleviate the tension within me.
And what's so wrong with screaming
I questioned the idea of screaming being considered a wrong or problematic behavior.
Don't you do it at your games
I pointed out that screaming is a natural response, such as during sporting events.
When the quarterback breaks an elbow?
Screaming is common when someone gets injured during sports events, such as when a quarterback gets hurt.
When the boxer beats and maims
Screaming may also be a common factor during sporting events when a boxer wins by beating up their opponent.
But you were, doing it alone
I was the only one in my car, expressing my emotions by screaming.
I said, "Animals roar when they feel like
I compared screaming to an animal's natural behavior of roaring when stressed.
Why can't we do that too
I wondered why expressing ourselves through screaming is not as socially acceptable as it is for animals.
Instead of screaming 'Banzai baby'
I criticized society's glorification of war and violence, equating it to screaming.
In the war, in the human zoo"
I referred to the people caught up in the war as animals, trapped in a human-made and controlled environment.
He said, "I got to take you in now
The officer informed me that he had to arrest me for my behavior on the road.
Follow me right behind
He instructed me to follow his motorcycle while he led the way.
And let's have no more screaming
The officer demanded that I stop screaming immediately.
Like you're out of your mind"
The officer suggested that my screaming made it appear as if I had lost my sanity.
So he climbed aboard his cycle
The officer mounted his motorcycle and was ready to go.
And his red-eyed headlight beamed
The officer's motorcycle had a bright headlight which appeared red to me.
And his motor started spinning
The motorcycle's engine began to rev up.
And his siren screamed
The police siren went off, announcing our presence.
He was doing it alone
The officer was alone on his motorcycle while making his way back to the station.
He was screaming on his bike
The officer's siren was his way of announcing his presence on the street.
We were doing it together
The officer and I together shared the experience of traveling on the road with equal stress levels.
We were screaming at the dark
We both had our share of fears and anxieties that we were trying to cope with in our minds.
We were doing it together alone
We both acknowledged each other's presence, yet we were still both battling with our own inner demons together.
In a twenty-mile zone
We were still driving in a residential area with a speed limit of 20 miles per hour.
We were doing it together
We recognized each other's shared struggle in coping with anxiety and stress.
We were screaming
We both were looking for an outlet to release our frustrations and let out our fears.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DORY LANGDON PREVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sirprince9734
Love this as a child and SCREAMED THE WHOLE WAY FROM THE BEACH TO HOME. SO SICK OF EVERYTHING
@slywlf
OMG!!! I have been thinking I was delusional - for years nobody knew what I was talking about when I described this song!!! Thank you for posting this! It was fun to hear again, and though my memory of details was off the gist was still there in my head. 😂
@dsremingto
Always a great song from long ago. She only needs to sing the first note and it all comes back clear as a bell. Buried in my soul I believe.
@torgeirmolaug196
Love it!
@wordzmyth
This captures that moment when you have to express how impossible life is. How wonderful to find someone to scream with!
@originaljgf
Ah, I remember this song well; it made the Top 40 my senior year of high school. And no one else since then seems to remember it at all.
@sirprince9734
I loved it!
@katzandkids
Still meaningful. Love this song, love this album.
@Cjgager
I listen to this album every once in a while - she was very insightful, for whatever that's worth. nice album.
@wandamundy2990
The album - "On My Way To Where" - was basically the story of how Mia Farrow's appearance in their lives - completely destroyed the marriage of André and Dory Previn. And in that destruction - Dory had a nervous breakdown. The album is the story of how it happened ("Beware of Young Girls"), and her partial recovery. A BRILLIANT album . . .