San Fanciscan Nights
Eric Burdon Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Strobe light beam, creates dreams
Walls move, minds do too
On a warm San Franciscan night

Old child, young child
Feel all right

On a warm San Franciscan night
Angels sing, leather wings
Jeans of blue, Harley Davidson's too
On a warm San Franciscan night

Old angel, young angel
Feel all right
On a warm San Franciscan night

I wasn't born there
Perhaps I'll die there
There's no place left to go
San Francisco

Cops face is filled with hate
Heavens above
He's on a street called "Love"
When will they ever learn?
Old cop, young cop
Feel all right
On a warm San Franciscan night

The children are cool
They don't raise fools




It's an American dream
Includes Indians too

Overall Meaning

The song San Francisco Nights by Eric Burdon is an iconic ode to the city of San Francisco. Through the lyrics, Burdon captures the essence and energy of the city during the 1960s, when it was the hub of counterculture and activism.


The song begins with the description of a warm San Franciscan night where strobe light beam creates dreams and walls move. Burdon means that on such nights, the city is alive with events and people, and the energy is infectious. The next lines describe the city inhabitants- old child, young child, old angel, and young angel, feeling all right. This could refer to the hippie culture where age distinctions did not matter, and everyone was accepted.


The song moves on to describe a typical scene on the streets of San Francisco, where people wear jeans of blue and ride Harley Davidsons. Burdon mentions the leather wings, probably referring to the freedom riders experience while riding in the open air. The song then takes a political turn where Burdon talks about a cop's face filled with hate while he is on a street called love, and the guitarist asks when will they ever learn. This line refers to the anti-Vietnam War protests and the mounting tensions between the police and protesters. The final line, "The children are cool, they don't raise fools, It's an American dream, includes Indians too," suggests the idea of harmony and unity in San Francisco and includes everyone in it.


Line by Line Meaning

Strobe light beam, creates dreams
The flickering strobe light stimulates the imagination, conjuring up vivid visions of a different world


Walls move, minds do too
The psychedelic environment is so intense that even the usual rigidity of the physical world gives way to fluidity, and thinking is also impacted in unpredictable ways


On a warm San Franciscan night
The setting in which all these experiences occur is the unique atmosphere of San Francisco, where anything seems possible


Old child, young child
People of all ages are united in their enjoyment of the moment and the freedom it represents


Feel all right
The vibe is positive and relaxed, with no fear or judgment to spoil the mood


Angels sing, leather wings
Euphoric music is being played, and the people dancing seem to have supernatural powers or exotic personas


Jeans of blue, Harley Davidson's too
The fashion and vehicles of the time reflect a rebellious spirit, rejecting the mainstream and embracing individual expression


Old angel, young angel
Everyone present is part of the same celestial congregation, a timeless and ageless assembly of like-minded souls


I wasn't born there
The artist did not originate from San Francisco, but still feels a deep connection to it


Perhaps I'll die there
The city holds such fascination and attraction that the thought of passing away there seems desirable


There's no place left to go
San Francisco is the ultimate destination, the culmination of all the dreams and aspirations of the period


Cops face is filled with hate
Despite the prevailing good vibrations, not all authority figures are on board, and some display open hostility or aggression


Heavens above
The police officer's violent behavior contrasts with the celestial and exalted sensations of the overall scene


He's on a street called "Love"
Ironically, the location where the cop is enforcing his power is named after the very opposite sentiment, adding further contrast to the mix


When will they ever learn?
The singer expresses the common belief that society needs to evolve beyond divisive, violent, or oppressive attitudes in order to reach true freedom and love


Old cop, young cop
The contrast between the generations is highlighted again, this time in connection to the way power is wielded and justice is administered


The children are cool
As opposed to the adult world, the younger generation is perceived as having a more open mind, more courageous spirit, and more promising future


They don't raise fools
Education and upbringing are seen as important factors in shaping the mentality and values of individuals, and as such, the children are instilled with a sense of wisdom and resilience


It's an American dream
San Francisco represents a form of national ideal, a place where people can live freely, creatively, and harmoniously, in contrast to the restrictive norms of mainstream America


Includes Indians too
The artist acknowledges the importance of acknowledging and respecting the Native American heritage and presence in the land, and the role they play in the collective story of America




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: BARRIE ERNEST JENKINS, DANNY MCCULLOCH, ERIC VICTOR BURDON, JOHNNY WEIDER, VIC BRIGGS

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

@exentr

@@alisonshenton I assume that he liked this song. Weird choice imo but I am just happy for the weird choice. Sometimes 'weird' is good. I know he did performed Wake Up Little Susie. The reason is say weird, well, San Fransican Nights was out of our league. I had barely heard of The Animals, well, only The House of the Rising Sun. Also our teacher, if I'd guess, I'd say conservative. Hard to say.
The school year were unforgettable. It is a 'Folkehøyskole'. You may recognize as 'Folk High School' (FHS) the the only aim is to develop individual character for universal humanistic values. We have lots of FHSs in Norway and the Nordic. Socializing and culture activity is essential. My FHS did offer class in agriculture, music, media, sports and outdoor life (hunting, fishing, haiking, camping, skiing, interest in nature etc) and household subject (primarily preparing food). We worked on culture projects. We had theater groups, we sang and played. We had concerts. You may compare to the tv show Fame.
The location for my school is at the Russian border. We could see a Russian City from the school. Just a few miles east, and we'd be in Russia. The border is in the midle of The Pasvik River which is just nearby the school.
Pasvik FHS had a tradition to end the school year with an annual school trip to /USSR/Russia. So did we in April 1986. You may already know The Chernobyl accident that happened in late April of 1986 just when we were about to head for Russia.
We got green light from the Norwegian authorities. We could go on school trip to USSR. We did celebrate May 1st in a parade in St.Petersburg (Leningrad at that time). It was a little rainy and I remember our teachers did small in the air. They claimed they could smell sulfur. I couldn't smell anything.
After Leningrad, we flew Aeroflot over Chernobyl and Kyiv to Odesa. Odesa is a harbor. It was city with a disturbing atmosphere. I bet there were sailors from all over the world. One afternoon just before sunset, a man pointed a hand gun at us from his hotel balcony. We were standing at our hotel room balcony one or two floors above. We jumped back and inside our hotel room. Two girls started to cry. We called our teachers. The girls explained but they cried so hard. One teacher looked at me and asked very seriously. - What happened? I said. - It is like the girls say. Someone pointed a hand gun at us.
Back from school trip, on the Norwegian/USSR border, representatives from The State's Radiation Service meet us. They could find a little bit radiation on a shoe.
Pasvik FHS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLrlPQcvcVx5bK6JGYdUNbg
Pasvik FSH homepage: https://www.pasvikfolkehogskole.no/folk-high-school
Google maps: https://www.google.no/maps/place/Pasvik+Folkeh%C3%B8gskole/@67.4556047,30.9259827,4z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x4434ab48f01b0dd3:0x8749f7dede92b3f4!8m2!3d69.4552865!4d30.0492651



All comments from YouTube:

@ArmandoCruzPerez

Thanks everyone for liking the BEST MUSIC in History. - I´m Mexican. :D. Don´t Suscribe PLEASE., I don´t have more videos.

@adamhepburn9701

You're more than welcome, Armando Cruz Perez. I would also like to say a very big thank you very much for uploading this performance of The Animals singing this beautiful song. I've loved this song for so many years, but I've never been able to find any footage of The Animals singing this fantastic song until now. Thank you very much once again, and rock on!!

@ArmandoCruzPerez

@@adamhepburn9701 Thank you so much friend. - This video was here some years ago and I was able to save it. Someone helped me to upload it. Sorry for the bad quality. Yes, a BIG Song from the New Animals, a Favourite from the sixties. Thanks again, you´re welcome. And yes, ROCK ON...!!! :D PEACE & LOVE.

@ArmandoCruzPerez

@SandyQuinn50 Exactly. The world needs this MAGIC again. Thank You so much. Hello from Puebla, México. :D

@enriqueramirezgarcia383

What brother 👋👋saludos desde Bensalem Pennsylvania USA

@ArmandoCruzPerez

@@enriqueramirezgarcia383 :D Hola, gracias. Saludos también desde Puebla, Mexico.

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@ronkirk5099

Scott Mackenzie's 'San Francisco' was one vision of this great city, but Eric Burdon expresses the vibe of my San Francisco.

@danadesimone9322

It does mine too and I'm born, raised and still here..we used to play this along with Santana, Sly, Tommy James, etc..in Dolores Park, Speedway Meadows, Kelly's Cove, etc..usually drinking Red Mountain Wine

@craigchapman1068

Expresses the vibe and the culture of the time what amazing times those were

@sattwa2

@@danadesimone9322One of my favorite. SF Nights are rarely warm—But Eric’s forgiven😉 He caught the vibe. It was warm in the heart.

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