From a first single in 1979, the group successfully combined a pop rock and power pop (and sometimes, a blues rock) influenced backing with harmony side-vocals and Lewis' strident voice, and the band had numerous hit songs during the 1980s and early 1990s. These include "The Power of Love" and "Back in Time" (both of which were featured in the film "Back to the Future"), "I Want a New Drug", "Doin' It All (For My Baby)", "Do You Believe in Love?" "Hip to Be Square", "Stuck With You", and "Jacob's Ladder". Huey Lewis shared three Grammy awards, an American Music Award, and a People's Choice Award along with several artists for his role singing the 1985 charity song "We Are the World" as well.
=Albums=
Huey Lewis & the News (1980)
Picture This (1982) [#13 U.S. Gold]
Sports (1983) [#1 U.S. 7x Platinum]
Back to the Future Soundtrack (1985) [Gold]
Fore! (1986) [#1 U.S. 3x Platinum]
Small World (1988) [#11 U.S. Platinum]
Hard at Play (1991) [#27 U.S. Gold]
The Heart of Rock & Roll - The Best of Huey Lewis and The News (1992)
Four Chords & Several Years Ago (1994) [#55 U.S.]
Time Flies: The Best of Huey Lewis and the News (1996) [#185 U.S.]
Plan B (2001) [#165 U.S.]
Live at 25 (2005)
Greatest Hits & Videos (2006) [#70 U.S.]
www.hueylewisandthenews.com
Walkin' On A Thin Line
Huey Lewis & The News Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I curse the dark and a pray for light
And sometimes, the light's no consolation
Blinded by a memory
Afraid of what it might do to me
And the tears and the sweat only mock my desperation
Don't you know me I'm the boy next door
The one you find so easy to ignore
Walking on a thin line
Straight off the front line
Labeled as freaks loose on the streets of the city
Walking on a thin line
Straight off the front line
Take a look at my face, see what it's doing to me
Taught me how to shoot to kill
A specialist with a deadly skill
A skill I needed to have to be a survivor
It's over now or so they say
Well, sometimes, it don't turn out that way
Cause your never the same when you've been under fire
Don't you know me I'm the boy next door
The one you find so easy to ignore
Is that what I was fighting for?
Walking on a thin line
Straight off the front line
Labeled as freaks loose on the streets of the city
Walking on a thin line
Straight off the front line
Take a look at my face, see what it's doing to me
"Walkin' On A Thin Line” is a song by Huey Lewis & The News about the war veterans who have returned home, trying to adjust to life outside the battlefield. The song is poignant, and the lyrics are full of powerful imagery. The opening lines express the feelings of a person who is struggling with his thoughts at the dead of the night. The singer is haunted by a memory so much that he is afraid of what it might do to him. The tears and sweat are only mocking his desperation, and he is walking on the edge of a thin line.
The second verse describes how the singer is now a war veteran with deadly skills. The training he received at the war has taught him how to kill. The song highlights the struggle that the war veterans face in trying to resume their normal lives. The society has branded them as freaks, and they are left to roam the streets with no direction. The song’s chorus asks for people to look at the veterans' faces and see what the war has done to them. They are just walking a thin line, having left the front line in search of a new beginning.
Overall, the song is a commentary on post-war society, where people who have given everything for their country have nowhere to go back to. The song touches on PTSD and how society views the war veterans. It is a chilling reminder of the after-effects of a war and a call to society to do more for those who have fought for their country.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes in my bed at night
At times, during the night, while lying in my bed
I curse the dark and a pray for light
I express anger towards the darkness and request for light
And sometimes, the light's no consolation
Occasionally, light is insufficient comfort
Blinded by a memory
My vision obscured by a recollection
Afraid of what it might do to me
Fearful of how it could affect me
And the tears and the sweat only mock my desperation
My desperation is only ridiculed by my tears and sweat
Don't you know me I'm the boy next door
Are you not acquainted with me? I am the typical neighbor
The one you find so easy to ignore
I am easily disregarded by others
Is that what I was fighting for?
Did I fight for this? Is this what I wanted?
Walking on a thin line
Risking danger with little margin for error
Straight off the front line
Directly from the battlefront
Labeled as freaks loose on the streets of the city
Termed as outcasts roaming the urban streets
Take a look at my face, see what it's doing to me
Observe my expression and the impact it has on me
Taught me how to shoot to kill
Instructed me on how to fatally shoot
A specialist with a deadly skill
Proficient in a lethal area of expertise
A skill I needed to have to be a survivor
A necessary ability to possess in order to endure
It's over now or so they say
The ordeal has concluded or that is the rumor
Well, sometimes, it don't turn out that way
However, it does not always transpire as anticipated
Cause your never the same when you've been under fire
Because you are never unchanged after experiencing warfare
Don't you know me I'm the boy next door
Are you still unacquainted with me? I am still just the typical neighbor
The one you find so easy to ignore
The person who is easily dismissed
Is that what I was fighting for?
Is that what I struggled for?
Walking on a thin line
Navigating a precarious path
Straight off the front line
Directly from the battleground
Labeled as freaks loose on the streets of the city
Branded as deviants wandering in the urban area
Walking on a thin line
Risking danger with little margin for error
Straight off the front line
Directly from the frontiers of conflict
Take a look at my face, see what it's doing to me
Examine my countenance and recognize the impact it has on me
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Andre Pessis, Kevin Wells
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind