Lost In The City
Jack Bruce Lyrics


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When I was angry as I am now
And the night was cruel as it is now

When I was young as I am now
And the city was steel as it is now

You danced for me and the world stopped
You danced for me and the truth was clear
You danced for me and the names were clean
The sweetest movement I've ever seen

There is this rhythm
It's in your dark eyes
I know this rhythm
I know this rhythm
And it tames me
It tames me
Through all the streets
Through all the steel
It's in that dark deep dance
It's in the dance you danced for me

I was lost in this city
I swear I can't remember its name
But you danced for me
And man you made it fall away

The sky was mean as it is now
And I was moving as I am now




You danced for me
And I knew

Overall Meaning

exactly who I was


The lyrics of Jack Bruce's song Lost In The City depict the experience of being lost and frustrated in an urban environment. The opening lines--"When I was angry as I am now / And the night was cruel as it is now"--establish an immediate sense of dissatisfaction with the present moment. The repeated refrain of "You danced for me" serves as a glimmer of hope and escape from the city's oppressive atmosphere. The dance that the singer witnesses is described as transformative: "The sweetest movement I've ever seen." By the end of the song, the dance has helped the singer to find himself and regain a sense of identity: "You danced for me / And I knew exactly who I was."


The rhythmic structure of the song helps to create a sense of disorientation and wanderlust. The verses are somewhat free-form, with lines that vary in length, while the chorus provides a more stable anchor. Bruce's vocals are emotive, conveying the sense of being lost and searching for meaning. The overall effect is one of both frustration and hopefulness--the singer is lost, but also believes that he can find his way again.


Line by Line Meaning

When I was angry as I am now
When I was as mad as I am today,


And the night was cruel as it is now
And the night was as harsh as it is right now.


When I was young as I am now
When I was younger, like I am now.


And the city was steel as it is now
And the city was full of steel, just like it is now.


You danced for me and the world stopped
You danced for me, and everything else in the world ceased to exist.


You danced for me and the truth was clear
Your dancing was so powerful that it revealed the truth to me.


You danced for me and the names were clean
The names of all things were pure and uncorrupted when you danced for me.


The sweetest movement I've ever seen
Your dance was the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed.


There is this rhythm
There is a certain beat or tempo,


It's in your dark eyes
I see this rhythm in your deep, dark eyes,


I know this rhythm
I am familiar with this rhythm,


And it tames me
This rhythm has a soothing effect on me,


Through all the streets
Even as I navigate through the streets of the city,


Through all the steel
Despite being surrounded by the cold steel structures of the city,


It's in that dark deep dance
That beat or tempo is present in the deep, dark dance you performed for me,


It's in the dance you danced for me
It's present in the dance that you did solely for me,


I was lost in this city
I was completely disoriented in this city,


I swear I can't remember its name
I genuinely cannot recall what the name of the city is,


But you danced for me
But you danced that beautiful dance for me,


And man you made it fall away
And it was all made better with your stunning display of dance.


The sky was mean as it is now
The sky was cruel back then, just like it is right now,


And I was moving as I am now
And I was just walking around the city as I am right now,


You danced for me
But then, you danced a beautiful dance just for me,


And I knew
And that dance gave me a sense of clarity.




Contributed by Callie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

A Nautical Gate

Jack's vocal has such great feeling together with Macolm's searing lead ,taking me places I've never been before.

ciccio a porta

That darkly North Sea ,peat fire in Jack,burns deep in that groove.

Terry Bennett

Amazing track with such brilliant guitar work from Jack's son Malcolm.

HonoraryGreek

Awesome track. Reminds me a little of John Martyn's Cooltide, the groove that is.

Erik Steevens

i checked it out and indeed there is a resemblance HonoraryGreek !
Thx for that coz this John Martyn track is also a magnificent piece !!!

SteveDallas

Mind blowing jam....

iain -northpole

This Really is Magnificent! Wot a Groove!!

sherry gypsy S

i feel this

Stan Inthailand

thanks for the upload erik. any chance you could add tracks 8-13 of the cd. thanks again.

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