Lodge attended school at Birches Green Junior School, Central Grammar School and later went to college at the Birmingham College of Advanced Technology for engineering. His early influences were musicians like Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis. By age 15, Lodge had met future bandmate Ray Thomas.
In May 2015 John released a solo album titled "10,000 Light Years Ago," which reunited him with Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder.
Lodge has been married to his wife, Kirsten, since 1968, and they are the parents of two grown children. Their first child, a daughter named Emily, was born in 1970; Lodge wrote "Emily's Song" for the 1971 Moody Blues album, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour. His son Kristian was born two years later. Lodge has spoken on several occasions about his belief as an evangelical Christian, and credits his faith with preventing him from sinking into the dangerous elements of the rock music business. Lodge is a supporter of Birmingham City F.C.
He resides in Surrey.
This Morning
John Lodge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is there none of your love alive?
If every door you open closes on me
I don't know if I can survive
I don't know if I can survive
Long is the road that takes you from home
My baby, oh my darling
And lonely is the night
For the poor tormented soul
Who is searching for the light
This morning
I opened my eyes
I knew from the silence
That something was wrong
Turning I realised
I wanted to cry
When I knew I was alone
But where will you go
And who will be your guide
And which way will you turn
The waters are so wide
'cause I never told you
No you'll never really know
I need you so
Now the sun is rising on your freedom my child
Is there none of your love alive?
Every door you open closes on me
I don't know if I can survive
Knowing part of your love was lies
Long is the road
That takes you from home
My baby
Oh my darling
Sleepless are the hours
And lonely is the night
The poor tormented soul
Who is searching for the light
The moment
I opened my eyes
I knew from the silence
That something was wrong
Turning
I realised
I wanted to cry
When I knew I was alone
But where will you go
And who will be your guide
And which way will you turn
The waters are so wide
'cause I never told you
No you'll never really know
I need you so
The song This Morning by John Lodge and Justin Hayward is a poignant and emotional reflection on love and loss. The lyrics concern a person addressing a loved one who is leaving, possibly forever. The opening lines of the song set the emotional tone - the dawn is breaking on the future of the person leaving, but is there no love left for the one they are leaving behind? The idea of doors closing is recurrent throughout the song, suggesting a sense of finality and separation that is difficult to accept. The singer is not sure if they can survive if every door they try to open is closed shut.
The central theme of the song is the longing for the departed loved one. When they ask "where will you go, and who will be your guide?" they are expressing the fear that the person leaving will be lost without them. The metaphor of the tormented soul searching for the light adds to the sense of unease and desperation. The final stanzas of the song, where the sun is rising on the freedom of the loved one, suggest that it is too late to hold on to them. The singer reflects on the fact that they never told them just how much they are needed, and they will never really know. The song ends with a sad acknowledgement that the journey ahead will be a long and lonely one.
Line by Line Meaning
As the dawn is breaking on your future my child
The future is uncertain and the singer is worried for their child.
Is there none of your love alive?
The singer wonders if there is any love left in their relationship.
If every door you open closes on me
The singer feels like their partner is shutting them out.
I don't know if I can survive
The artist is not sure if they can handle losing their partner's love.
I don't know if I can survive
The artist is really struggling emotionally.
Long is the road that takes you from home
Leaving home and starting a new journey is difficult.
My baby, oh my darling
The singer is affectionate towards their partner.
Sleepless are the hours
The artist is having trouble sleeping.
And lonely is the night
The nights are lonely without their partner.
For the poor tormented soul
The artist is feeling tortured.
Who is searching for the light
The singer is looking for hope and positivity.
This morning
The events being described took place today.
I opened my eyes
The singer woke up.
I knew from the silence
The silence indicated something was wrong.
That something was wrong
The singer senses that their partner has left them.
Turning I realised
The artist turned around and saw that they were alone.
I wanted to cry
The artist was overwhelmed with emotion.
When I knew I was alone
The realization that they were alone made the singer sad.
But where will you go
The singer wonders where their partner will go.
And who will be your guide
The artist is concerned that their partner won't have anyone to guide them.
And which way will you turn
The artist questions which direction their partner will take.
The waters are so wide
The future is uncertain and unpredictable.
''cause I never told you
The singer never expressed how much they need their partner.
No you'll never really know
Their partner will never truly understand how much they are needed.
I need you so
The singer needs their partner in order to survive.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JASON TOOP COOPER, PERRY BAMONTE, ROBERT JAMES SMITH, ROGER O'DONNELL, SIMON GALLUP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Virginia Miller
and do
Exactly what?
Driven by,
Driving by.
Not spending the moment to be there, to
be kind. Hock yeah, to be considerate.
That is when you know all you did was 'survive', not really live.
Take the time to rest, and be kind.
Change is gonna come.
(this tune is so much better with John Lodge, and Moodiesque treatment)
Going through the motions as solo, and no comment re: backup band.
Dawes is remarkable. Eye candy lady, K, is good on flute.
Butt, they sure as shit aren't the Moodies.
Got it?
Mark Hicks
This is one of the most incredible, elegant and overlooked songs ever done by Justin/John anywhere. Every time I play it for someone, the reaction is the same, WHERE DO YO GET THAT!!! The same can really be said for the entire album
Juliana Brown
This song, is a damn masterpiece.
noOneuKnow OK
AGREED!
Ken TuckerE
The Moody Blues early lp's touched me in many ways. I'd often take 2 or 3 hits of LSD and listen to those early lp's because I knew they were saying remarkable and I just had to figure it out. I can remember looking out the window and down the street and see the beautiful traffic lights flashing words to me. God, was it remarkable and beautiful. And the Moody Blues took me to places I didn't know existed. At 71 years of age the Moody Blues/Blue Jays remain an inspiration to me. As I've said so many times, there have been 3 great influences in my life. 1. LSD 2. The Moody Blues 3. EST I am so happy to have been a part of that time.
moodblue81
Beautiful song! I love it... I love the whole Blue Jays album!
sthom3521
I remember listening to this album incessantly when it came out. This is my favorite song on the album...amazing feeling he puts in (and that 'buzz fuzz' guitar trademark of Justin's is used well here...wow).
Porfle Popnecker
I remember buying this 8 track when it came out and listening to "This Morning" on the way home.ย What a great song.
Alan Snyder
I just bought this cd on eBay. I haven't heard it in 40 years but I still remember the lyrics and sang along on the way to work. Classic and beautiful music.
Phoenix85040
I found it on Discogs for $8usd and it was an import! Sounds so good ๐ถ๐ต๐ผ
Brenda Crowder
Hard to believe I bought the album when it came out. :)