The Night Watch
King Crimson Lyrics


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Shine, shine, the light of good works shine
The watch before the city gates depicted in their prime
That golden light all grimy now
Three hundred years have passed
The worthy Captain and his squad of troopers standing fast

The artist knew their faces well
The husbands of his lady friends
His creditors and councilors
In armor bright, the merchant men

Official moments of the guild
In poses keen from bygone days
The city fathers frozen there
Upon the canvas dark with age

The smell of paint, a flask of wine
And turn those faces all to me
The blunderbuss and halberd-shaft
And Dutch respectability

They make their entrance one by one
Defenders of that way of life
The redbrick home, the bourgeoisie
Guitar lessons for the wife

So many years we suffered here
Our country racked with Spanish wars
Now comes a chance to find ourselves
And quiet reigns behind our doors
We think about posterity again

And so the pride of little men
The burghers good and true




Still living through the painter's hand
Request you all to understand

Overall Meaning

The Night Watch by King Crimson is a song about a painting by Rembrandt called “The Night Watch”. The lyrics of the song describe the painting in detail with the first verse talking about the light that shines on the painting depicting the guards in their prime. The second verse talks about the artist, Rembrandt, who knew the faces of the guards well and had also painted other members of the society that he was familiar with such as his lady friends’ husbands, his creditors, councilors, and merchant men. The verse also talks about the official moments of the guild and the frozen city fathers.


The third verse talks about the process of how the painting was made. It talks about the smell of paint, the flask of wine, and the request to turn the faces of the men towards the artist. It also talks about the weapons the men held and the “Dutch respectability”. The fourth verse talks about the men entering the painting, one by one, as defenders of their way of life, the redbrick home, the bourgeoisie, and guitar lessons for the wife. The last verse of The Night Watch talks about how the country suffered because of the Spanish wars and how now there is a chance to find peace and remember posterity.


Overall, the song is an insightful interpretation of the painting, bringing attention to the details and symbols in the painting while also acknowledging the historical and societal context in which it was created.


Line by Line Meaning

Shine, shine, the light of good works shine
Let the light of our good deeds shine brightly for all to see


The watch before the city gates depicted in their prime
The painting depicts the city watch in their prime, standing guard by the gates of the city


That golden light all grimy now
The once bright and golden painting has become grimy and faded over time


Three hundred years have passed
Three centuries have gone by since the painting was created


The worthy Captain and his squad of troopers standing fast
The brave captain and his troop of soldiers are depicted standing guard at the city gates


The artist knew their faces well
The artist was familiar with the faces of the people he painted


The husbands of his lady friends
He painted the husbands of his female acquaintances


His creditors and councilors
He also painted his creditors and advisors


In armor bright, the merchant men
The wealthy merchants are depicted wearing shiny armor in the painting


Official moments of the guild
The painting captures official moments of the guild, an association of merchants and craftsmen


In poses keen from bygone days
The people in the painting are posed in sharp and striking positions from a bygone era


The city fathers frozen there
The painting shows the city's leaders, frozen in time


Upon the canvas dark with age
The canvas has become dark with age over time


The smell of paint, a flask of wine
The artist worked in a room filled with the smell of paint and enjoyed a flask of wine as he painted


And turn those faces all to me
The artist requested the people he was painting to turn their faces towards him


The blunderbuss and halberd-shaft
The painting features weapons like blunderbuss and halberd-shaft


And Dutch respectability
The painting reflects the respectable Dutch culture


They make their entrance one by one
The people in the painting seem to be entering one by one


Defenders of that way of life
They are depicted as defenders of their way of life, values, and culture


The redbrick home, the bourgeoisie
The people in the painting represent the middle-class, who value respectable homes made of redbrick


Guitar lessons for the wife
The men in the painting had wives who take guitar lessons


So many years we suffered here
For years, the people in the painting suffered due to wars with the Spanish


Our country racked with Spanish wars
Their country was ravaged by wars with the Spanish


Now comes a chance to find ourselves
Now they have a chance to rediscover and redefine themselves after the war


And quiet reigns behind our doors
Peace has returned to the city and people can now live in quiet and safety


We think about posterity again
They begin to think about future generations and what they will think of them and their history


And so the pride of little men
The pride of small-minded individuals is evident in the painting


The burghers good and true
The painting depicts the honest and true middle-class citizens of the city


Still living through the painter's hand
The people in the painting continue to live through the ages as they are immortalized in the painting


Request you all to understand
The people in the painting request that future viewers understand their struggles, values, and way of life




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: David Francis Cross, James Richard William Palmer, John Kenneth Wetton, Richard William Palmer James, Robert Fripp, William Scott Bruford

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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