The Hustler
Marc Almond & The Willing Sinners Lyrics
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In the cold
Stands the Hustler
His eyes are old
He has seen a million ugly scenes
Places where men droop with mould
The backrooms
Where soiled goods are sold
He has found it hard at first
But on his brow there sits a curse
For when the young must suffer
At the hands of men
Memories of Christmas past
Were never there to ever last
Things as were can never
Be again
Over there
By the wall
Stands the Hustler
He's not very tall
He's trampled by the jaded by the sly
He's seen the darker side of men
First fascinated and then
He found his urge to laugh
An urge to cry
He'll find close friends
No friend at all
He feels so lonely, tired and small
How few are chosen from
The golden call
There's something in us all it seems
To crave adventure
Hunt for dreams
But corruption the seducer spoils our schemes
And surely as the snow will melt
The Hustler
Grabs his soul and heads for home
With lessons learnt under his belt
Over there
By the wall
Stands the Hustler
With the men of law
On either side to flank the sallow youth
But some of us will never learn
It takes the blow of fists to burn
How painfully we suffer for the truth
The Hustler by Marc Almond is a song about a hustler standing in the cold with his old eyes that have seen everything. He has seen the ugliest scenes in the backrooms where soiled goods are sold. He has felt the pain of being young and suffered at the hands of men. He is familiar with the loneliness which is always with him, even when surrounded by people. The Hustler is disillusioned with life and all the false dreams that he had once pursued. Memories of Christmas past evoke a sense of nostalgia and a longing for things the way they used to be, but he knows that things can never be the same again.
The song expresses a sense of frustration with society's corruption and the way in which it spoils our dreams. The Hustler has learnt his lessons - he has experienced the darker side of men and has been trampled by the jaded and the sly. He has seen the seductive power of corruption and how it can destroy our dreams. He has learned that sometimes we have to suffer painfully for the truth. The Hustler is a character who represents the disenfranchised and the disillusioned, he is the victim of society's excesses and its failures.
Line by Line Meaning
Over there
A lonely place far away from where the singer is
In the cold
A place which is cold and desolate
Stands the Hustler
A young male hustler standing by himself
His eyes are old
The hustler has seen too much for his age
He has seen a million ugly scenes
The hustler has witnessed countless horrors
Places where men droop with mould
The places he has seen are dark and dirty
The backrooms
The hidden corners of a city
Where soiled goods are sold
Where illegal activities take place
Seen with opened eyes since frail fifteen
He's been exposed to this world since he was young
He has found it hard at first
The tough environment was hard to adjust to
But on his brow there sits a curse
His life will always be marked by this
For when the young must suffer
When young people are exploited
At the hands of men
By the men who use them
Memories of Christmas past
Looking back at happier times
Were never there to ever last
But the happiness never lasts
Things as were can never
Things can never go back to how they were
Be again
The past is the past
Over there
In that same lonely place
By the wall
Standing against the wall
Stands the Hustler
The same young man
He's not very tall
He is small physically
He's trampled by the jaded by the sly
He is exploited by the seedy and experienced
He's seen the darker side of men
The worst side of human nature
First fascinated and then
At first he was drawn into it
He found his urge to laugh
He found humor in the situation
An urge to cry
But later was saddened by it all
He'll find close friends
Forming connections with some people
No friend at all
But ultimately feeling alone
He feels so lonely, tired and small
Lonely, exhausted, and helpless
How few are chosen from
How few people are able to escape
The golden call
The temptation of easy money
There's something in us all it seems
We all have something inside us
To crave adventure
That desires to experience something new
Hunt for dreams
To search for something better
But corruption the seducer spoils our schemes
But this desire can be corrupted
And surely as the snow will melt
Just like how the snow melts
The Hustler
The young man
Grabs his soul and heads for home
Reflects on his experience and leaves it behind
With lessons learnt under his belt
With experience that he has learned from
Over there
In that same lonely place
By the wall
Standing against the wall
Stands the Hustler
The young male hustler
With the men of law
Standing with law enforcement
On either side to flank the sallow youth
Arresting the young, unhealthy-looking boy
But some of us will never learn
But some people never comprehend
It takes the blow of fists to burn
It takes a physical altercation to understand the consequences
How painfully we suffer for the truth
How much pain comes with the truth
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARC ALMOND, ANNE HOGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind