History.
Naked Eyes was formed by two college friends from Bath, England. The band features Pete Byrne on vocals and Rob Fisher on keyboards. The two had formerly played in a band called Neon, which also featured future members of Tears for Fears. Naked Eyes was one of the first bands to make significant use of the Fairlight CMI sampling synthesizer on a recording.
The debut album Burning Bridges was produced by Tony Mansfield, along with the follow-up album Fuel for the Fire, which also featured two titles produced by Arthur Baker. Their second and third singles, "Promises, Promises" (the 12" mix of which features vocals from Madonna) and "When the Lights Go Out," were also hit singles in the United States.
Following the release of the band's second album, Byrne moved to California and performed session work. He performed on Stevie Wonder's "Part-Time Lover," sang backgrounds with Rita Coolidge and Princess Stephanie, and wrote and produced for the Olsen twins. Fisher also explored other projects, doing sessions in London and forming Climie Fisher with Simon Climie.
The group never toured due to the technical difficulties of recreating their studio sound in concert. Rob Fisher died on 25 August 1999, aged 42, following surgery for bowel cancer. Byrne released a solo album The Real Illusion in 2001, which featured some of the last tracks he wrote with Fisher for a proposed third Naked Eyes album. In 2005, Byrne put a band together to play some Naked Eyes shows and has been touring regularly since. In 2007, Naked Eyes released Fumbling with the Covers, an acoustic album which consisted of covers of Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Elvis Costello, among others, along with the Naked Eyes hits.
In the summer of 2008, Naked Eyes completed a US tour along with Belinda Carlisle, ABC and The Human League. In the summer of 2014, Naked Eyes did a US tour with The Go-Go's, Scandal and The Motels.
Low Life
Naked Eyes Lyrics
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From a train
Your dreams are wild
You're still a child
You said the streets were paved with gold
But you're the one that's bought and sold
All your friends meet nasty ends you say
Girls are working hard all day
To get a drink (trick?) or two
The boys are hustling away
As their protectors do
You said the streets were paved with gold
But you're the one that's bought and sold
All your friends meet nasty ends you say
Low life
Low life
Low life
Low life
You said you came
From a train
Your dreams are wild
You're still a child
You said the streets were paved with gold
But you're the one that's bought and sold
All your friends meet nasty ends you say
Low life
Low life
Low life
Low life
Low life (The girls are working hard all day)
Low life (to get a drink or two)
Low life (The boys are hustling away)
Low life (As their protectors do)
Low life (The girls are working hard all day)
Low life (to get a drink or two)
Low life (The boys are hustling away)
Low life (As their protectors do)
Low life (The girls are working hard all day)
Low life (to get a drink or two)
Low life (The boys are hustling away)
Low life (As their protectors do)
The lyrics to Naked Eyes’s song Low Life seem to convey a sense of disillusionment and despair in the face of a harsh and unforgiving world. The singer of the song, who claims to have come from a train, is portrayed as someone whose dreams are wild but who is still a child, suggesting a certain naivete and vulnerability. The streets, which he says are paved with gold, are instead filled with danger, as evidenced by the nasty ends that all his friends apparently meet. The girls work hard all day to get a drink or two, while the boys hustle away with their protectors. The repeated chorus, with its haunting refrain of “Low life,” underscores the sense of despair and resignation that permeates the song.
The song's lyrics likely refer to the difficulties faced by those who live on the margins of society - the homeless, the sex workers, and the drug addicts who are forced to survive in a world that is often hostile and uncaring. The imagery of the trains also suggests a sense of transience and impermanence, as if the singer is constantly on the move and has no fixed abode. The theme of young people being forced to grow up too quickly is another recurring motif, with the singer's dreams standing in stark contrast to the harsh reality of his life.
Line by Line Meaning
You said you came
You claimed to have arrived here from a train station
From a train
You are trying to convey your humble background by mentioning your arrival by train
Your dreams are wild
You seem to have ambitious plans for the future that may be unrealistic
You're still a child
You lack the maturity or experience to achieve your dreams
You said the streets were paved with gold
You were under the impression that this place was full of opportunity and wealth
But you're the one that's bought and sold
However, you have become a victim of exploitation and have lost control of your life
All your friends meet nasty ends you say
You believe that your associates often meet with unfavorable outcomes
Low life
This place is full of people who have fallen from grace and live a life of squalor
The girls are working hard all day
Many women are forced to work tirelessly just to gain enough money to survive
To get a drink (trick?) or two
They may even resort to selling their bodies in order to make ends meet
The boys are hustling away
Men are also constantly on the go, trying to scrape together a living
As their protectors do
They may have a person protecting them, or be forced to perform illegal activities themselves
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ROB FISHER, PETER JAMES BYRNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind