Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazareth_(band)
Studio albums
Nazareth (1971)
Exercises (1972)
Razamanaz (1973)
Loud 'n' Proud (1973)
Rampant (1974)
Hair of the Dog (1975)
Close Enough for Rock 'n' Roll (1976)
Play 'n' the Game (1976)
Expect No Mercy (1977)
No Mean City (1979)
Malice in Wonderland (1980)
The Fool Circle (1981)
2XS (1982)
Sound Elixir (1983)
The Catch (1984)
Cinema (1986)
Snakes 'n' Ladders (1989)
No Jive (1991)
Move Me (1994)
Boogaloo (1998)
The Newz (2008)
Big Dogz (2011)
Rock 'n' Roll Telephone (2014)
Tattooed on My Brain (2018)
Surviving the Law (2022)
Gloria
Nazareth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or I thought so anyway
And then there came the day
When I knew I'd been deceived.
It was tailor made
The hole I'd dug myself
That morning they came knocking
You make mistakes
Then you make them all again
And find yourself deserted
By the people you called friends.
All it takes
Is for one deal to go bad
You're signing your confession
As they take all that you have.
And all this years spent sitting here
Waiting to be free.
My day has come
And I can finally see.
Gloria-ah-ah-ah-ah
Gloria-ah-ah-ah-ah
Gloria-ah-ah-ah-ah.
I've dreamed of waking up beyond that wall
It looks like I might make it after all.
There's a kid in here
Reminds me of my son
I watch him with the others
When they laugh about what they've done.
So many ways
To impress one so young
The day they let him out of here
He's gonna find himself a gun.
I tried to say
Tried to make him understand
Fear is not respect
And it won't make a boy a man
Oh, you make mistakes
And you make them all again
It seems that I offended
One of those godforsaken men.
In all these years spent sitting here
The last thing that I see
Is a baby face
With a blade that's made for me.
Gloria-ah-ah-ah-ah
Gloria-ah-ah-ah-ah
Gloria-ah-ah-ah-ah.
I guess some things were never meant to be.
Gloria-ah-ah-ah-ah
Gloria-ah-ah-ah-ah
Gloria-ah-ah-ah-ah.
So open up that gate and welcome me
My spirits flown
And I'm finally free
Finally free... yeah!
The lyrics of the song Gloria by Nazareth depict the story of a man who has fallen into a false sense of security, presumably gained by indulging in illegal activities. He realized one day that he had been deceived and had put himself in a hole that he had dug himself. He knew he was in trouble when they came knocking at his door, and he couldn't blame anyone else. The man confesses to making repeated mistakes in his life, often returning to the same habits that led him astray. As a result, he has been abandoned by those he once called friends.
The singer in the song contemplates the time he has spent waiting behind the walls of prison. After so many years, he finally sees his day of freedom and dreams of stepping beyond the walls he has known for so long. However, he realizes that his freedom comes with consequences as he observes young kids in prison, who were beginning to learn from him. He tried to warn a kid who reminded him of his son to avoid the fear that resulted in joining the gangs, but he had offended one of the influential inmates.
The song ends on an ambiguous note, with the singer fearing for his life and the lyrics implying that he might not make it. The track brings forth the story of an individual who has lived a life that was full of a cycle of mistakes, betrayal, and fear-impelled decision making. The song provides listeners with an introspective view about how one should overcome the wrongdoings and perception to lead a fulfilled life with the right choices.
Line by Line Meaning
I had it all
I thought I had everything I wanted
Or I thought so anyway
But maybe my happiness was an illusion
And then there came the day
Until the day came
When I knew I'd been deceived.
And I discovered I had been tricked
It was tailor made
I created my own problems
The hole I'd dug myself
I'm responsible for my own troubles
That morning they came knocking
The authorities arrived to arrest me
Couldn't blame nobody else.
I had no one to blame but myself
You make mistakes
I made some bad choices
Then you make them all again
And kept repeating them
And find yourself deserted
Ending up with no one by your side
By the people you called friends.
Even the people I considered my friends abandoned me
All it takes
One wrong move is all it takes
Is for one deal to go bad
For one business transaction to fail
You're signing your confession
And you're going to incriminate yourself
As they take all that you have.
And they'll take everything you own
And all this years spent sitting here
I've been trapped here for years
Waiting to be free.
Hoping to get out of here
My day has come
Now it's finally time
And I can finally see.
And I can see the end in sight
Gloria-ah-ah-ah-ah
A chant of excitement and celebration
Gloria-ah-ah-ah-ah
A repeated chorus of joy
Gloria-ah-ah-ah-ah.
The chant continues
I've dreamed of waking up beyond that wall
I've always wanted to escape from this place
It looks like I might make it after all.
Finally, it seems like it's possible
There's a kid in here
There is a young inmate here
Reminds me of my son
Who reminds me of my own child
I watch him with the others
I notice how he interacts with the other inmates
When they laugh about what they've done.
When they share stories about their crimes
So many ways
There are many ways
To impress one so young
To influence such a young person
The day they let him out of here
The day he's released from prison
He's gonna find himself a gun.
He might turn to violence
I tried to say
I wanted to tell him
Tried to make him understand
To help him comprehend
Fear is not respect
Being scared won't make others respect you
And it won't make a boy a man
It doesn't make someone mature
Oh, you make mistakes
Everyone messes up sometimes
And you make them all again
But some people seem to repeat their mistakes
It seems that I offended
It looks like I upset
One of those godforsaken men.
One of the dangerous men in here
In all these years spent sitting here
While being locked up for all this time
The last thing that I see
As my life comes to an end in here
Is a baby face
I see a young person's face
With a blade that's made for me.
Holding a knife that is meant for me
So open up that gate and welcome me
The prison is finally releasing me
My spirits flown
I'm feeling light and free
And I'm finally free
Finally able to leave this place!
Finally free... yeah!
Celebrating my newfound freedom!
Contributed by Parker F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Vera Lúcia Cacilho
Amo ❤️ Dan♥️♥️♥️
Iraci Farias
Essa música é mágica eu não me canso de admirar as lindas canções do Dan TODOS os dias pode ser a noite de manhã qualquer hora eu me sinto muito feliz com elas.um abraço a todos que como eu amam o Nazareth 😍😍😍
Rachel Lynn Fages
one of the best vocals in rock history.
Maria Helena Salazar
ELE É UM SER MARAVILHOSO, INCRÍVEL UM LINDO ANJO QUE NÃO TEM COMPARAÇÃO É ÚNICO E ADMIRÁVEL !!! ******
Vera Lúcia Cacilho
Voz maravilhosa Dan ❤️
Maria Helena Salazar
AMO DAN ! AMO ESTA LINDA MUSICA !!! *********************
Blitze Blitz
IMPRESSIONANTE, VKUCHLER!!! Não sei por onde começar a elogiar, se pela voz maravilhosa desse homem lindo ou se pelo video maravilhoso, com esse trabalho lindo de tradução aí ao lado...De novo, só posso agradecer. BRIGADUUU :)))))
pedra Bruta
Imprecionante a voz ,o amor é a dedicação do Dan MCCafferty em todas músicas que ele canta!! Ele é maravilhoso, único e eu o amo e ouço eternamente! !
Nelson Brito
Gente o amor e tudo de bom , o Dan deve se sentir muito feliz por tudo isso!!!!!!🎷🎺🎻🎶🎶🎶🎶👏👏👏👏👏
Valdemar Cardoso
@Ivan Da Silva Gomes Quanto amor.