Crazy Horse is best known for its long association with Young, despite having released five albums of its own over a 19-year span. It has been co-credited with Young as Neil Young and Crazy Horse on 15 albums, "Americana" and "Psychedelic Pill" from 2012 being the latest.
The band recorded a concept album entitled "Greendale" (2003) that told the story using metaphors of murder and crime to represent the destruction of a small town community. The final song "Be The Rain" is one of Neil's classic epics, pleading for the world to be like the rain -- recycle and conserve to save our planet.
Discography: the studio albums "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" (1969), "Zuma" (1975), "Rust Never Sleeps" (1979), "Re-ac-tor" (1981), "Life" (1987), "Ragged Glory" (1990), "Sleeps With Angels" (1994), "Broken Arrow" (1996), Greendale (2003), "Americana" (2012), Psychedelic Pill (2012) and live albums "Live Rust" (1979), "Weld" (1991), "Year of the Horse" (1997), "Live at the Fillmore East" (2006)
The Needle And The Damage
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love you, baby, can I have some more?
Ooh, ooh, the damage done
I hit the city and I lost my band
I watched the needle take another man
Gone, gone, the damage done
I know that some of you don't understand
Milk-blood to keep from running out
I've seen the needle and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie's like a settin' sun
In Neil Young's classic song "The Needle and the Damage Done," he reflects on the tragic consequences of drug use. The opening lines of the song, "I caught you knockin' at my cellar door, I love you, baby, can I have some more?" express the powerful hold that heroin can have on an individual. The song's title refers to the repetitive cycle of heroin use: the needle delivers the drug, but over time the drug takes a toll on the body and mind. Neil Young sings about how he hit the city and lost his band, due to drug use, and how he's seen the needle take another man. The lyrics express his heartbreak about the damage that drugs have caused, not just to himself but also to others.
In the second verse, Neil Young sings, "I sing the song because I love the man, I know that some of you don't understand, Milk-blood to keep from running out," referring to the use of drugs as a means of coping and escaping. This song is a warning to anyone who feels the lure of heroin, to all music lovers and to anyone who feels the lure of fame, that the cost of that lifestyle can be high. Young sings that he's seen the needle and the damage done and that every junkie is like a setting sun, implying that the lives of those who succumb to drugs will inevitably come to an end.
Overall, "The Needle and the Damage Done" is a poignant and powerful song that highlights the dangers of drug use. Neil Young sings with heartfelt emotion about the destruction that drugs wreak in the lives of musicians and people in general. The song serves as a warning to those who may be tempted by drugs and also as a tribute to those who have lost their lives to addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
I caught you knockin' at my cellar door
Someone tried to come into my private, personal space uninvited
I love you, baby, can I have some more?
Addressing heroin, a powerful addiction that numbs pain and provides a temporary sense of love and safety
Ooh, ooh, the damage done
Expressing regret and sadness for the harm caused by addiction
I hit the city and I lost my band
Going to the big city led to the end of the artist's musical career
I watched the needle take another man
Witnessing the destructive power of addiction, which ruins lives and takes them away
Gone, gone, the damage done
Repeating the sentiment expressed earlier about the damage caused by addiction
I sing the song because I love the man
The singer is expressing his love for the person he once was and is trying to help him return
I know that some of you don't understand
The artist acknowledges that not everyone will appreciate or comprehend his message
Milk-blood to keep from running out
Taking drugs to avoid the withdrawal symptoms that result from addiction
I've seen the needle and the damage done
The artist has experienced the harm caused by addiction firsthand
A little part of it in everyone
The destructive influence of addiction can be found in anyone, not just those who struggle with it firsthand
But every junkie's like a settin' sun
Comparing the trajectory of addiction and eventual decline to the inevitable setting of the sun every day
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Broken Fiddle Music
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@az-yq3rk
💐put a silver cord from you to your daughter. Tell her it's time now to come home. Get on your knees together and pray to the Holy Spirit to release the hold of drugs on your daughter. Pray the Lords Prayer out loud together:
Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Sometimes I feel too upset and weary to read my Bible, but hugging it helps 🌻
@gabbylavoie6247
I caught you knockin' at my cellar door
I love you, baby, can I have some more?
Ooh, ooh, the damage done
I hit the city and I lost my band
I watched the needle take another man
Gone, gone, the damage done
I sing the song because I love the man
I know that some of you don't understand
Milk blood to keep from running out
I've seen the needle and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie's like a settin' sun
@user-ug6gm2ol6i
My father passed I never knew until I was in yr 12. A whole family missed him sort of. I'm very sad that torment and sabotages of things a person needs can be used for entertainment.
I've lost my privacy and in my darkest non destructive hours I've been recorded and edited.
Not sure what is the purpose but I've lost 2 brilliant and incredibly loved children.
Full time study committed and successful recovery has not been any sort of deterrent for abuse .
All groups and community providers never provided a way to make amends.
I self medicate in private trying not to inflame the mob of the good.
The needle and the damage done.
Betrayed and laughed at .
Nothing stops the groups addiction to making me look as bad as possible.
I'm sure this not actually real as I have asked many loved and appreciated people.
Niek young was a staple in my awesome parents playlist.
Heart of gold is what I own nothing more .
@pradbitt7815
the fent just took my brother, gone forever is a trip man.
@GBst1007
Sorry brother ! 🥲🥲
@SantanaBinks
My sincere condolences friend. If you ever need anything just comment again and I’ll reply.
@hippiecheezburger5457
Sorry RIP lost my cousin in January same way it’s been so hard and sad when I contemplate it but we need to grieve
@Burt472
Sorry to hear......Be strong..He'd sure want you to be
@bassology1019
6 yrs clean, I was an Iv heroin user for 10 yrs. This song brings tears to my eyes everytime.
@RamblinJer
Congratulations, 5 for me.
@bassology1019
@RamblinJer I love hearing it man, Mush love
@leoschmidt4033
Cant hear this song without bringing tears to my eyes,,i somehow survived, many friends did not ,,now nearing 70 yrs ,,i cherish life ,and so glad my children aren't on the road i was,,
@piiYT
You've finally become the good human that you always were I guess.