Tonight's the Night
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Lyrics


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Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night

Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van
A sparkle was in his eye
But his life was in his hands

Well, late at night when the people were gone
He used to pick up my guitar
And sing a song in a shaky voice
That was real as the day was long

Tonight's the night, yes it is, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, yes it is, tonight's the night

Early in the mornin' at the break of day
He used to sleep until the afternoon
If you never heard him sing
I guess you won't too soon

'Cause people let me tell you
It sent a chill up and down my spine
When I picked up the telephone
And heard that he'd died out on the mainline

Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night

Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van
Well, early in the morning at just about the break of day
He used to sleep until the afternoon

Tonight's the night, yes it is, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, ooh, tonight's the night




Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, tonight's the night, whoa

Overall Meaning

"Tonight's the Night" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse is a touching tribute to Bruce Berry, Young's roadie whom he worked with closely. In the opening lines, the repetitive structure emphasizes the significance of the night, alluding to the sense of anticipation and nervousness before a big event. The following verse describes Bruce Berry, who was the backbone of Young's touring, loading the heavy equipment into the Econoline van. Despite the tough job, a Sparkle was always in his eye, hinting at his enthusiasm and passion for music.


The lyrics move to describe Berry's other talent – singing. Late at night, once the people were gone, Berry would pick up Young's guitar and sing out loud. The shaky voice hinted at the raw, unpolished beauty of his performance, which could not mask the sincerity and genuineness behind it. Young's admiration for Berry's musical talent is evident in his evocative line - "real as the day was long." But, tragically, Berry passed away, and in the last verse, Young remembers him fondly. He hints at the significance of Berry's voice when he states that you won't hear him sing again.


The song is a heartfelt tribute to Bruce Berry, who meant a lot to Young, and his demise had left him with a deep sense of loss. The lyrics use repetition, poignant imagery, and sincere emotions to convey the unspoken grief of losing someone special.


Line by Line Meaning

Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night


Bruce Berry was a working man
Bruce Berry was a man who worked for a living


He used to load that Econoline van
Bruce loaded the Econoline van as part of his job


A sparkle was in his eye
Bruce had a twinkle in his eye that hinted at his passion for music


But his life was in his hands
Bruce had control of his life and his choices determined his fate


Well, late at night when the people were gone
When the night was quiet with no one around, Bruce would start playing music


He used to pick up my guitar
He played music on Neil Young's guitar


And sing a song in a shaky voice
Bruce had an unsteady but heartfelt voice when he sang


That was real as the day was long
His music was authentic as the day is long


Tonight's the night, yes it is, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night


Early in the mornin' at the break of day
In the early hours of the morning, right before sunrise


He used to sleep until the afternoon
Bruce used to wake up late in the day


If you never heard him sing
If you never had the chance to hear Bruce sing


I guess you won't too soon
It's unlikely that you will hear his music anytime soon


'Cause people let me tell you
Because I want to tell you something


It sent a chill up and down my spine
Hearing about Bruce's death was shocking and unsettling


When I picked up the telephone
When I received a call


And heard that he'd died out on the mainline
Learning that Bruce died tragically on the main highway


Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night


Bruce Berry was a working man
Bruce Berry was a man who worked for a living


He used to load that Econoline van
Bruce loaded the Econoline van as part of his job


Well, early in the morning at just about the break of day
Early in the morning when the sun was about to rise


He used to sleep until the afternoon
He would wake up late in the day after sleeping in


Tonight's the night, yes it is, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night


Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night


Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night


Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night


Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night


Tonight's the night, ooh, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night


Tonight's the night, tonight's the night
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night


Tonight's the night, tonight's the night, whoa
The night where something significant will happen, tonight is the night




Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Jahangir Chowdhury

"Tonight's The Night"

Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night.

Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van.
A sparkle was in his eye
But his life was in his hands.

Well, late at night
when the people were gone
He used to pick up my guitar
And sing a song in a shaky voice
That was real as the day was long.

Tonight's the night, yes it is,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night, yes it is,
tonight's the night.

Early in the mornin'
at the break of day
He used to sleep
until the afternoon.
If you never heard him sing
I guess you won't too soon.

'Cause people let me tell you
It sent a chill
up and down my spine
When I picked up the telephone
And heard that he'd died
out on the mainline.

Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night.

Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van.
Well, early in the morning
at just about the break of day
He used to sleep
until the afternoon.

Tonight's the night, yes it is,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night
Tonight's the night,
tonight's the night.



All comments from YouTube:

neilyoungchannel

Hi, this is Neil. Link to the NYA info-card for this song with press, documents, manuscripts, photos, videos. Look around NYA for fun and listening! ALL my music in high resolution at https://neilyoungarchives.com/info-card?track=t1991_0217_06

Theresa LP 4Life

Aww Ty 2ALL bc NYA IS a Labor of Love; been trying 2Find something, that NYA rly helped! Def will do $20 soon ESP bc My,My, Hey, Hey, Lil' Baby's on the Way! CONGRATS 2FAM!💗🎶

Belinda Baker

Thank you, Neil - you've made a lasting imprint on me before; that was needed then for crucial life development, and is now deepening- Love to you, Our Brother! 🥀

j • d i

nice ♥️

Henry Schroeder74

@Lon D loser

Lon D

TRUMP 2020

ShinkyB

This is another of his best performances. Heart and soul, AND passionate! This old man IS the greatest . I'm glad we grew up in the same lifetime.

Rebecca Diem

Music has never been so good.  I grew up on this and still think it's great.

claptongroupie

lol Neil never wants to end a song, I love it !

Sleepdance

One of the best versions of one of his best songs. I hope Neil will tour Europe this year

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