Canadian singer and songwriter Neil Young includes his personal garage band… Read Full Bio ↴Canadian singer and songwriter Neil Young includes his personal garage band Crazy Horse ("second best backing band in the world") to make raw and unpolished rock. Their gritty style of rock has influenced countless artists and music styles.

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)

Violent Side
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Here comes the night
Here comes the anger
Hidden so deep inside
No one can see
Behind these eyes
There walks a stranger
Wandering through the dark
Following me.

Control the violent side
Control the violent side
Control the violent side
Control the violent side.

Electric light
Shining on your block
Sayin' to everyone
The power is on
While your alarm
Set up for safety
Keeps out invaders who come
But still can't control.

Control the violent side
Control the violent side
Control the violent side
Control the violent side.

Got to fight to control the violent side

Every day and night
I've got to fight to control it.

Overall Meaning

The song "Violent Side" by the San Francisco Boys Chorus is essentially about the dark side of the human psyche that is hidden away from the view of others. The lyrics describe this side as one that is filled with anger and violence that is deeply ingrained within the individual. This violent side is personified by the stranger who wanders through the dark, following the singer who is trying to keep it under control.

The song urges the listener to control this violent side, to fight against it every day and night. The lyrics suggest that despite having a sense of security, people are still unable to control this violent side that lurks deep within them. The song also touches upon the idea of power and how it is often used to control others, but even the most powerful person cannot control their own inner demons.

Overall, "Violent Side" is a powerful and poignant song that speaks to the struggle that many individuals face in trying to control their darker impulses. It urges listeners to confront this violent side within themselves and fight against it every day and night.

Line by Line Meaning

Here comes the night
The darkness is coming

Here comes the anger
My anger is coming out

Hidden so deep inside
My anger is not easily seen by others

No one can see
No one knows I am angry

Behind these eyes
My anger is hidden within me

There walks a stranger
Inside me, there is a part of me that I don't even know

Wandering through the dark
This unknown part of me is lost and alone in the darkness

Following me
It is always with me

Control the violent side
I need to control my angry impulses

Control the violent side
I need to keep my aggression in check

Control the violent side
I need to prevent my violent tendencies from taking over