Goodbye
Night Ranger Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

As the sun hides his head
For another night's rest
And the wind sings
His same old song
And you on the edge
Never close, never far
Always there when I needed a friend
Yet it's hard living life
On this memory-go-round
Always up, always down
Spinning 'round and 'round and 'round

And all this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye

There once was a time
Never far from my mind
On the beach, on the 4th of July
I remember the sand
How you held out your hand
And we touched for what seemed a lifetime

Now it's hard
Leaving all this behind me now
Like a schoolboy so lost
Never found until now

And all this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye

Yet it's hard
Living life on this memory-go-round
Always up, always down
Turning 'round and 'round and 'round

And all this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye

And all this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye





Goodbye

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Night Ranger's song Goodbye convey a sense of melancholy, longing, and introspection that arises when someone is about to part ways with a friend or a lover. The song opens as the sun sets, and the wind sings the same old song, perhaps symbolizing the monotonous routine of life. However, the singer's attention is focused on their companion who is always on the edge, never too close, never too far, and always there when needed.


The chorus of the song reflects the uneasy feeling of living life on a memory-go-round, where everything seems to be spinning around and around, always up and always down. The singer knows that this may all just be a dream, but it doesn't make saying goodbye any easier. Memories flood in from a nostalgic July 4th spent on the beach, when their companion held out their hand, and they touched for what seemed like a lifetime.


The last verse reveals that the singer is the one who is leaving, and it's hard for them to say goodbye to everything that is familiar to them. They feel lost, like a schoolboy who has never been found until now. The song concludes with the line "I was never much good at goodbye," implying that goodbyes are not something that comes easy to them.


Line by Line Meaning

As the sun hides his head
The day is ending


For another night's rest
The cycle of day and night continues


And the wind sings
The wind makes noise


His same old song
The wind always sounds the same


And you on the edge
You are on the edge of my life


Never close, never far
You're always there but not always present


Always there when I needed a friend
You have been a great friend to me


Yet it's hard living life
Life is difficult


On this memory-go-round
Constantly reliving memories


Always up, always down
Memories evoke different emotions


Spinning 'round and 'round and 'round
Memories play on a loop


And all this could be
Everything may not be real


Just a dream so it seems
It could all be a dream


I was never much good at goodbye
Saying goodbye is hard for me


There once was a time
In the past


Never far from my mind
Always on my mind


On the beach, on the 4th of July
On a specific day at the beach


I remember the sand
I recall the texture of the sand


How you held out your hand
You reached out to me


And we touched for what seemed a lifetime
Our moment felt eternal


Now it's hard
Currently, it's difficult


Leaving all this behind me now
Moving on from these memories


Like a schoolboy so lost
Feeling lost and unsure


Never found until now
I wasn't aware of my own feelings until now


Goodbye
Farewell




Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: JACK MARTIN BLADES, JEFF WATSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Don Quixote

"Goodbye"

As the sun hides his head
For another night's rest
And the wind sings
His same old song
And you on the edge
Never close, never far
Always there when I needed a friend

But it's hard living life
On this memory-go-round
Always up, always down
Spinning 'round and 'round and 'round

All this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye

There once was a time
Never far from my mind
On the beach, on the 4th of July
I remember the sand
How you held out your hand
And we touched for what seemed a lifetime

But it's hard
Leaving all this behind me now
Like a schoolboy so lost
Never found until now

And all this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye

Yet it's hard
Living life on this memory-go-round
Always up, always down
Turning 'round and 'round and 'round

And all this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye

And all this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye

Goodbye



Kyra

“As the sun hides his head
For another night's rest
And the wind sings
His same old song
And you on the edge
Never close, never far
Always there when I needed a friend

But it's hard living life
On this memory-go-round
Always up, always down
Spinning 'round and 'round and 'round

All this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye

There once was a time
Never far from my mind
On the beach, on the 4th of July
I remember the sand
How you held out your hand
And we touched for what seemed a lifetime

But it's hard
Leaving all this behind me now
Like a schoolboy so lost
Never found until now

And all this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye

Yet it's hard
Living life on this memory-go-round
Always up, always down
Turning 'round and 'round and 'round

And all this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye

And all this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye

Goodbye”



All comments from YouTube:

traveller3211

My best friend passed away while I held him. He had four legs and a tail that never quit. This song came on the radio shortly after. I cried for days.

Angel Sutton

You'll see Your best friend AGAIN someday ~ He or She IS WAITING FOR YOU @ THE "RAINBOW * BRIDGE" !!!! 😁😭😍

Highway Star

So much talent in this band. We were blasting this every day back then.

Andrew Scotton

The love of a pet brings out the best in human beings. Losing them is the worst kind of pain, but worth it overall. My pal Otto is sitting next to me on my table as I write this. I think about pets I've lost and I can feel it welling up right now.

Fatemeh Sara Gaboardi Maleki Minoo

God bless you and your friend...

chad spence

They are more than just animals. FAMILY FOR LIFE. My deepest condolences friend.

4 More Replies...

Jeff Okriya

beautiful song. The arpeggios on the intro are enchanting. Takes me to the magical 80s when everything was so good in my life. I had the world in my hand and didn´t know it.

FALCON21301

I'm proud to say I listened to this in the AMC 8 parking lot with all my friends just hanging out on a Saturday night with the 80's! Life was so simple then!!
Be well all my fellow 80's kids!!

Jenny Erickson

My all time favorite band of the 80's as far as rock bands. I've seen them probably at least 6 times over the years. Awesome band awesome guys! I met Kelly Keagy the drummer and Brad Gillis the guitarist. Nice guys. I met them at the Mirage in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the 80's I sure miss those times

Fear Nobody and Trust No One

You too FALCON21301. 😎🤘

More Comments

More Versions