Considered to be one of Australia's more successful rock bands of the late 1980s, their self-titled debut in 1987 had a series of successful singles, such as "No Lies," "Take Me Back," and "Welcome to the World." The band's second album, 1989's Touch, proved to be less successful commercially. Noiseworks disbanded in 1992, shortly after the release of the group's third album, Love Versus Money (1991).
Stevens has forged a successful solo career since Noiseworks with the albums Circle and Ain't No Life For The Faint Hearted. He went on to become the lead singer of INXS, but left after when he became frustrated with the band's lack of progress in generating new material.
2012 - The Band are in the studio recording a new album and touring later this year!
Discography:
Noiseworks (1987)
Touch (1989)
Love Versus Money (1991)
Greatest Hits (1992)
The band reformed in early 2007 and in 2011 toured Australian Winery's with Festival concerts.
Official Sites:
Official Website
MySpace
Edge Of Darkness
Noiseworks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Long nights, red lights
The sign of your day
Well, I see you walk the parade
On the edge of the darkness
Been a long time since I
I saw you there
To the edge of the darkness
Long nights, red lights
Again and again
Always someone wanting their way
Trying to break your resistance
I see you
I see you
I see you, mmm...
I see you
I see you
(I see you)
I see you, yeah
I see you
(I see you)
I see you
Ooh, ooh...
Too late for promises
It's too late to hide
It's too late for promises
It's too late to hide
I see you
(I see you)
I see you
(Yeah, I see you)
I see you
(See you)
I see you
(Yeah, you, ooh...)
I see you
I see you
I see you
(See you anytime)
I see you
(See you anytime, yeah)
I see you
(You, you)
I see you
I see you
The opening lines of "Long nights, red lights, the sign of your day," create a sense of a gritty and perhaps dangerous world that the subject of the song inhabits. The singer of the song, the singer, is drawn to this person and sees them walking on the edge of the darkness, and is tempted to go there with them. It's unclear exactly what the danger or darkness is, but the repeated mention of red lights suggests maybe prostitution or some other unsavory activity happening in the city at night. The singer sees this person as a survivor, trying to hold out against someone who is trying to break their resistance. The chorus phrases "I see you" repeated over and over again, give a sense of obsession, as if the singer can't look away from this person even if they wanted to.
Line by Line Meaning
Long nights, red lights
Referring to the long and tiresome days the person is facing and the obstacles they are encountering (red lights)
The sign of your day
The indication of the challenges this person faces on a daily basis
Well, I see you walk the parade
The person is practically putting on a show for others, and trying to maintain a good image while dealing with their struggles
On the edge of the darkness
The brink of hopelessness and the limit of one's ability to stay strong during difficult times
Been a long time since I, I saw you there
It's been a while since someone has seen this person in a place of hardship
Well, you might just tempt me away
It's a possibility that this person's difficulties could lead others astray on their own path
To the edge of the darkness
The possibility of succumbing to hardship or falling off the edge of hopelessness
Again and again
Different people, situations and challenges arise consistently
Always someone wanting their way
Others constantly seeking to satisfy their own desires, regardless of what this person is going through or what they need
Trying to break your resistance
Others attempting to wear down this person's ability to fight back against the struggles they are facing
Too late for promises
Time has run out on making assurances and guarantees
It's too late to hide
There's no way to disguise the current hardships and challenges faced by this person
I see you
Acknowledgement of this person's struggles and challenges
Contributed by Avery H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.