1. A rock musician fr… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two artists which use this name
1. A rock musician from England
2. A trumpet player
1. Sir Ray Davies (born June 21, 1944 at Fortis Green, London, full name Raymond Douglas Davies) is an influential English rock musician, best known as lead singer-songwriter for The Kinks - one of the most influential, prolific and long-lived British Invasion bands - which he led with his younger brother, Dave Davies. He has also acted, directed and produced shows for theater and television.
In 1985, he released his first solo album Return to Waterloo, which accompanied a television film he wrote and directed. Since the demise of The Kinks in the mid-90s Ray Davies has embarked on a critically successful solo career. In 1998, he released The Storyteller. His 2006 release Other People's Lives was his first top 30 hit in the UK since 1980s, when he worked with The Kinks. He released his fourth solo release Working Man's Café in 2007. Ten years later in 2017, he was knighted for services to the arts. In the same year, he released his next solo album Americana, which peaked at No. 15 in the UK. Its sequel, Our Country: Americana Act 2, was released in 2018.
2. Ray Davies is a trumpeter and film composer.
In A Moment
Ray Davies Lyrics
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As all the early morning drifters make their way
Headlights in the distance too bright for my eyes
Still I love the dusk, the dawn, between times
They are mine
'Cos you can't tell if it's day or night
Do we see the moon or the sunlight?
Momentary lapse of rational
Walking past the writing on the wall
Something apocalyptic
Then a momentary lapse of faith
Before I become more optimistic
Like a momentary loss of sight
Fleetingly it went so wrong from right
In a second it can change from night to day
Any second love can turn to hate
Sunlight and the city is barely awake
As all the seconds in our lifetime drift away
So live every moment and hold me so tight
A second changes day to night
I had a momentary loss of sight
Fleetingly it went so wrong from right
In a second you would change your point of view
In my hesitation I lost you
It only takes a moment sometimes
The difference between joy and pain
In a second you can look away
Turn around to find it's all changed
Because you can't tell if it's day or night
Do we see the moon or the sunlight?
Everything around is so transitional
Momentary loss of rational
Like a momentary loss of sight
Fleetingly it went from dark to light
In a second it can change from night to day
But in a moment hope will find the way
Ray Davies's song 'In A Moment' is a contemplative piece reflecting on the passing of time and the fleeting nature of life. The opening lines establish the setting, with sunlight appearing over a city that is just beginning to stir, and early morning wanderers going about their business. The singer reflects on the beauty of the dawn and the dusk, the in-between moments when the world feels hushed and peaceful, and all is still. But there's also a sense of uncertainty, a question about whether it's day or night, and whether the light is from the sun or the moon. There's a sense of transition, of passing from one moment to the next, and of the fragility of those moments.
Davies then moves on to consider the idea of faith and belief. Walking past some graffiti on the wall that suggests an apocalypse may be coming, the singer feels a fleeting loss of faith. Yet this is followed by a more optimistic thought, as he reflects that in a second, everything can change from the wrong to the right. Again, there's a sense of the instability of life, of the way things can shift and alter very quickly. The final lines of the song are a call to live life to the full, to revel in every moment, and to hold tight to love. This is a song that celebrates the beauty of the moment, while acknowledging that it can all be over in a flash.
Line by Line Meaning
Sunlight and the city is barely awake
The early morning light barely pierces through the city, and few people are out and about.
As all the early morning drifters make their way
The few people out and about are aimlessly wandering.
Headlights in the distance too bright for my eyes
The lights from distant cars are overwhelming for a moment.
Still I love the dusk, the dawn, between times
I love the moments of transition between night and day.
They are mine
I cherish these moments for myself.
'Cos you can't tell if it's day or night
During these moments, it's hard to distinguish between daytime or nighttime.
Do we see the moon or the sunlight?
It's unclear whether what we're seeing is the remnants of nighttime or the beginnings of daytime.
Everything around is so transitional
Everything is in a state of change during these moments.
Momentary lapse of rational
These changes can cause a loss of clear thinking.
Walking past the writing on the wall
I see some ominous writing on a wall.
Something apocalyptic
The writing hints to something catastrophic that may happen.
Then a momentary lapse of faith
At that point, I worry and become doubtful about the future.
Before I become more optimistic
But soon after, I recover from that doubt and become optimistic once again.
Like a momentary loss of sight
Sometimes we lose sight of things for just a moment, but that can change everything.
Fleetingly it went so wrong from right
Things can change quickly, for better or for worse.
In a second it can change from night to day
Life can change as quickly as the transition between night and day.
Any second love can turn to hate
The same way, love can turn to hate in an instant.
Sunlight and the city is barely awake
Another morning comes and goes, with city life stirring only slightly.
As all the seconds in our lifetime drift away
Time passes by, second by second, without stopping.
So live every moment and hold me so tight
We should cherish each moment and hold onto those we care about.
A second changes day to night
In an instant, a new day can begin, and an old one can end.
I had a momentary loss of sight
I lost sight of something briefly.
Fleetingly it went so wrong from right
That moment caused a brief disorientation, and things went wrong.
In a second you would change your point of view
Someone can change their mind very quickly.
In my hesitation I lost you
My hesitation caused me to miss an opportunity with someone I cared about.
It only takes a moment sometimes
Sometimes, all it takes is one moment to make a big difference.
The difference between joy and pain
That moment can be the difference between happiness and sorrow.
In a second you can look away
As fast as a second, we can turn our attention elsewhere.
Turn around to find it's all changed
And when we turn back, everything could be different.
'Cos you can't tell if it's day or night
We're back to the same moments of transition where we can't discern between daytime or nighttime.
Do we see the moon or the sunlight?
Again, it's unclear whether what we see is remnants of nighttime or beginnings of daytime.
Everything around is so transitional
All around us, things are in flux and constantly changing.
Momentary loss of rational
And during these times, our judgment may falter briefly.
Like a momentary loss of sight
This alludes to the moments where we lose sight of clarity.
Fleetingly it went from dark to light
And how, fleetingly, things can change from bad to good.
In a second it can change from night to day
Life is everchanging, and that change can happen incredibly fast.
But in a moment hope will find the way
But even in those changing moments, we can have hope that things will work out in the end.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RAY DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ortwin
Davies is simply one of the greatest and most gifted songwriters in rock history. This is just another masterpiece in his enormeous back catalogue.
Jack Mcgubbins
As ray and the kinks were pretty much the first and kings of english mod rockers i highly doubt we would of had stuff like the jam , smiths etc , not in the same way anyway , davies unique fresh brand of concentrating on england and singing in his london accent with story tellinng working class lyrics was so different and monumental
Robert Sanborn
Great song. Impressive performance by this legendary master artist. Thanks.
untwerf
best version of the song i've heard, prefer to the one that's on working man's café. the simplicity of just two guitars suits it beautifully
RiderIzzy
I really love this song and this acoustic version is simply perfect, transmitting the blue sensation of being ephemeral.
kevkonk
I have been listening to the Cd everyday since it came out, this version knocked my socks off.
sharonra2000
omg, the words to this song are unbelievable. he aint gettin older, hes gettin better and better and better! that's pretty good for a man who started out as excellent!!
Chris A
I saw the Letterman show where he and his band performed this song.. it was awesome! I hope someone posts the performance soon.
eurose93
There's a lovely little moment at 2:49. Ray and Bill make a good team, still lots of musical magic. Bless and Keep XX
Stephen Morrison
This man is an artisr