By the time he reached eleventh grade, he decided school was not for him and left. He spent a little over a year living dangerously and upsetting all those close to him until he met a girl who would then change his life. "It was a really tumultuous romantic relationship that lasted on and off for a few years," he says. "Then it just sort of fizzled out. I started writing songs the first time I figured out how to pinpoint that feeling of loss. I guess I was just waiting to make music until I had something to say. From then on, I realized I could write songs that really meant something to me."
The result was One By One, which Francis recorded at a friend's recording studio and released in August 2007 on Aeronaut Records. It didn't sell much, but it earned positive reviews from critics who compared Francis to a young Townes Van Zandt. The attention led to a record deal with Atlantic Records, which is releasing Before Nightfall.
Written over the summer of 2008 and recorded in March 2009, Before Nightfall is a snapshot of where Francis is now. "When people listen to the album, I want them to feel happy," he says. "I feel uplifted when I hear these songs; they don't bring me down. I hope people will be able to relate to them and feel as though whatever is going on in their lives is going to be okay."
!! There is other Robert Francis, author of cd: The Sitting Bull Suite
Darkness
Robert Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can hear you calling, in the dead of the night, behind a moon bounce, waiting for the light.
No one's going to find you, if you ever get lost this time, I never want to see you alone.
I remember the old motel, you were tearing 'part the windows, tearing 'part yourself.
I helped you, when you were in a bind, good love is hard to find.
But no one's going to find you, if you ever get lost this time,I never want to see you alone.
I never want to be alone, I never want to see her alone.
Darkness be my friend tonight.
I never was the one for you, you never were the one for me.
The lyrics of Robert Francis's song Darkness explores themes of loneliness, isolation, and the longing for companionship. The song seems to be directed towards someone who is lost and has no friends. It is a message of comfort and assurance to that person that the singer is there for them.
The first verse paints a picture of someone who is lost in an old part of town with no one to turn to for help. The person is calling out for someone to rescue them from their solitude, but no one seems to hear them. The second verse talks about a past incident where the singer helped the person when they were in a bind. The singer reassures the person that he/she will never see them alone again.
The chorus 'Darkness be my friend tonight' is a plea to the darkness to be a companion and provide comfort in the absence of human connection. This line is repeated twice, emphasizing the singer's desire to not be alone. The last line 'I never was the one for you, you never were the one for me' suggests that there is some history between the singer and the person they are addressing. It is unclear what that history is, but it seems to suggest that the relationship didn't work out.
Line by Line Meaning
When you're lost, in an old part of town, got no friends to carry you around,
If you are lost in a desolate corner of town and have no company to support you,
I can hear you calling, in the dead of the night, behind a moon bounce, waiting for the light.
I can hear you calling me at night, behind a building, waiting for the sun to rise.
No one's going to find you, if you ever get lost this time, I never want to see you alone.
If you ever get lost again, no one will find you, and I don't want to see you alone.
I remember the old motel, you were tearing 'part the windows, tearing 'part yourself.
I recall seeing you at the old motel, where you were ravaging the windows and yourself.
I helped you, when you were in a bind, good love is hard to find.
I assisted you when you were in a tricky situation, and loving someone who is worthy is almost impossible to find.
But no one's going to find you, if you ever get lost this time,I never want to see you alone.
However, if you ever get lost again, no one will find you, and I don't want to see you alone.
Darkness be my friend tonight.
Let me find solace in darkness tonight.
I never want to be alone, I never want to see her alone.
I never want to be alone myself, and don't want her to suffer alone either.
Darkness be my friend tonight.
Let darkness be my comfort tonight.
I never was the one for you, you never were the one for me.
I wasn't the perfect match for you, and you weren't the one for me either.
Contributed by Jason O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.