A shorter acoustic version of the song, titled "Tonite Reprise," was included as a b-side to the single and on the triple LP version of Mellon Collie. This single also later appeared in an extended form on the box set The Aeroplane Flies High. Additionally, the song appears on the band's greatest hits release, Rotten Apples.
Tonight Tonight
Smashing Pumpkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth
And our lives are forever changed
We will never be the same
The more you change the less you feel
Believe, believe in me, believe
That life can change, that you're not stuck in vain
Tonight, so bright
Tonight
And you know you're never sure
But you're sure you could be right
If you held yourself up to the light
And the embers never fade in your city by the lake
The place where you were born
Believe, believe in me, believe
In the resolute urgency of now
And if you believe there's not a chance tonight
Tonight, so bright tonight
We'll crucify the insincere tonight
We'll make things right, we'll feel it all tonight
We'll find a way to offer up the night tonight
The indescribable moments of your life tonight
The impossible is possible tonight
Believe in me as I believe in you, tonight
In "Tonight, Tonight" by the Smashing Pumpkins, the song speaks to the power of believing in oneself and the moment. The timeless quality of time is reflected in the lyrics, "Time is never time at all / You can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth," highlighting that time always leaves a mark and changes us. The song also speaks to the transformative power of moments in our lives, as the lyrics state, "And our lives are forever changed / We will never be the same," implying that those moments shape us and we can not be the same after experiencing them. The song serves as a call to action to believe in the power of change and seizing the moment.
The lyrics also use a contrast of light and dark to illustrate the hope and promise of change. The phrase "Tonight, so bright," is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the excitement and potential that the moment holds. This excitement is juxtaposed with the line, "We'll crucify the insincere tonight," which underlines the importance of authenticity and the difficulty in finding it. The song ultimately calls on both the singer and the listener to believe in each other and embrace the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Time is never time at all
Time is a construct that does not truly exist
You can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth
Every experience we have shapes and defines us, and we can never truly leave any of that behind
And our lives are forever changed
Life is constantly changing, and every experience we have alters us in some way
We will never be the same
Change is inevitable and irreversible
The more you change the less you feel
The more we change, the less tethered we are to our emotions and the more disconnected our experiences become
Believe, believe in me, believe
Trust in yourself and in the present moment
That life can change, that you're not stuck in vain
Life is dynamic and always changing, and we have the power to steer our own path
We're not the same, we're different tonight
Every moment is unique and shapes us differently
And you know you're never sure
We are never entirely certain of what the future holds
But you're sure you could be right
We have faith in our own potential and ability to find our way
If you held yourself up to the light
If you give yourself a chance to be seen for who you truly are
And the embers never fade in your city by the lake
Memories and experiences of our past always remain a part of who we are
The place where you were born
Our place of origin and upbringing shapes who we become
In the resolute urgency of now
The present moment is where true change happens
And if you believe there's not a chance tonight
If we lose faith in ourselves and our path, we will miss opportunities
We'll crucify the insincere tonight
We will call out those who are not honest with themselves and others
We'll make things right, we'll feel it all tonight
We will take action to correct our mistakes and errors, and experience the full spectrum of emotions
We'll find a way to offer up the night tonight
We will make the most of every night, no matter the circumstances
The indescribable moments of your life tonight
We will cherish the moments that are impossible to put into words
The impossible is possible tonight
Anything is achievable if we have faith, set our minds to it, and take action
Believe in me as I believe in you, tonight
We can only achieve great things if we believe in ourselves and support each other
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WILLIAM PATRICK CORGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@smokeuodn3657
Time is never time at all
You can never ever leave
Without leaving a piece of youth
And our lives are forever changed
We will never be the same
The more you change, the less you feel
Believe
Believe in me
Believe, believe
That life can change
That you're not stuck in vain
We're not the same, we're different
Tonight
Tonight
Tonight, so bright
Tonight
Tonight
And you know you're never sure
But you're sure you could be right
If you held yourself up to the light
And the embers never fade
In your city by the lake
The place where you were born
Believe
Believe in me
Believe, believe
In the resolute urgency of now
And if you believe there's not a chance
Tonight
Tonight
Tonight, so bright
Tonight
Tonight
We'll crucify the insincere tonight
(Tonight)
We'll make things right, we'll feel it all tonight
(Tonight)
We'll find a way to offer up the night
(Tonight)
The indescribable moments of your life
(Tonight)
The impossible is possible tonight
(Tonight)
Believe in me as I believe in you
Tonight
Tonight, tonight
Tonight
Tonight
@Spaethon
My best friend died 20 years ago tonight. Car crash, he was 16. Timmy Bourque. He introduced me to Smashing Pumpkins. Tonight I'm drunk, listening on repeat, and loving the box of his memories I'll never give up.
@DRUM19
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😓😓😓🙏🙏🙏🙏🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
@frankvadnais3536
Sorry about your friend. Cherish the good memories of time you spent together!
@JamieKitchens6
Beautiful in its pain
@cheerubebayonettaholopaine2638
he will always be with you. he is watching your right now smiling at you. can you feel him? 😃 you will meet again!
@richardbutler5312
🙏😔🙏
@DaKid1026
I am a 65-year-old African American male, when this song came out in 1996 I was 43 years old. I like all kinds of music and this song was incredible! The video was mesmerizing. Billy's voice pierced through all the noise - I bought this double album and it (along with Tupac's "All Eyez On Me") dominated my psyche for the next year at least. What a rush to spontaneously pull this up while working on a project. A time machine, music is.
@banyarling
I was a 15 year old white youth listening to Wu Tang. Funny how music brings us together.
@autumnvolume4181
I was 3 and didn't have much preference in music at the time ;) But this ended up becoming my favorite band 10 years later, and still remains my favorite more than 10 years after that.
@ericjesse2409
I was 18 and into punk, although I had respect for Smashing Pumpkins ever since I heard "Gish" in 1991. In 1996 I first tried smoking weed and opened my mind to all kinds of different music. I had a crush on Fiona Apple. Time flies.