Steve Miller (born 5 October 1943) is a blues and rock and roll guitarist and performer. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but attended high school in Dallas. While at St. Mark's School of Texas, he formed his first band, The Marksmen. Miller taught one of his classmates, Royce Boz Scaggs, a few guitar chords so that he could join the band; Scaggs became better known by his nickname, Boz. Miller attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the 1960s, where he formed The Ardells. Scaggs joined the Ardells the next year. Ben Sidran was added to the Ardells as a keyboardist the following year.
In 1968, Miller formed the Steve Miller Band, with Scaggs handling vocals, and released an album, Children of the Future, the first in a series of discs rooted solidly in the psychedelic blues style that dominated the San Francisco music scene at the time. Scaggs would leave the band after a couple of albums with vocal chores taken over by drummer Tim Davis; Miller himself would begin singing occasional lead on 1969's Brave New World. These albums performed respectably on the album charts but failed to yield a hit.
In the 1970's the band had some hits that became classics over the years - Jet Airliner, with some evocative lyrics that brought home the loss of life on the road; and The Joker which includes the famous line about the "pompatus of love", which is of course nonsense, but that didn't stop a lot of stoned folks from spending years talking amongst themselves.
Steve Miller's father was a wealthy doctor in Dallas, and friends with famous guitarist and guitar designer Les Paul. Les Paul gave Miller his first guitar lessons.
Longtime member Norton Buffalo (harmonica player) died from lung cancer on October 30, 2009.
John King (drummer during "The Joker" era) died after a short bout of kidney cancer on October 26, 2010.
Band-member James Cooke died from cancer on 16 May 2011.
Harbor Lights
Steve Miller Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looks like the fourth of July
Maybe Christmas night
Reflected in water
In my cell, behind this wall
I share my time
With many a soul who is lost
Why can't I ever be a winner
So as time
Goes rolling by
I lose my chance
It's only one life
If I had the wings of an angel
O'er these prison walls I would fly
Straight from the darkness into the light
Why must I always be a loser
Why can't I ever be a winner
Spoken: My dearest darling, as I'm writing you this letter
They're coming to take me away
They're beginning to shave my head now, sweetheart
But as their doing it
I just want you to know
That I wouldn't have it any other way
I'm glad that I killed your mother
She was a low-down dirty old hag
But in the end darling
You will get your revenge
Because you see
Their gonna send you my belongings
In a plastic bag
La, la, la
A plastic bag
The Steve Miller Band's "Harbor Lights" is a song about a person in a prison cell, looking out at the harbor lights, and reflecting on their mistakes in life. The song starts with the singer seeing the lights of the harbor, and it reminds him of joyous occasions such as Christmas and the Fourth of July. However, as he is trapped behind his cell, he shares his time with people who are equally lost in life. The lyrics reveal his pain, where he questions why he has always been a loser and never a winner. He acknowledges that time is rolling by, and he will lose his chance to make something of his life.
The song has a shift in tone in the end, where the lyrics take a dark turn. The singer is writing a letter to his dearest sweetheart, where he admits to killing her mother, who was hateful to him. He is being led to execution, where his head is going to be shaved. The letter is supposed to reach his sweetheart, along with his belongings, in a plastic bag. The song ends with the words "La, la, la, a plastic bag," which gives the impression of the permanent darkness that the singer is going to be in.
The lyrics tell a story about the consequences of the singer's mistakes, and how he has lost all his chances at life. The shift in tone towards the end of the song provides a realization that death is the only way out of this misery, and there is no way of becoming a winner in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I can see the harbor lights
The singer observes the lights of the harbor and compares them to the grand fireworks of the Fourth of July or the cozy lights of Christmas night. He sees them reflected in the water.
In my cell, behind this wall
The singer is in prison and confined to a cell, separated from the outside world by a wall.
I share my time
The singer spends his time in prison with other individuals who are also lost and incarcerated, and who share his confinement.
With many a soul who is lost
The artist is surrounded by a lot of people who have lost their way and ended up in prison, like him.
Why must I always be a loser
The artist is questioning why he always seems to lose in life and have bad luck, ending up in prison.
Why can't I ever be a winner
The singer is frustrated that he never seems to have a successful outcome and is unable to achieve any victories.
So as time
Over time, as the singer remains in prison and experiences life passing him by,
Goes rolling by
Time moves and passes, waiting for no one, while the artist remains incarcerated.
I lose my chance
The artist feels that he has lost his opportunity in life and is unable to make any progress or achieve his goals.
It's only one life
The artist realizes that life is short, and he only has one chance to make something of it, which he feels he has lost.
If I had the wings of an angel
The singer wishes he had unlimited freedom and the ability to escape his confinement, represented metaphorically by the wings of an angel.
O'er these prison walls I would fly
The artist would fly over the walls of his prison to have freedom and escape his current condition.
Straight from the darkness into the light
The singer wants to escape the darkness of his confinement and enter the light of freedom and a better life.
My dearest darling, as I'm writing you this letter
The singer is writing a letter to his loved one and thinking about them as he does so.
They're coming to take me away
The singer is anticipating that he will be taken away for some reason.
They're beginning to shave my head now, sweetheart
The artist is being physically prepared for something he knows is coming, in this case, potentially execution.
But as their doing it
Despite what is happening to him in the moment,
I just want you to know
The singer is thinking about his loved one and wants to convey a message to them.
That I wouldn't have it any other way
The singer is saying that he accepts what is happening to him and would not want anything to change.
I'm glad that I killed your mother
The artist reveals a shocking and possibly false information to his loved one.
She was a low-down dirty old hag
The artist describes his victim in a highly derogatory and negative way, indicating a sense of bitterness at the person.
But in the end darling
Despite the current situation, the artist thinks that his loved one will ultimately come out on top.
You will get your revenge
The singer suggests that his loved one will somehow be able to get even, despite his imprisonment or death.
Because you see
The artist explains something to his loved one that they may not have realized before.
Their gonna send you my belongings
When the singer is gone (dead or imprisoned), his possessions will be sent to his loved one.
In a plastic bag
The singer's possessions will be sent in a cheap, disposable bag, suggesting that his death is of little consequence and value to the authorities.
La, la, la
The singer sings nonsense syllables, possibly to distract himself from his current predicament, or as a release of emotions.
A plastic bag
The same as the last line, continuing to emphasize the idea that the artist's life (or death) holds little value to those in charge.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: STEVE MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ShaneCassidy
One of the most beautiful songs of all time
@photoslum
I see we meet again here in the comments section of this song (you replied to my comment about a year ago).
@scottshea4681
So many hidden treasures in the Steve Miller Band's SF era. This is one of them.
@AngelaForest
Wow. What an ending. Had to listen to this again. Great ending!
@rockzulla
@TheCatsandsteve all of stevie guitar miller's music is great and he is an awesome preformer. i fell in love with steve music when i heard fly like and eagle and knew i had to have all of his music, i'm a steve miller fanatic and his biggest fan of all time.steve can sure jam when he does blues and steve's father was the best man at les pauls wedding some people don't know that , plus les taught steve some of his first chords on the guitar. a miller fan for life i'am.
@charlie50201
Classic old Steve Miller
@simontemplar404
Another brilliant Sunday morning slow ballad.
@TheCatsandsteve
FINALLY....good steve miller....from a time ....long ago...the whole album is great and has just been released.....was out of print for a long...too long of a time
@renosmokingcat
A great album and the first album that I ever heard the future bass player for Journey on, Ross Valory. This album is in deed underrated.
@molinelobo
my favorite Steve lyrics, too funny and I love this Album. Thanks for posting.