Burnett helped start the careers of Counting Crows, Los Lobos, Sam Phillips, and Gillian Welch, and he revitalized the careers of Gregg Allman and Roy Orbison. He produced music for the television programs Nashville and True Detective. He has released several solo studio albums, including Tooth of Crime, which he wrote for a revival of the play by Sam Shepard.
The only child of Joseph Henry Burnett Jr. and Hazel Perkins Burnett, Burnett was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1948, and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. His grandfather worked as secretary for the Southern Baptist Convention. His father wanted to be a pro athlete and was courted by the Brooklyn Dodgers, but instead, he got a job in Fort Worth with the Tandy Corporation. Burnett was brought up in the Episcopal Church of his mother. He forgot the origin of his nickname, which he uses without a dash.
Burnett discovered music through his parents' 78 RPM phonograph records of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, and the songs of Cole Porter. He was drawn to music that took him to unconventional places, and he felt no compulsion to stick to one genre. He heard Peggy Lee, Hank Williams, and the Beatles on the radio, was influenced by Buddy Holly, and revered Johnny Cash. He was smitten by the music of Howlin' Wolf, Skip James, the Stanley Brothers, and Jimmy Reed.
When the Night Falls
T-Bone Burnett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the street lights blink on the town's yawning
I climb down my stairs to the empty avenue
And follow my shadow till morning
'Cause when the night falls, it falls on me
And when the day breaks, I'm in pieces
When the night falls, it falls on me
As I walk past the theaters and stores
And the whores that now work where we first met
I want to hold you so bad that it hurts
And it only gets worse when the sun sets
'Cause when the night falls, it falls on me
And when the day breaks, I'm in pieces
When the night falls, it falls on me
And I'm so lonely, I'm so lonely
And then I see you and call out your name
But down the street you keep walking away
And when I reach you
A stranger looks over her shoulder then it starts all over
Now the moon is a thin silver line
Disappearing behind a skyscraper
And I climb my stairs to my dark hotel room
Through the litter of Sunday newspapers
'Cause when the night falls, it falls on me
And when the day breaks, I'm in pieces
When the night falls, it falls on me
And I'm so lonely
I'm so lonely, I'm so lonely
I'm so lonely, I'm so lonely, so lonely
T-Bone Burnett's song "When the Night Falls" captures the melancholic feeling of loneliness that engulfs someone after the sun sets. The lyrics describe the singer taking a walk alone through the town as the night falls and the streetlights turn on. The emptiness and silence of the streets in contrast to the lively hustle and bustle of daytime further amplify the feeling of loneliness. The singer longs to be with someone he loves and wants to hold them so badly that it hurts. But the person is not present, and the singer ends up being haunted by the memory of the one he loves. The song ends with the singer returning to his hotel room through the litter of newspapers, emphasizing the emptiness and loneliness that he carries with him.
The song's slow-paced tune matches the melancholic mood of the lyrics, which beautifully describe the feeling of loneliness. The song's vivid imagery of the singer walking down empty streets in the night and the longing for the loved ones strike a chord with the listeners, evoking a sense of deep empathy.
Line by Line Meaning
As the night falls, as the sun starts to sink
As the day comes to an end and the night begins
And the street lights blink on the town's yawning
The lights on the street come alive as the town starts to settle down
I climb down my stairs to the empty avenue
I go downstairs to the street that is empty
And follow my shadow till morning
I walk alone, following my own shadow until the morning comes
'Cause when the night falls, it falls on me
The darkness of the night seems to engulf me
And when the day breaks, I'm in pieces
When the sun rises, I feel broken
When the night falls, it falls on me
I feel the loneliness of the night
And I'm so lonely, I'm so lonely
I feel extremely lonely
As I walk past the theaters and stores
While I'm walking, I pass by the theaters and shops
And the whores that now work where we first met
I see the prostitutes working where we first met
I want to hold you so bad that it hurts
I ache to hold you so badly that it hurts me
And it only gets worse when the sun sets
My feeling of loneliness increases as the sun sets
And then I see you and call out your name
I suddenly see you and call out your name
But down the street you keep walking away
You keep walking away down the street
And when I reach you
When I finally catch up to you
A stranger looks over her shoulder then it starts all over
A stranger looks back at us and my feelings of loneliness and desperation return
Now the moon is a thin silver line
The moon is visible as a thin, silver line
Disappearing behind a skyscraper
The moon is hidden behind a skyscraper
And I climb my stairs to my dark hotel room
I go up the stairs to my dark hotel room
Through the litter of Sunday newspapers
Through the pile of discarded Sunday newspapers
'Cause when the night falls, it falls on me
The night feels like a personal weight on me
And when the day breaks, I'm in pieces
Every time the day breaks, I feel shattered inside
When the night falls, it falls on me
The night makes me feel alone
And I'm so lonely
I feel unbearably lonely
I'm so lonely, I'm so lonely
I'm incredibly lonely
I'm so lonely, I'm so lonely, so lonely
I am so very lonely
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: T BURNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind