The Downtown Lights
The Blue Nile Lyrics
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When all I really wanna do
Is love and hold you right
There is just one thing I can say
Nobody loves you this way
It's alright
The downtown lights
In love we're all the same
We're walking down an empty street
And with nobody, call your name
Empty streets, empty nights
The downtown lights
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know it's true?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's alright
Tonight and every night
Let's go walking down this empty street
Let's walk in the cool evening light
Wrong or right
Be at my side
The downtown lights
It will be alright
It will be alright
The downtown lights
Yeah, yeah
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know it's true?
It's alright
It's alright
The downtown lights
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know it's true?
Yeah, yeah, the downtown lights
The neon's and the cigarettes
Rented rooms and rented cars
The crowded streets, the empty bars
Chimney tops and trumpets
The golden lights, the loving prayers
The colored shoes, the empty trains
I'm tired of crying on the stairs
The downtown lights
Yeah, yeah
The Blue Nile's "The Downtown Lights" is a poignant and introspective song about missing someone and the lingering desire to be with them, even when circumstances seem to keep you apart. The opening lines convey the internal conflict of the singer, who sometimes walks away from the person he or she loves, even though all they really want is to hold them close. The lyrics go on to suggest that despite the obstacles that may stand in the way of the lovers' reunion, they are united by the light of the neon signs that illuminate the streets below. The chorus repeats the phrase "the downtown lights" as a sort of mantra, emphasizing the idea that in the midst of loneliness and uncertainty, there is still an unfailing beacon of hope and connection.
The second verse of the song elaborates on this theme, painting a picture of a gritty and unpredictable urban landscape where strangers pass each other by in the night, but the singer remains steadfast in their desire to be reunited with their loved one. The final verse blends imagery of the city (rented rooms and cars, crowded streets and empty bars) with more abstract concepts like loving prayers and coloured shoes, creating a sense of the beauty and loneliness that coexist in this urban world. The repeated refrain of "how do I know you feel it?" underscores the singer's ongoing uncertainty and longing, while the closing lines offer an assurance that everything will be alright, even as the downtown lights continue to burn brightly.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I walk away
Occasionally, I choose to leave instead of staying.
When all I really wanna do
Despite my desire to do otherwise,
Is love and hold you right
All I want to do is love and physically comfort you.
There is just one thing I can say
I can only express one sentiment.
Nobody loves you this way
No one has ever loved you in this same manner.
It's alright
Everything is okay.
Can't you see?
Don't you understand?
The downtown lights
The illuminating lights in the city center.
In love we're all the same
Regardless of differences, we share the same love.
We're walking down an empty street
We are strolling along an unoccupied road.
And with nobody, call your name
No one is present to shout your name.
Empty streets, empty nights
Loneliness and solitude abound with deserted pathways and nighttime.
How do I know you feel it?
How can I be certain that you have experienced the same emotions?
How do I know it's true?
How can I confirm that these sentiments are authentic?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's alright
Yes, it's okay.
Tonight and every night
This evening and each subsequent one.
Let's go walking down this empty street
We should stroll down this vacant avenue together.
Let's walk in the cool evening light
Together, we should travel in the refreshing night air.
Wrong or right
Regardless of whether it is incorrect or not.
Be at my side
Please stay with me.
It will be alright
Things will work out just fine.
The downtown lights
The city center's lights again.
The neon's and the cigarettes
The various neon and cigarette signs.
Rented rooms and rented cars
Rooms and vehicles that we have paid to use temporarily.
The crowded streets, the empty bars
Both crowded and isolated city spaces.
Chimney tops and trumpets
Roof pipes and the call of brass instruments.
The golden lights, the loving prayers
Bright luminaries and caring entreaties.
The colored shoes, the empty trains
Colored footwear set against desolate trains.
I'm tired of crying on the stairs
I am weary of sobbing on the steps.
Yeah, yeah
Yes, yes.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: PAUL GERARD BUCHANAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@radioguitarra420fm
Sometimes I walk away
When all I really wanna do
Is love and hold you right
There is just one thing I can say
Nobody loves you this way
It's alright
Can't you see?
The downtown lights
In love we're all the same
We're walking down an empty street
And with nobody, call your name
Empty streets, empty nights
The downtown lights
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know it's true?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's alright
Tonight and every night
Let's go walking down this empty street
Let's walk in the cool evening light
Wrong or right
Be at my side
The downtown lights
It will be alright
It will be alright
The downtown lights
Yeah, yeah
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know it's true?
It's alright
It's alright
The downtown lights
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know you feel it?
How do I know it's true?
Yeah, yeah, the downtown lights
The neon's and the cigarettes
Rented rooms and rented cars
The crowded streets, the empty bars
Chimney tops and trumpets
The golden lights, the loving prayers
The colored shoes, the empty trains
I'm tired of crying on the stairs
The downtown lights
Yeah, yeah
@potatogirl4075
Guilty as Sin? stans where you at?
@Tyblake02
Best song on the album
@kristinazubic9669
We’re trying to stay awake!
@user-bn4jk8gn1k
Taylor sent me here. you too? I'm an 80s kid, I don't remember this song. But they are making some nice money today with all the swifitie clicks.
@kated9914
Listen to Annie Lennox version. That's the one I remember from back in the day.
@TalorcMacAllan
Was off a great album, Hats .....criminally underrated back in the day.
@natanielhepacheco6673
It WAS FIRST RELEASED IN 1989 IM FREAKING OUT
@stu_saya
She's a mastermind
@RyannBarton
@@stu_saya no she got this song from matty healy her ex bf who has stated in interviews that this band and this song in particular inspired his band. That whole lyric from taylor is about matty lol
@RyannBarton
@@stu_saya oh and the beat is also sampled in the 1975s song love it if we made it