Roadsinger
Yusuf/Cat Stevens Lyrics
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People stood and stared then closed their doors, as he passed,
He strolled the empty street, kids banged on tin cans,
Then the panting dogs began to bark, as the roadsinger sang
Where do you go, where do you go,
When hearts are closed,
When a friend becomes a stranger,
Where do you go, where do you go,
When the world turns dark,
And the light of truth is blown out,
And the roads are blocked
He stopped by a stall, between the barrels and sacks,
A child's face peeped out and gave a smile, and ran back,
Behind a misty glass, on a windowpane,
A little finger drew a perfect heart, and a name
Where do you go, where do you go,
In a world filled with fright,
Only a song to warm you, through the night
Where do you go, where do you go,
After lies are told,
And the light of truth is blown out,
And the night is cold
Roadsinger rode on, to another land,
Though the people spoke a different tongue, it understand,
They showed him how to share, and took him by the hand,
Showed him the path to Heaven, through the desert sand
Where do you go, where do you go,
To find happiness,
In a world filled with hatred, (Cheers)
Where do you go, where do you go,
If no one cares,
And everybody's lost, looking for theirs
"Roadsinger" is a story about a mysterious traveling minstrel who walks into a town and is initially viewed with suspicion and fear. As he walks through the empty streets, he encounters the harsh reality of a world where people have shut themselves off from each other. Cats Stevens sings about the deafening silence that surrounds heartbreak, the loneliness of betrayal, and the darkness of a world where lies have become the norm. Despite this, the Roadsinger proceeds with his song, asking the critical question, "Where do you go when the world turns dark, and the light of truth is blown out, and the roads are blocked?"
He stops by a market stall where he is warmly received by a child, who leaves him with a smile. He then notices a windowpane in a store, where someone has drawn a heart with the name of a loved one inside of it. This touching moment confirms the Roadsinger's unshaken belief in the power of music to connect people and rekindle love.
In the final verse, the Roadsinger moves on to another land where he is welcomed and embraced by those who speak a different language. He is shown the path to 'heaven' which runs through the desert sands. In the end, the song leaves us with a sense of hope and optimism — that even in a world filled with hatred, lies, and loss, music and human kindness can light the way.
Line by Line Meaning
Roadsinger came to town, long cape and hat,
A mysterious wanderer arrived in the town wearing a distinctive outfit.
People stood and stared then closed their doors, as he passed,
The townspeople were intimidated by the stranger and quickly retreated indoors.
He strolled the empty street, kids banged on tin cans,
The roadsinger walked calmly through the deserted streets while children played noisily in the background.
Then the panting dogs began to bark, as the roadsinger sang
Despite the peacefulness of the streets, the dogs started barking as soon as the roadsinger began singing.
Where do you go, where do you go,
The roadsinger is asking a repeated question about where to find solace and happiness.
When hearts are closed,
The singer is questioning where to turn in times when people are unwilling to listen.
When a friend becomes a stranger,
The roadsinger laments those times when close relationships fail.
Nobody wants to know
The singer feels rejected by the people around them, without a place to turn.
Where do you go, where do you go,
The singer repeats the question, emphasizing the urgency of the problem.
When the world turns dark,
The singer is asking where to go in times of crisis and danger.
And the light of truth is blown out,
The singer feels lost and without guidance, like they are in a dark and confusing world.
And the roads are blocked
The singer feels constricted and without a clear path to take forward.
He stopped by a stall, between the barrels and sacks,
The roadsinger has paused in his journey to observe his surroundings.
A child's face peeped out and gave a smile, and ran back,
A child was curious about the roadsinger, but quickly scurried away.
Behind a misty glass, on a windowpane,
The roadsinger sees a sign or decoration in a window.
A little finger drew a perfect heart, and a name
Someone has left a mark of devotion in the window, which the singer takes as a sign of hope and love.
Where do you go, where do you go,
The singer is still searching for a place of safety and peace.
In a world filled with fright,
The singer is questioning how to live in a world where danger and fear are omnipresent.
Only a song to warm you, through the night
The roadsinger is saying that he personally finds safety and warmth in his own songs and music.
After lies are told,
The singer is feeling hurt and betrayed by lies.
And the light of truth is blown out,
The singer is feeling lost and without guidance, like they are in a dark and confusing world.
And the night is cold
The roadsinger feels alone and isolated, without a place to turn.
Roadsinger rode on, to another land,
The wanderer continues his journey, leaving his current surroundings behind.
Though the people spoke a different tongue, it understand,
The roadsinger is saying that despite language differences, he found common ground with the people he encountered.
They showed him how to share, and took him by the hand,
The singer was shown kindness and taught new things by the people he met.
Showed him the path to Heaven, through the desert sand
The people may have taught the singer a spiritual lesson, or they led him to a new, better place.
Where do you go, where do you go,
The roadsinger still has not found the answer to his main question.
To find happiness,
The singer is looking for a way to live a fulfilling life.
In a world filled with hatred,
The singer is questioning how to find peace and contentment in a world with so much negativity.
If no one cares,
The roadsinger feels like no one is looking out for him or offering sympathy.
And everybody's lost, looking for theirs
The roadsinger sees others floundering as well, seeking their own path, but he doesn't know where to turn either.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: YUSUF ISLAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JaneDoe-ci3gj
Discovered this song today, when Yusuf was inducted into the songwriters Hall of Fame.
The lyrics are so good and the melody's soothing!
I only wish it had proper English subtitles or lyrics on the screen!
Thanks for all the music Yusuf
🎶💞 and thanks for promoting peace!💟🙏 I'm a Christian but I believe in one humanity! 💟
We should take better care of each other!
We should also take better care of nature and animals!
Greetings from Sweden!🌻
@mohamadibad3546
Roadsinger came to town, long cape and hat,
People stood and stared, then closed their doors
As he passed
He strolled the empty street, kids banged on tin cans
Then the panting dogs began to bark
As the Roadsinger sang
Where do you go? Where do you go?
When hearts are closed
When a friend becomes a stranger,
Nobody wants to know.
Where do you go? Oh, where do you go?
When the world turns dark
And the light of truth is blown out
And the roads are blocked.
He stopped by a store, between the barrels and sacks,
A child’s face peeped out and gave a smile
And ran back
Behind a misty glass, on a window pane,
A little finger drew a perfect heart
And her name
Where do you go? Where do you go?
In a world filled with fright;
Only a song to warm you,
Through the night
Where do you go? Oh, where do you go?
After lies are told,
And the light of truth is blown out,
And the night is cold.
Roadsinger rode on, to another land
Though the people spoke a different tongue,
They’d understand
They showed him how to share and took him by the hand
Showed him the path to heaven
Through the desert sand
Where do you go? Where do you go?
To find happiness,
In a world filled with hatred 1
And tears.
Where do you go? Oh, where do you go?
If no one cares
And everybody’s lost,
Looking for theirs.
@LearnEnglishBot
Road Singer Lyrics (words)🎧
🎵🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎵
Roadsinger came to town, long cape and hat
People stood and stared then closed their doors as he passed
He strolled the empty street, kids banged on tin cans
Then the panting dogs began to bark as the roadsinger sang
Where do you go? Where do you go when hearts are closed?
When a friend becomes a stranger nobody wants to know
Where do you go? Where do you go when the world turns dark?
And the light of truth is blown out and the roads are blocked
He stopped by a stall between the barrels and sacks
A child's face peeped out and gave a smile and ran back
Behind a misty glass on a windowpane
A little finger drew a perfect heart and a name
Where do you go? Where do you go in a world filled with fright?
Only a song to warm you through the night
Where do you go? Where do you go after lies are told?
And the light of truth is blown out and the night is cold
Roadsinger rode on to another land
Though the people spoke a different tongue it understand
They showed him how to share and took him by the hand
Showed him the path to heaven through the desert sand
Where do you go? Where do you go to find happiness?
In a world filled with hatred, tears
Where do you go? Where do you go if no one cares?
And everybody's lost looking for theirs.
🎵🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎵
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@mazdamps
I am a sixty seven years young man, drowning in nostalgia! Cat was always one of my favourite artists from "back in the day" I recently bought all of his albums on CD as (don't laugh) I have them on 8 track! My daughter got me this one and I shed more than a few tears, thinking of happier and better days.
@rubiynkarfunckel2367
<3
@gustavotriani5611
Though days Mr. Gordini
@nathanielthestrange7407
I, now 20 years old, have him as my most favorite musician. His songs bring me both nostalgia and a feeling of safety.
@Nomadahtous
I’m with you on that one…@64 he’s still top of my fave list
@kjgumm
I’m a 72 yr old hippy chick !😂
@Thealmightysanchez
Still one of the best musicians I've ever heard. We need more artists like Yusuf especially in this corrupted day and age.
@tastymouse
Beautiful song and message. Stay with us until the end, this time. You are needed in this world.
@colleenflaherty2972
I am so glad you have come back to us...your music has made such an impact on my life...since I was 15 years old.....and to bring it full circle into my 50s...it makes me feel blessed....so happy you are back in my life....
@paulodias8903
Conheci cat stevens quando estudava no colegio anchieta em sao bernardo em um fusca de alguns amigos que nem lembro o nome ,fazia eletronica comprei todos os lps good times