This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Life isn't easy from the singular side
Down in the hole some emotions are hard to hide
It's your decision, it's the chance that you take
It's on your head, it's a habit that's hard to break
Do you need a friend, would you tell no lies
Would you take me in, are you lonely in the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
You never listen to the voices inside
They fill your ears as you run to a place to hide
You're never sure if the illusion is real
You pinch yourself but the memories are all you feel
Can you break away from your alibies
Can you make a play, will you meet me in the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark, ah ah ah
Don'tcha need me, hey, hey
Don'tcha need me, oh yea
Don'tcha need me, hey, hey
Don'tcha need me, oh yea
You take no interest, no opinion's to dear
You make the rounds and you try to be so sincere
You guard your hopes and you pocket your dreams
You'd trade it all to avoid an unpleasant scene
Can you face the fire when you see me there
Can you feel the fire, will you love me in the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark, ah ah ah ah
Down in the hole some emotions are hard to hide
It's your decision, it's the chance that you take
It's on your head, it's a habit that's hard to break
Do you need a friend, would you tell no lies
Would you take me in, are you lonely in the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
You never listen to the voices inside
They fill your ears as you run to a place to hide
You're never sure if the illusion is real
You pinch yourself but the memories are all you feel
Can you break away from your alibies
Can you make a play, will you meet me in the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark, ah ah ah
Don'tcha need me, hey, hey
Don'tcha need me, oh yea
Don'tcha need me, hey, hey
Don'tcha need me, oh yea
You take no interest, no opinion's to dear
You make the rounds and you try to be so sincere
You guard your hopes and you pocket your dreams
You'd trade it all to avoid an unpleasant scene
Can you face the fire when you see me there
Can you feel the fire, will you love me in the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark
In the dark, ah ah ah ah
Lyrics submitted by Major Valor
In The Dark Lyrics as written by Billy Squier
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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Great version of a great song,
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Billy Squier is criminally underrated and this is my personal favorite out of all of his music. This really is a great song both musically and lyrically, just like meaningmasta said. It gets me literally every time I listen to it and it NEVER gets old.
Seriously, Billy Squier is possibly THE most underrated musician of all time. Listening to this and plenty of other songs, it boggles my mind that he never hit it way bigger than he did. Sure, I wouldn't expect him to be ranked up there with bands like Led Zeppelin but I think he at least deserves to be as popular as bands like Def Leppard or Motley Crue, as he's honestly a much better artist than either of them.
Couldn't agree more, man. This has always been my favorite of Billy's songs. I'm a fan of the TV series "Supernatural" which often uses classic rock songs as backdrops to particularly important sequences. I've always thought this song would make a very good one. If you look at the lyrics cryptically, they could very well be talking about the life of hunters like Sam & Dean Winchester. Incidently, YouTube has several excellent vids of Billy doing an acoustic version of this one. It's great.
@The Firm WOW... just listened to this song, an ALL TIME favorite, and COULD NOT agree more with your entire first paragraph.. especially the last sentence thereof.<br /> <br /> Its one of those songs that no matter how many times you listen to it, it has force andmovement that is more than notable among any song in my book of songs.
This song seems to be about a lover who keeps their relationship a secret. They are taking a "risk" by being involved in a "habit that's hard to break". I'm going to theorize that the relationship probably involves both sex and drugs.
They seem to fear an unpleasant scene more than they do a life of loneliness as their life is "singular". However, when "down in the hole" (possibly the "rabbit hole", a reference to "Alice in Wonderland" and thus a drug reference) they have a hard time suppressing those things within themselves that they try to keep hidden from others, like their loneliness and lust. The altered state is causing them to lose a little control and become less inhibited. The possible drug reference is further reinforced by the suggestion of hallucination "You're never sure if the illusion is real, You pinch yourself".
If my theory about the drug reference has any validity to it, then it seems that the subject, being such a guarded person, would probably want to avoid others knowing about what they're doing and WHO they are doing it with. They would be embarrassed to be associated with them publicly. Meanwhile, the artist seems to point out constant facade the subject puts on around others with the lines "You take no interest, no opinion's too dear, You make the rounds and you try to be so sincere."
The artist asks the subject do they need someone they can trust ("who would tell you no lies"), can they stop making up excuses why they can't ("alibis"), "Will you love me in the dark?".
The line "will you face the fire when you see me there, will you feel the fire" seems to be more of a reference to passion/lust than it is to pain/persecution. So I think the artist is asking the subject if they will succumb to their desires if no one will know but them.
I'm afraid.
Best song of Billy Squier's, and no comments?
great song, musically and lyrically. billy squier had some great songs, talented, but he is underrated these days.
yes he is underrated and it piss me off ,fuck them he's very great
I've heard this song many times over the years, but I listened to it recently and was really amazed by the depth of it. Like so much of good art, it is meant to be perceived in different ways. In one sense, it really touches the heart of existential isloation, a compelling invitation to leave the tragic world of human avoidance and find something real in the unknown and uncertain. Just beautiful, the passion and desperation in his voice, really good stuff.
In the dark...with dark meaning "secret". This is about a proposition of some sort and it's secret. But someone is guarded, timid or scared and has secrets and is afraid or fearful of being exposed. So they will continue even if they have to "trade it all to avoid an unpleasant scene"?
Being challenged to do something in the dark (secret)? Will they do it and face the fire?
It's pretty deep....will come back to this one.
He could come out with this now and it be 100 X's better than the crap out today. Awesome vocals and lyrics...
Recently rediscovered this gem after growing up in the 80s. Billy is way underrated. My take on this, my fave song of his: it's about the dual nature in all of us, the light side that we try to present versus the dark. There's a dark side that we all have, but we try to keep it in the dark.
after years of hearing this,and the emotion he puts in it, aligned with his image and other songs, I consider that it might mean he's gay. In the DARK?(closet) and this is not judgmental, for I have my own 'in the dark' encounters from time to time