But Not Tonight

This has been one of my faves since 1986. The following is what I have thought it meant since I first heard it when I was 18 years old.

He is crying in his amazement of being able to STOP drug use (even if it was for a short time). And the decision was HIS this time & NOT someone else influencing him (because YOU have to want to STOP). I think the “rain & being wet” signifies withdrawals…..that would explain why he can still see the “moon & stars”. He is going through withdrawals, but welcomes them this time because he really wants to STOP the drug use. My theory for the “eyes being red & mistaken for dead”, this was the turning point that helped him make the decision to STOP this time because he overdosed to the point of near death (or something as tragic). He is experiencing his senses without chemicals & now has HOPE to carry on & it feels GREAT !

My eyes well up with tears when I hear Dave's mesmerizing voice on this tune.....Enjoy the Silence...

It reminds me of those magical nights when you're outside and you realize that life is just about you and the universe you're playing in, that the stars and the moon are billions of years old and all your life's problems of societal expectations, responsibility, anxiety, etc. are tiny in the grand scheme of things and you feel for a moment that a great weight has been lifted from your shoulders and that you are wiser than you were just 5 minutes earlier.

I agree with ezboy1000...it's about having that one day where, for once, you don't feel like shit. It's that moment where you see a faint glimmer of optimism, of being happy or satisfied. Just for a day, you feel alive and not weighed down by the usual drama and drudgery.

Only a genius like Martin could write something that manages to be inspiring, yet dark all at the same time.

I can't believe no one gets this one. It's a break up song.

He's obviously upset about a losing a long term relationship (haven't felt so alive in years). But he's also happy to be out out of it (haven't felt so alive in years).

Re-read the lyrics with this in mind and it will all click.

It's an amazing song.

A song about rebirth. The rain is washing away all of the crap in his life at least for the time being until all of the "debauchery" returns again.

This song remindsme about some darker ages. Long gone now. I'm happier as the song tell us. Beautiful. Try to drive at night on a desert road fast, very fast and put this one...

does anybody have any idea what he might be referring to when he talks about his red eyes? maybe just crying? maybe something else?

this song is so incredible and it means so much to me because of how optimistic it is, it's probably my favorite song by depeche mode (if not all around, at least lyrically). nobody can explain those moments when they just feel like they fit in the world, for no apparent reason. it could have been a bad day in general, it could be RAINING, and it doesn't matter because it's moments like these that really put things into perspective.

what a beautiful song. one of my very favourites.

I agree with most of what has been said. Yet I feel I should mention that this song is not simply about happiness and redemption.

Notice the narrator states, "just for one day..." It is about a moment in an otherwise crappy life where you find happiness. It is not as if the narrator has suddenly become optomistic, there is no "life altering moment".

The song is simply about someone who is normally involved in "debauchery" but for one night they have this fleeting, inexplicable, moment of zest for life.

To simply see this song as optimistic is to miss the underlying message.

I know this may not be off-base here, but from my intuition this song represents an individual's experience of life when he finally decides to commit suicide. I know this is a very dark thought, esp. since it appears that the individual is "happy." However, when I was lying down listening to this song just before falling asleep it hit me. I work in mental health and from my understanding, when one is so depressed and makes the commitment to kill oneself, sometimes one can experience feelings of relief, joy happiness, contentment, power...like they are embarking on a new journey and end to suffering.

"Some people show very positive behavior such as happiness or relief once their decision to take their own life and end the pain has been made. Unusual behavior, such as being very withdrawn or excessively animated can also be a sign that there is something wrong." I don't know...this is what i got from this song.