Lyrics for Someone Saved My Life Tonight as interpreted by Novartza

Someone Saved My Life Tonight Lyrics
When I think of those East End lights
Muggy nights
The curtains drawn in the little room downstairs
Prima donna Lord you really should have been there
Sitting like a princess perched in her electric chair
And it's one more beer
And I don't hear you anymore
We've all gone crazy lately
My friends out there rolling round the basement floor

And someone saved my life tonight sugar bear
You almost had your hooks in me didn't you dear
You nearly had me roped and tied
Altar-bound, hypnotized
Sweet freedom whispered in my ear
You're a butterfly
And butterflies are free to fly
Fly away, high away bye bye

I never realized the passing hours
Of evening showers
A slip noose hanging in my darkest dreams
I'm strangled by your haunted social scene
Just a pawn out-played by a dominating queen
It's four o'clock in the morning
Damn it listen to me good
I'm sleeping with myself tonight
Saved in time, thank God my music's still alive

And I would have walked head on into the deep end the river
Clinging to your stocks and bonds
Paying your H.P. demands forever
They're coming in the morning with a truck to take me home
Someone saved my life tonight, someone saved my life tonight
Someone saved my life tonight, someone saved my life tonight
Someone saved my life tonight
So save your strength and run the field you play alone
---
"Someone Saved My Life Tonight" as written by Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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Ernest
06-21-2002

 Rated  0 
People always mention Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" as being one of the most hateful outpourings commited to record, but I think this ranks up there with that. This is a really nasty lyric targeted at a woman Elton was due to marry. A close friend, the "Sugar Bear" of the song, convinced him not to. Despite it's cutting harshness, the song maintains optimism and beauty. I am especially taken with the line about the woman being a "slip noose in his darkest dreams." This is some of the darkest imagery I have ever heard, and it conveys his feelings perfectly.

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1 Reply  · 
Emo_ezralite
06-21-2002

 Rated  0 
Ernest, I believe "Sugar Bear" is Elton's songwriter (I can't remember his name). The reason he told Elton not to get married is because he figured it would go against his stage appearance where he was always dressed very flamboyantly.

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1 Reply  · 
Daith
06-21-2002

 Rated  0 
Let's bear in mind that, while, publicly, Elton was at that time either presumed heterosexual and then, at a later point, openly "bisexual," time has proven him to be essentially totally gay. So, while he no doubt had a relationship with this woman, it was most likely based on denial. I think "Sugar Bear" refers to the woman he was supposed to marry. It was in fact the "friend" (and also the song's lyricist), Bernie Taupin, who "saved" Elton's life in that he found Elton lying on the kitchen floor with the gas on. Except that, in reality, there was a tragicomic aspect to it: Elton had his head on a pillow and all the windows were wide open. It was true, though, that Elton was extremely depressed, and the song lyrics certainly reflect that.

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Dareka
07-09-2002

 Rated  0 
I lvoe the imagery of this song. its very dark, but at the same time very pretty and beautiful.

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prace
06-08-2003

 Rated  0 
'Sugar Bear' was actually not his songwriter, but a fellow by the name of John Baldry, who was the one to convince not to marry.

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Black Dahlia
11-03-2004

 Rated  +1 
Perhaps this refers to the man who saved his life by helping him find his true sexuality, rescuing him from a life with the opposite sex, which he wasn't truly meant for.

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Prophet2005
01-30-2005

 Rated  -2 
Jesus had this song written for me and Cher!
I am the Suger Bear who helps the butterfly get free
from Jezabel! She almost had her hooks in Cher, but Suger Bear prayed and came to the Butterfly
(Cher) to Set her Free through Jesus's power working in suger bear! Sounds crazy, but the Cazy Diamond is Cher and other's like her! Who learn to Chine on for Jesus and GOD's Glory! Becuase butterflies are free to fly, so fly away! That's the real meaning.
And Captain Fantasic is Jesus and the Brown dirt
cowboys are Jesus's Apostles! Listen to all the songs,
it all about the Struggle between Satan and Jesus for
people's souls. That's why Phily Freedom is on the reord too. The Girl with Kailaidascope Eyes is CHER-
NOT LUCY! Did you ever see Cher's eyes- WOW!
Cher's eyes sparkle like TWO Stars as she is a Gemini with two stars in heaven!

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RainbowDemon
02-06-2005

 Rated  0 
Prophet... no. Don't soil Jesus. Don't make stuff up.

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falloutboysucks
01-12-2006

 Rated  -1 
I love this song so much

I don't care what it's about

It's so amazing

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nagromnai
01-20-2006

 Rated  0 
If this song were to be recorded now, the effect would be vastly minimised. The cymbols and the direct drum sound would be smoothed over, the power, feeling and emotion would be diluted - modern recording techniques have much more to do with technicalities than feeling

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kmk_natasha
12-04-2006

 Rated  0 
Elton John has tried to commit suicide twice, this song is about that.

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kmk_natasha
12-04-2006

 Rated  -1 
About someone ssaving him from it, if that was not clear.

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abc55555
01-09-2007

 Rated  0 
It's about someone (Not sugar bear. Sugar bear is his reference to his ex-fiance) saving him from marriage. He felt used for his money and played. He's gay now. Some gays have had problems with women. Domineering etc. and it's lead them to their disinterest.

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MikePattonRules
02-25-2007

 Rated  -1 
kmk natasha, you just pulled that outa ur ass. Its about when elton was thought to be gay so he was gona marry some chick to prove he wasnt but he was saved from marrying her by his friend who new he was acutally gay

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eltonlover
04-03-2007

 Rated  0 
No, in fact, Daith is correct. This song is about Elton trying to commit suicide which Elton refers to as his Woody Allen attempt at suicide because he did in fact put his head in a gas stove and then left the windows open. Bernie Taupin, long time friend and lyricist, is the friend in the song and saved Elton from himself.

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duke077
05-02-2007

 Rated  0 
It is true, this song is about Eltons attempt at suicide. I went to see Elton's 'Red Piano' show in Las Vegas. On the screen behind the stage they had videos playing that interpreted the songs. For that particular song they did show him with his head on a pillow in the oven two times. the vidoe also showed how he was just manipulated like a puppet and he basically had no freedom to be himself. It was like he had to be Elton the rock star 24/7. He never got to make decisions for himself.

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damien006
06-02-2007

 Rated  0 
Well, i think, as most of elton johns songs, this one has many meanings. I am almost certain that it was made about elton john almost commiting suicide, but it was written in a way that it could just as easily be a song about drugs, more specifically, cocaine.
The first praragraph pretty much describes the setting (east end, little room downstairs). On the drugs side, its explaining where he would do his drugs, (in the room downstairs with the curtains closed, with friends rolling around etc.) On the suicide side, its just, again, giving a setting, and describing the woman as a Prima donna sitting like a princessed perched in her electric chair. It gives an image of a tempermental or conceited woman.
The corus is about how sugar bear (either cocaine, or his girlfriend) has him hooked, roped and tied. (cocaine being increadibly addictive, or girlfriend being clingy, demanding, etc.)
The third paragraph, if about drugs, is about how its making him crazy, making him fell like minutes are hours. The idea of a slip noose hanging in his darkest dreams is explaining how the drugs, although taken to make you happy or high, make you freaked out, crazy, etc.
Its also explaining that he is trying to get away from the drugs, (i'm sleeping with myself tonight) but it has grabbed a hold of him, he is being "strangled by its haunted social scene" (the bad crowd of druggies + drugs)
On the girlfriend/suicide side, this paragraph is explaining how he is sick of her (listen to me good, im sleeping with myself tonight, sick and tired..) He also doesnt like her "social scene".
The last paragraph, on the drugs side, is about how he could have been completely hooked, and gone on with his addiction "i could have walked head on into the deep end of the river"
the next two lines are about how expensive the cocaine would be "paying your HP demands forever"
Theyre coming in the morning with a truck to take me home would probably mean that someone is coming to save him, to get him away from the drugs.
On the suicide side, its about how he could have stayed with her, and payed her demands forever (for she is conceited and demanding) but someone is going to save him.
Someone saved my life tonight, as far as the suicide/girlfriend side goes, is about how he was going to commit suicide but someone saved him.
on the drugs side, it means that, someone is saving him from the dark ending of all cocaine users who dont get saved by a friend.
the end

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1 Reply  · 
kissdboots
06-16-2007

 Rated  0 
I love this song, but actually the reference to "Sugar Bear" is actually Long John Baldry, who found him, when he was trying to commit suicide. As Bernie Taupin said he had his head on a pillow in the gas oven and the window open!
The song is about a woman who he was due to marry, but was self obsessed with what the world could give her, not the love of a good man. His friends convinced him, she wasnt the one and he ended up walking away from the situation.
But whatever the meaning of the song, it just captures it perfectly. The imagery of the words is just wonderful.

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Sniper1
07-16-2007

 Rated  +1 
From Wikipedia:

Taupin's lyric refers to the time in 1969, before John was a popular musician, when Elton was considering marriage to his girlfriend, Linda Woodrow. Elton and Linda were sharing a flat with Bernie on Furlong Road in London’s East End, hence the opening line “When I think of those East End lights.” While having serious doubts about the looming marriage, John contemplated suicide. He took refuge in his friends, especially Long John Baldry, who convinced Elton to abandon his plans to marry in order to salvage and maintain his musical career. As a sign of his respect and gratitude for Baldry, Taupin wrote him into the song as the "someone" in the title.

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wayuptown
07-26-2007

 Rated  0 
Sniper1 has it right. As for the posts above, let's be clear that Sugar Bear is Linda herself, who the chorus is directed to. It's "Someone saved my life tonight, Sugar Bear" the comma denoting that the statement is being directed toward Sugar Bear, who is also the "you" who has her hooks in him, i.e Linda.

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motorbar
09-10-2007

 Rated  0 
This is such a beautiful song. Those piano chords kill me. OK, i have a stupid question: "HP Demands" -- ?? (Taxes?) I just don't know what that refers to. thanks.....

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moongirl57s
09-21-2007

 Rated  +1 
motorbar I think the H.P. means "High Price", just my opinion. I LOVE the this song's lyrics!

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1 Reply  · 
laserlady7
03-14-2008

 Rated  0 
When he went on to marry Renata Blauel on Valentines Day 1984, I was very surprised that the newspapers didn't headline with "No-one Saved His Life Last Night" the morning after the marriage. Fancy The Sun missing that one ! Anyway, great song, love the way it builds, and I think we can all identify with the line "thank God my music's still alive".

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HansArp
04-25-2008

 Rated  0 
Hi motorbar and moongirl572...I am happy to inform you that H.P. demands means: Hire/Purchase. In America it might be referred to as 'renting to own" or 'leasing to own.' This part of the lyric always made me wonder so I finally researched it in order to put my mind (somewhat) at ease.

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Susan_The_BassPlaye
09-15-2008

 Rated  0 
I just saw "Hamlet 2" and this song was put to really good effect in the movie! It is sung by the "Tuscon Gay Men's Choir" and is done remarkably well! Surprisingly, it works! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81NJV-Iwul8

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