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i can't light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life
It's much too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meaning when i met you
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light
Don't let the sun go down on me
Although i search myself, it's always someone else i see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me
Ladies and gentlemen Mr. Elton John
I can't find
Oh, the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way feel
Don't discard me baby don't
Just because you think i mean you harm
Just because you think i mean you harm, oh
But these cuts i have, cuts i have
They need love
They need love, they need love to help them heal
Oh, don't let the sun go down on me
Although i search myself, it's always someone else i see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
Cause' losing everything is like the sun going down on me
Don't let the sun go down on me
Although i search myself, it's always someone else i that see, yeah
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free baby, oh
Cause' losing everything is like the sun going down on me
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life
It's much too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meaning when i met you
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light
Don't let the sun go down on me
Although i search myself, it's always someone else i see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me
Ladies and gentlemen Mr. Elton John
I can't find
Oh, the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way feel
Don't discard me baby don't
Just because you think i mean you harm
Just because you think i mean you harm, oh
But these cuts i have, cuts i have
They need love
They need love, they need love to help them heal
Oh, don't let the sun go down on me
Although i search myself, it's always someone else i see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
Cause' losing everything is like the sun going down on me
Don't let the sun go down on me
Although i search myself, it's always someone else i that see, yeah
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free baby, oh
Cause' losing everything is like the sun going down on me
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Is right it is about a relationship that is a one way street and the singer of the song is moving on, though he would like to have a friendship remain. The singer very much loves the other person, however he feels he will lose himself if he remains the others slave and he is to young to allow the rest of his life be ruined by a toxic relationship.
Some people need a little be of individuality. Some people reject anything but total synergy.
"I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free."
This isn't, "I need to be a tiny bit free". It's "I need YOU to be a tiny but free. Or I'll die"
But the other can't accept that.
"I can't light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life"
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I can't make you happy, you must deal with your own pain and find a way out of it. Our love has lost it's vibrant colors we once had...your pain is too taxing on me and our love cannot continue to grow, therefore I'm stuck in this nowhere place and can't go forward and refuse to go back. I don't want to give you up, so where am I suppose to go now? Great metaphor. Can you imagine yourself stuck on a ladder at 45 feet in the center and be forced to remain there? Elton is a genius for using this as a metaphor because he puts you on that ladder and makes you feel what it would be like. It's not only a terribly lonely place, but also frightening--just as love lost.
"Too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meaning when I met you
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'm already there and no going back from the pain I feel from losing you--falling off the ladder. I changed you for being in your life as you have changed me. We all get something out of it and relationships make us changed, whether it's good or bad, they make us evolve because we always take something away and leave something behind with that person. Misread meanings --that's tricky because it's individual, but sometimes we all will hold back when we are in an exciting relationship and may not share our true intentions for whatever the reason. You may pretend to be someone you are not to hold onto that person, then if you fall in love, you realize you should have just been yourself and avoided the entire situation. But not knowing how the other person may feel--your still lost. Kicked out the door and reality is the light--hits you in the face like a headlights on a speeding bus. You don't expect it and feel as though you've been run over anyway.
"Don't let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Letting the sun go down on me is putting me in darkness, an empty void--black hole. Searching onesself, but seeing someone else--self deception--someone you really don't want to be--or rather be. Fragment of your life to wander free--I think this is one of the most beautiful lines because it is telling the person that they are willing to let them be who they are, regardless--whatever their "dark side" is, they will accept it, but only a fragment, because too much of it would bring them too much pain since the love it deep.
"I can't find, oh the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way I feel
Don't discard me just because you think I mean you harm
But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'll never find the words to tell you what you mean to me to bring you back, but all you have to do is look at my face and see the love and pain. Don't mistreat me because you don't want my advice you refuse to accept. Last line is amazing and so perfect as a finale--you need to love me because I'm in pain too, from past relationships and my cuts need healing too, as yours so don't be so freakin' selfish. Love is about all of it--joy, pain, passion, rejection, anger, lust, raw wounds that can't be mended and searching for that soul mate. If you find them it's never easy, but you learn that no matter what--you will make it last throughout all of it. I think that's Elton's message...anyway, just my take on it..
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I can't light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life
---
His attempts at helping her with whatever serious problems she has (depression and/or drugs) are now futile. He's tried everything, and is just mentally and emotionally exhausted himself ("I'm growing tired...). "All my pictures..." eludes to all the good memories of what they've shared are fading and no longer enough to sustain his futile attempts, which are doing neither of them any good at this point. The last line, "frozen here...." is same thing. The relationship has no chance of growing....his life has to move on.
Skipping to the last:
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I can't find, oh the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way I feel
Don't discard me just because you think I mean you harm
But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal
---
All of the lyrics in between I agree with many comments already made. The end goes back to the futility that there is nothing he can say to get this relationship back on track or get through to the other person. It's distressing to him that he has to hurt her (him?) as much as he does, and wants the person to know that it's killing him to cause this pain by breaking-up, but he has his own wounds from the relationship that run deep.
As for the chorus, I agree with the comments that he wants to retain some part of the relationship. In spite of his wounds, he cares so deeply that he is not emotionally in a position to lose everything about the relationship, and expresses this sentiment in classic Elton John fashion....by using a great analogy: "But losing everything is like the sun going down on me."
That's my take.
Love and laughter, always,harmonee