Lyrics for End of the Innocence as interpreted by jmo78

End of the Innocence Lyrics
Remember when the days were long
And rolled beneath a deep blue sky
Didn't have a care in the world
With mommy and daddy standin' by
But "happily ever after" fails
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers dwell on small details
Since daddy had to fly

But I know a place where we can go
That's still untouched by men
We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
You can lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence

O' beautiful, for spacious skies
But now those skies are threatening
They're beating plowshares into swords
For this tired old man that we elected king
Armchair warriors often fail
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers clean up all details
Since daddy had to lie

But I know a place where we can go
And wash away this sin
We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair spill all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence

Who knows how long this will last
Now we've come so far, so fast
But, somewhere back there in the dust
That same small town in each of us
I need to remember this
So baby give me just one kiss
And let me take a long last look
Before we say goodbye

Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence




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  • 17 Comments
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angelpaws
09-17-2006

Rated 0 
This is an excellent song with a political message. The "Tired Old King" refers to former president Nixon.
Doesn't hurt that it's sung beautifully.

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Hatz
09-18-2006

Rated 0 
Actually I see that "Tired old King" as Reagan. This was written around 1988/9 and the Reagan era was closing as was "Iran-Contra." Oliver North lies to Congress and is convicted but his freed on a technicality. The America Henley knew from childhood was gone from Nixon to Reagan.

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Event_Horizon
09-30-2006

Rated 0 
i cant find a song the better explains the coming of age that happens to all of us eventually
it makes me really want to escape to a place untouched by men
sit and watch the clouds roll by

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Writer17
01-25-2007

Rated 0 
I agree with Hatz. The song is about Reagan, who his wife Nancy called "Daddy." The song refers to Daddy a couple of times. I love Bruce Hornsby, who wrote this with Henley and I love the way the song was executed, but I wonder en light of the way Reagan won the cold war by turning plowshares into swords and bankrupting the USSR, if Henley and Hornsby recognize that chastising the man for it, makes them look stupid.

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millw984
02-16-2007

Rated 0 
I love this song so much. I think its about how the world has changed so much, and everything just sucks. (I realize this is an immature comment, but if you think about it, there is no better way to describe the world.) Anyways, there are places where you can escape with your "one-and-only," and the world seems fixed, if only for a moment. Then if love falls apart, and the innocence of love is over, the world sucks again.

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lockstocknbarrel
03-07-2007

Rated 0 
This song has haunted me for years, I do not pay the piano, and I am 49yrs old, I have a top piano teacher who will teach me this one song if anybody can email me the piano sheet music.
Kindest Regards Dave.

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zebb
09-03-2007

Rated -1 
Writer17 please don't fall for the RW propoganda that Reagan "won" the Cold War by outspending the USSR. When in history has a war EVER been won by "outspending"? The fact is when the USSR collapsed, not a single conservative (neo or otherwise) knew it was coming, nor had that reason ever been used DURING the war. It was a propoganda grab, pure and simple.

Imagine how unbelievably stupid the USSR must have been to actually SPEND themselves into oblivion, ESPECIALLY when they had enough nuclear power (and still do) to blow up the world several times over! They also had armies bigger than the US. This PR excuse of winning the war by outspending them might sound plausible at first glance, but upon any significant scrutiny becomes absolutely infantile.

To explain ALL the conditions and forces at play in the breakup of the USSR could take months, but the simple version is this: the USSR was held together by FORCE. Russia was the 800 pound gorilla, and had almost everyone else under their thumb. This wasn't going to last for too long no matter what. The main driver in the breakup was the communications (technology) revolution: VCRs, telephones, tape recorders, satellites beaming TV everywhere, the internet and its predecessors, computers, tiny cameras, expanding communications networks, etc.

In the USSR, the state controlled the image of the US, showing mostly film from the 60's of social protest, violence in the streets, and police brutality. NONE of the good stuff was ever shown. This false picture became impossible to perpetuate with the communications revolution.

But it wasn't just the image of the US - it was also the image of the USSR - everyone happy to be together, full of bliss and happy to sacrifice for the "nation". It was false, and when everyone could clearly see it was false, it was just a matter of time before the dam burst.

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pinkfloyd4241
01-17-2008

Rated 0 
This song may have been written on a political basis, but it seems to contain a deeper meaning which stands the test of time.

"But I know a place where we can go
That's still untouched by men
We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
You can lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me"

This is the most beautiful portrayal of a love I have ever heard.
It borders on the romanticism of Jackson Browne lyrics, yet it doesn't have quite the same catch at the end.
In most of Jackson Browne's lyrics about love, he will talk about how it never works how as dreamily as it seemed when you were young (which Bryan Adams does touch on with the lines "happily ever after fails, and we've been poisoned by these fairytales.) Bryan Adams on the other hand remains still to state in the last line of the chorus that: "this is the end of the innocence." This would seem to expose a belief that although the outside world has taken everyone's innocence away from them, there is this magical place we can go together. And if we agree not to spoil it, we can enjoy our innocence for a while without interference from the outside world.

I am in no way stating that my explanation represents Bryan Adams' true feelings on the subject; but rather my own personal interpretation of the lyrics.

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hippycoED
03-27-2008

Rated 0 
first of all, it's DEFINITELY about Reagan, not Nixon. Though when I saw him live this past year, he changed 'tired old king (Reagan)' to 'fresh young prince (Bush)' AND changed the line 'since daddy had to lie' to 'since LIBBY had to lie' (scooter libby). don henley rules.

aside from politics, and before i cared about politics, this song tapped into a sense of childhood. i remember going to my grandpa's farm, just relaxing, and then the transition from innocent childhood to rough adolescence to the trials of young adulthood. it's deep, and wonderful, all at the same time.

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SpringsteenisGod
06-28-2008

Rated 0 
You gotta love the way that Henley turns the Bible quote around to make his point. In support of peace, the Bible says to "beat your swords into plowshares." Isaiah 2:4

Here, Henley says that, in our support of Reagan and his aggressive defense policy, we are "beating plowshares into swords." Great lyrics and definitely directed at Reagan. Wish I could have seen him use it on Bush and Libby!

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Grengor
09-19-2008

Rated 0 
"I am in no way stating that my explanation represents Bryan Adams' true feelings on the subject; but rather my own personal interpretation of the lyrics. "

What about Don Henley's feelings on the subject?

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leatherkev
11-24-2008

Rated 0 
I think we're missing the main component of this song.

This song is about a young couple surrendering their virginity in the midst of
Domestic and political strife.
Perhaps because the values they'd been taught we're suddenly meaningless; a contradiction to what was happening around them. Divorce, war etc. So what's sacred anymore? nothing

I'm sure all the political interpretations by you bloggers are true, but they're not what this song is about.
This song is about loss/forfeit of virginity.

cheers

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convince
12-19-2008

Rated 0 
That's stupid that someone thinks this song has a political layout. It's meanings are obvious. I don't think he would have Bruce Hornsby play on a song about politicians. That's just lame. It's about growing up, and having your dreams replaced with turmoil. Beautiful melody. Such a nostalgic song

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spanishrock
06-10-2009

Rated 0 
pinkfloyd4241 i think you got something.

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speed114
08-31-2009

Rated -1 
This song reminds me of The Wonder Years. He's looking back on childhood as an adult and lamenting on how much things have changed in life. He believes that if he could be with that special someone that makes him feel complete, that everything will be all right, regardless of how crappy the outside world is. I think it's stupid that he antagonized Reagan, but that's what the "tired old man" part was about. I love Don Henley's music, but hate his politics. I love this song too, but I choose to reappropriate the parts he originally intended for Reagan to King Obama. Obama's the real one who's screwing up the country now with his Communist policies, along with his Marxist shills like Rahm Emanuel and all of his "Czars." I feel like the America I'm living in now is the same Communist Russia that Ronald Reagan helped to abolish.... and I do feel like that if I can be with the girl I love, that things will be all right, despite how stressful and awful the world is today.

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goldeneagle
10-06-2009

Rated 0 
Speed, Bush had czars too.

Anyhow, I've heard a long time ago that this song was about the Reagan era.

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Aristotle
11-02-2009

Rated 0 
Speed,

If you honestly think Obama is a communist, and is solely responsible for the state of the nation, then you're a delusional paranoid schizophrenic who needs medication. Seriously. Get of the internet and seek professional health, because you're not dealing with the real world anymore.

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