I’ve been listening incessantly in the car to this song by Journey, well to be more accurate the arrangement from Glee. After about the hundredth time, I almost had the song memorized, but more importantly I had dissected the song in my head wondering if the meaning was one that was uplifting or depressing. I know,…should be obvious, but you never know! Let’s look at the lyrics together, and feel free to listen to the voice of Sam Tsui as you do.
Verse 1
Just a small town girl
Livin’ in a lonely world
She took the midnight train
Goin’ anywhere
Just a city boy
Born and raised in South Detroit
He took the midnight train
Goin’ anywhere
Two people from dissimilar locations and life circumstances hop on the same midnight train to “anywhere.” There is no specific destination or reason; all we know is that they’re leaving where they came from.
A singer in a smokey room
A smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on and on and on
The first two lines describe a setting that isn’t all that romantic or pleasant. Is this describing the boy and girl from the first section? They clearly weren’t intending on meeting, perhaps a chance meeting? The last line suggests some sort of cycle.
Chorus
Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching
In the night
Streetlights, people
Livin’ just to find emotion
Hidin’, somewhere in the night
What are they waiting for? What are they searching for? People, as streetlights do, go through life in cyclical patterns. What’s this cycle you may ask? It’s the ever going cycle in search of emotion. Verse two explains more.
Verse 2
Workin’ hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin’ anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
Some will win
Some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on
Everyone wants the same thing, no matter what the cost. People would pay the price to find this emotion even if it means they have lost before, or even if they are on a long losing streak. It’s a cycle.
Instrumental Interlude
Don’t stop believin’
Hold on to the feelin’
Streetlights, people
Don’t stop believin’
Hold on
Streetlights, people
Don’t stop believing what? Hold onto what feeling? I believe the song is talking about love, and how people from any background would risk it all to find it even if it means sacrificing convenience, self-image, and emotional safety. You would think this is a song of hope, right? Perhaps you might think otherwise. One line that throws me off is “Some were born to sing the blue,” which is an incredibly realistic and pessimistic take on life. Are there people out there who were destined to never experience the type of love that they desire? Hmm, I’m not sure, but the line does sound a bit funny in the middle of the other lyrics encouraging one to “Don’t stop believing” and to “Hold onto the feeling.” Why should one fated to never find love, go through life holding onto hope?
Beyond the feelings, there lies a greater truth that much of the love that we seek is somehow tainted or doesn’t last. Maybe that’s why we roll the dice so many times in search of that perfect love. I think human beings intrinsically know that there is such thing as a complete love that brings life and fulfillment; we aimlessly hop on the same midnight train hoping that it’ll land us where we want to be.
So can we be sure about anything? Is there a good, lasting reason to not stop believing? The book of Psalm in the 113th chapter talks of a loving God who reverses the wrongs in this world. The wrongs, introduced by our sin, resulted in disharmony, broken promises, war and famine, the inability to have children, and everything that God did not include when He first created the world. He never stops making things right, even though human beings keep doing wrong. This is the reason to hold onto the hope of a lasting love in this world. This is the reason to keep believing that you will one day find that perfect and committed love that you’re heart has been yearning for.
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April 21, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Isaac Su
this post just reminds me of how mindless I am when I’m listening to a song. Even if I know the words that doesn’t mean I know the meaning behind them! Thanks for the read Ivan – t’was very interesting.
April 22, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Rich Sezov
I’ve always looked at this song as talking about ambition and the drive for success. The boy and the girl at the beginning want more out of life than what they’ve experienced so far at “home.” The point there is that no matter what background you come from–small town or big city–people think that they need to leave home and find their way in the world in order to do what they were born to do. Whether this is true or not is not something the song deals with; the point is just that this is what people do.
The singer in the smokey room represents the next generation: somebody who has already tried doing what the boy and girl are doing now. In this case, he tried to follow his dreams but failed, and wound up spending years just singing in bars. His only “reward” (if you can call it that) is the companionship he derives from that lifestyle. For a Christian take on this, Neal Morse’s Testimony album is highly recommended (http://www.amazon.com/Testimony-Neal-Morse/dp/B0000C7PRY/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1271965655&sr=1-22).
The chorus talks about another type of person, but this type is more prevalent in society, at least according to the song. I get this interpretation from the generalization here: we’re now talking about groups of people instead of individuals. The song says that most people gave up on their dreams long ago and live only for the pleasure of the moment. The pleasure of the moment, in this lifestyle, becomes very important and the overarching goal of life.
In the second verse, it raises the question: what’s the difference between these two lifestyles? Those who live for the pleasure of the moment go for thrills; an example is gambling (“payin’ anything to roll the dice”). Others work hard to fulfill a dream (“workin’ hard to get my fill”). In both cases, some will win, and some will lose. Some will just complain about their lot in life (“some were born to sing the blues”), not realizing they’re in control of their own destiny, and blaming their problems on everyone else.
The song ends with “don’t stop believin’” because they’re saying this is the stuff of life; it’s what life is made of. Stop believing in your goals for your life, and your life is over. As long as you keep believing, the cycle of it going “on and on and on and on” continues. But do we really get anywhere?
The Christian response to this is that we don’t live our lives for our goals and dreams in and of themselves. Instead, our “chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever,” (Westminster Catechism q. #1, based on 1 Cor 10:31). God gives us gifts and goals and dreams and we are to follow them, but their outcome is ordained by Him, and He puts us in the place we are to be. There are no accidents in life. We don’t have to feel sorry for ourselves or think of ourselves as failures if we fail to reach a goal: God has us in the place we are to serve Him. Our job is to be faithful. Success (however you define that) in this life is not our chief end: we look toward another, better life, where “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away,” (Revelation of John 21:4, ESV).