Story Behind The Song
I was in Chicago and a friend of mine was showing me black and white photos of a friend, his childhood friend, who died young. I was struck by the photographs, I didn't know the person contained in the shots, but the photos haunted me and stuck with me days after I saw them. I could see in my friends eyes as he told me the story of his childhood friend, how much this person meant to him. The song is about friendship, about rememberance and about the perils of drug use. It is not meant to be despairing or judgemental. I was just walking around in Chigaco and it was raining.
Song Description
This is a song about remembering friends who have passed. The song is meant as a toast, as in a raising of a glass as it begins "...so here's to you..." I always thought of this song as a "window song," a song meant for ghosts, those things we feel in the present but who have faded. It is about walking down rainy streets in Chicago, seeing the neon red light of a radio tower and thinking someone who went before their time. It is meant to feel reflective and nostalgic, a bit sad but hopeful.
| Song Length |
4:24 |
Genre |
Pop - General, Folk - General |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Language |
English |
Era |
2000 and later |
Lyrics
So here?s to you, like brothers tonight
Tried and true, fading in the twilight
Well I can hear you breathing, see your picture on the wall
I would give you my wings, if they?d help you at all
Well this city?s growing cold, from the needle it heats
There?s a howling wind, rustling through these Chicago streets
And you were dreaming of Alice, but you got wrapped in her chains
And even midnight is burning, alive tonight, like the blood in your veins
And this is my twilight serenade (yeah)
This is my twilight serenade
And I?m singing for you
I?m singing for you
This crumbling moon, dressed in black and white
Well it fades away, hiding from your ghost tonight
And you said, ?hey man don?t follow,? oh but I was already there
You were walking on a tightrope, but you were too young to care
And this is my twilight serenade (yeah)
This is my twilight serenade
And I?m singing for you
I?m singing for you
. . .and I?m singing for you