Gordon Lightfoot: Stay Loose Meaning

Song Released: 1986

Stay Loose Lyrics

If you've got a heartache
Of the kind that will not pass by
Even if you don't see the end
Of what lies beyond the bend
Don't stay that way
It's all in a day, believe me
Even the best of dreams must end
Even so it grieves...

1. vanislefan

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   Sep 25th 2023 !⃝

   When I first heard this beautiful ballad I was blown away. The melody is fantastic and the harmony is beyond beautiful. The songs talks about the agony and soul searching that happens when a person encounters an especially traumatic event in their life and how they deal with that loss.
   
   One of our favorite tunes that he wrote. Hardly known, unfortunately. A panacea for anyone going through a breakup or divorce.
   
   "If you've got a heartache
   Of the kind that won't pass by
   Even if you can't see the end
   Of what lies beyond the bend.'
   
   A metaphor of loss: going down a river in a boat ' lost perhaps and disillusioned. And hurting .Not sure what lies ahead. What's going to happen?
   
   Don't stay that way
   It's all in a day, believe me
   Even the best of dreams must end
   Even so it grieves me.
   
   You may think this is only happening to you. It can happen to anyone , and 'dreams must end, inevitably', sometimes . Even though he asks you not to 'stay that way', although 'it grieves me'.. it's not easy to forget and forgive.
   
   Chorus:
   Stay loose, don't fight it
   Let it take you all the way
   And if it's wrong, you will right it
   Do not waste these hours away.
   
   Don't try to cover or deny your grief. Let it all out. Don't allow the grief to waste all of your time- you'll be OK in the end. Time heals (or so they say)
   
   How many times have I told you
   These are the tears I've shed?
   Could it be that I need help?
   Is it maybe I've come undone?
   And one thing more
   You know it don't come easy
   Even the best of friends must part
   Even so it grieves me.
   
   talking to a friend, maybe. Confesses how much the loss is affecting him. 'These are the tears I've shed'. He asks if he is losing his mind.
   Love and friendships don't come easily. When you leave each other , the grief is palpable, a rending, a tearing of both parties...
   
   Stay loose, don't fight it
   Let love take a holiday
   If it's wrong, you're gonna right it
   Do not waste these hours away
   
   Take a break from relationships.
   Don't let the grief consume you.
   DOn't spend so much time agonizing over it.
   Easier said than done.
   
   Soon the storm will be over
   And the clouds will all pass by
   To be insane beyond belief
   Is sometimes the best relief
   And one thing sure
   Love never did come easy
   Even the best of dreams must end
   Even so it grieves me
   
   In time the trauma and pain will abate
   The heartache may seem to be so new
   So traumatic that you feel you're going crazy
   Nothing is as before
   Just know that time changes things
   He's right he says Love never did come easy
   The hope of being with that person
   Until the end - your dream of being in love and loved - can and does end.
   But it still hurts like crazy
   Even years later.
   
   The Ray Charles song 'I can't stop Loving You' reminds me most of the meaning behind this .
   
   I can't stop loving you
   I've made up my mind
   To live in memory
   Of the Lonesome time
   
   I can't stop loving you
   It's useless to say
   So I'll just live my life
   In dreams of yesterday
   
   and
   
   'They say that time heals a broken heart.
   But time has stood still
   Since we've been apart.'
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

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