Night Ranger: Sister Christian Meaning
Song Released: 1984
Sister Christian Lyrics
Oh the time has come
And you know that you're the only one
To say O.K.
Where you going
What you looking for
You know those boys
Don't want to play no more with you
It's true
You're motoring
What's your price for...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:The song is about the drummer's sister, Christy growing up.....
The song talks about how she is old enough to make her decisions now...The boyz in the town don't just want to play with her anymore...they look for more then that...they look for sex ...but she is the only one to say okay....
The song urges her to be careful as she goes around the town with her friends in a car.....and questions her as to how much is she willing to stake for each flight, namely, the meaningless venturing in night
One of the Soulful song ever written..I don't understand why people call it meaningless..... -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation: -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:i think it means her brother and mama are realizing that she is growing up too fast and want her to know that the boys her age are only looking for one thing which is sex. don't give yourself away just so the guys can have a few minutes of pleasure and you are left with that empty feeling when you thought if you give in they will love you and he will be "Mr. Right". it is good the car load of guys are the band who will protect her and keep her safe from meaningless relationships, i love this song.
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"Motorin'" was a fad saying at the time as part of San Fernando Valley-speak meaning someone (and really only ever applied to women) who is going through sexual partners in an emotionally unhealthy way. As in "What's up with Susan, she's really motorin' lately?!?".
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It's about losing your virginity. Duh.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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So maybe the boys in the band looked after her. Were watching all along for her to make the right decision.
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(HINT: It is a good idea to look at any videos of the song made by the bands you are trying to interpret, they may not have total control of the music video, but they have at least some control)
I was in my 20s in the 1980s and the old video of this song matches what I interpreted the song to mean I think. At that time there was a re-emergence of Christian values and lifestyles for many young people. Virginity until marriage was one value pounded into many “good” girls and boys. This song seems to be about the tension between a young woman’s sexuality and her waiting to find her supposedly perfect partner, also the tension between what the body needs and wants and the ideals of the heart and soul.
Sister Christian
This name is sort of like “Mr. Businessman” or “General Solider Boy”
Oh the time has come
And you know that you're the only one
To say O.K.
She has graduated from a Catholic girl’s school, she is the only one to say okay to a commitment of virginity until marriage.
Where you going
What you looking for?
The song is challenging the reasons she has made this commitment
You know those boys
Don't want to play no more with you
It's true
The boys don’t want to (just) play (innocently) anymore (they expect sex) OR The boys don’t like her anymore because she seems cold and aloof.
Babe you know
You're growing up so fast
And mama's worrying
That you won't last
To say let's play
Her mother is worried about her stress and loneliness. Can she hold out until “okay let’s play”, which means “okay, now we are married, let’s have sex!”
Sister Christian
There's so much in life, Don't you give it up
Before your time is due
It's true
It's true yeah
Don’t give up your virginity until it is time OR don’t give up on life before it is your time to die.
Motoring
Driving around all night, alone, searching for love
What's your price for flight?
How much are you willing to pay to live this ideal? Maybe refers to getting into heaven and getting wings?
You've got him in your sight
And driving thru the night
Motoring
What's your price for flight
In finding mister right
Finally she thinks she has found “Mr. Right”, and is going after him
You'll be alright tonight
She tells herself things will all fall into place now OR the writer of the song is telling us she indeed will be happy.
(Ironically, in the video the girl ends up rejecting her commitment and jumps into a car full of boys who happen to be the band) -
"Time has come", "Only one" - perhaps she is the last girl in the neighborhood left without a life partner. Hence she is a bit lost between her dreams and desires. And because of her stubbornness and maybe age as well, boys are avoiding her.
"Motoring" - for me it means she's driven by something. Driven like determined victim looking for justice, or addicted person in need of a drug. And she is paying an extremely high price for allowing herself to be driven by illusion, and that price is her youth, her life. She's driven by her fantasy about Mr Right. But it's just a mere illusion and the singer is trying to help her get real by saying - you'll be all right with some 'average' guy. "Tonight" means now, not in some distant future.
The force of illusion, of fantasy about vague Mr. Right is so strong, that she is missing plenty of opportunities in her life, and that is starting to worry her mother.
She is still young enough to get happy, fulfilled life, but lives a life of resignation almost like an old woman, whose time is due.
The singer is trying to help her see the reality and abandon treacherous illusions. The dreams she pursue are reality in front of her. She just needs to open her eyes, and heart.
"Christian" - for me it is quite personal, as I saw many religious or rather overly pious religious devoted girls living that illusionary way, missing opportunities. And perhaps "Sister Christian" is slowly taking a life-path of a spinster...
Although she is told how dangerous her life style is, she doesn't care and still engages in such a illusionary way of living. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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I think the "motoring" part is as some have said about cruising and being wild, but I think, still, it's a synonym for something like a soul search .. or walkabout. It's about the inner conflict of growing older. The word play is repeated in order to stand in contrast to being grown up, since grown up down play. The writer and the mama are worried about how things will turn out, but in the "you'll be alright tonight", lies a suggestion of safety, provided by either the grownups (mama & writer) or maybe herself (the writer saying: I know that you will be alright, cause I trust you will make the right decisions), recognising that the process is entirely hers, but that she has support.
I don't think that "flight" has anything to do with drugs. I think that the writer is asking: okay, I get that you have an urge to be rebellious for a while (fleeing), but how much will you sacrifise to make your point. The text is pretty much saying: you don't need to make a point, just do what you feel like. and I trust that you will make the right choices in life. That I trust that you will grow up succesfully.
im sorry if my english is bad, but I'm in a hurry and english is like, my third language. -
I've actually heard what the song actually means and it's based off the lead singer's relationship with his sister Christy. The lyrics were Sister Christy Oh...but the way it was said sounded like christian. "Motorin'" has to do with his sister driving around town at night and cruising.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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