I don’t know where I’m goingBut, I sure know where I’ve been

Hanging on the promisesIn songs of yesterday

An’ I’ve made up my mind,I ain’t wasting no more time

But, here I go againHere I go again

Tho’ I keep searching for an answer,I never seem to find what I’m looking for

Oh lord, I prayYou give me strength to carry on,

’cos I know what it meansTo walk along the lonely street of dreams

An’ here I go again on my ownGoin’ down the only road I’ve ever known,

Like a drifter* I was born to walk aloneAn’ I’ve made up my mind

I ain’t wasting no more time

(Coverdale/Marsden)

I’m just another heart in need of rescue,Waiting on love’s sweet charity

An’ I’m gonna hold on for the rest of my days,’cos I know what it means

To walk along the lonely street of dreams

An’ here I go again on my ownGoin’ down the only road I’ve ever known,

Like a drifter I was born to walk aloneAn’ I’ve made up my mind I ain’t wasting no more time

But, here I go again,Here I go again,

Here I go...

An’ I’ve made up my mind,I ain’t wasting no more time

An’ here I go again on my ownGoin’ down the only road I’ve ever known,

Like a drifter I was born to walk alone’cos I know what it means

To walk along the lonely street of dreams

At first glance, this appears to be no more than a simple rock song. That’s because it is. However, within the lyrics, there is a theme many people may relate to.

As you go through your life, you are shaped by your past and destined by your future. In this case the writer expresses loneliness and a feeling that maybe this was how his life was meant to be. Underlying this, though is a hope that somehow someone will find him, and his hopes for the future may yet be realized.

An even closer look at how the words were chosen is a useful clue to the writer’s meaning. The overall style of the lyrics is one of simplicity. It is a portrayal of the basic desire to be wanted and to belong, so the upfront, down-to-earth words reflect this feeling. The simile of one being a drifter combined with the metaphor of life being a road conjures up an image of moving through life always searching for our dreams but never quite reaching that destination.

I chose this song because it reflects my image of the world at times, so I can relate to it. I know I’m not really alone, but sometimes I feel like I’m the drifter trying to figure out who I am and how I got to be here and where life will lead me.

1. What does the title of this poem tell you?

2. Who is relating the poem?

3. What does he mean when he says he walks along the lonely streets of dreams?

4. What reason could he writer have for repeating the phrase “ here I go again” several times in the lyrics?

5. Poems and songs are often created from emotions and moods felt by the author. What mood is related here? What words or phrases relate this feeling?

-Nathan Heinrich