The Arms Of Night

Album: Time The Conqueror (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Browne explained to American Songwriter magazine why this song of seeking and revelation was ambiguous: "I think ambiguity is one of the great treasures I've come upon late in life. [With 'The Arms of Night'] we wrote it in a key too high, and it took forever to figure out how to play it. It's magic. It's mysterious how a particular change will bring stuff out of you, and you'll begin saying stuff... and you won't know where it's going or what you're trying to say. It'd be so much easier if you knew what you wanted to write about and where you wanted to arrive, but it just doesn't happen to work that way for me. It's more like an oracle. The things that come out of your subconscious are much more capable of conveying the truth of the situation than what you're consciously able to summon. It was a challenge to try to figure out who I was talking to, because it's one of those cases where I do a lot of talking to you, but I'm really talking to myself about myself. I like the ambiguity of the song…I'm either talking to someone who has betrayed me, or I'm talking to myself about having betrayed myself. It's sort of left open, and I meant to leave it ambiguous."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Christopher Cross

Christopher CrossSongwriter Interviews

The man who created Yacht Rock with "Sailing" wrote one of his biggest hits while on acid.

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.