But Not Tonight

Album: Modern Girls soundtrack (1986)
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  • Oh God, it's raining
    But I'm not complaining
    It's filling me up with new life

    The stars in the sky bring tears to my eyes
    They're lighting my way tonight

    And I haven't felt so alive in years

    Just for a day
    On a day like today
    I'll get away from this constant debauchery

    The wind in my hair makes me so aware
    How good it is to live tonight

    And I haven't felt so alive in years

    The moon is shining in the sky
    Reminding me of so many other nights
    But they're not like tonight

    Oh God, it's raining and I'm not containing
    My pleasure at being so wet

    Here on my own
    All on my own
    How good it feels to be alone tonight

    And I haven't felt so alive in years

    The moon is shining in the sky
    Reminding me of so many other nights
    When my eyes have been so red
    I've been mistaken for dead
    But not tonight Writer/s: Martin Gore
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • Ivis Dm from Mexico CityI agree with "Devoted in Mx City"... unless explained by the author, the lyric of a song is opened to interpretation and adjusts one can adjust it to one's context, but, I'm sorry, the meaning written here for "But Not Tonight" is very simplistic. Since the lyrics say, "... Reminiding me of so many other nights, When my eyes had been so red, I'd been mistaken for dead, but not tonight", I've always believed the song is a bout a depressed person who do drugs, but is determined to get out of his addiction... and the rainy night makes it a little more dramatic.

    Good one, Devoted in MX City.
  • Devoted In Mx City from Mexico CityA long, long time ago, I got to the conclusion that most of the songs (except the ones with obvious references) have a meaning in particular for the person who listens to it.
    I mean, you can interpret the lyrics any way you want (a good example about this is Danny Wilson’s Mary’s Prayer)... most of the times, only the writer/composer knows the exact meaning of a lyric, but that lyric can adjust to one’s moment in life.
    IMO, I believe “But Not Tonight” is about a depressed person who tries to unsuccessfully get out of it.

    Greetings to all!
  • Benoit from MontrealThe lyrics celebrate the simple solitary pleasure of autoerotism (masturbation)... A break from the simple pleasure of pot ("my eyes have been so red...")
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