Long Road Out of Eden

Album: Long Road Out Of Eden (2007)
Play Video
  • Moon shinin' down through the palms
    Shadows movin' on the sand
    Somebody whisperin' the twenty-third psalm
    Dusty rifle in his tremblin' hands

    Somebody tryin' just to stay alive
    He got promises to keep
    Over the ocean in America
    Far away and fast asleep

    Silent stars blinkin' in the blackness of an endless sky
    Cold silver satellites, ghostly caravans passin' by
    Galaxies unfoldin', new world's bein' born
    Pilgrims and prodigals creepin' toward the dawn
    And it's a long road out of Eden

    Music blastin' from an SUV
    On a bright and sunny day
    Rollin' down the Interstate
    In the good old USA

    Havin' lunch at The Petroleum Club
    Smokin' fine cigars and swappin' lives
    He said, "Give me another slice of that barbecued brisket
    Give me another piece of that pecan pie"

    Freeways flickerin', cell phones chimin' a tune
    We're ridin' to utopia, road map says we'll be arrivin' soon
    Captains of the old order clingin' to the reins
    Assurin' us these aches inside are only growin' pains
    But it's a long road out of Eden

    Back home, I was so certain the path was very clear
    But now I have to wonder what are we doin' here'
    I'm not countin' on tomorrow and I can't tell wrong from right
    But I'd give anythin' to be there in your arms tonight

    Weavin' down the American highway
    Through the litter and the wreckage and the cultural junk
    Bloated with entitlement, loaded on propaganda
    Now we're drivin' dazed and drunk

    Been down the road to Damascus, the road to Mandalay
    Met the ghost of Caesar on the Appian way
    He said, "It's hard to stop this bingein' once you get a taste
    But the road to empire is a bloody stupid waste"

    Behold the bitten apple, the power of the tools
    But all the knowledge in the world is of no use to fools
    And it's a long road out of Eden Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 14

  • Rod from Sussex UkThe best line ever on reminiscence “smokin bad cigars and telling lies” Thank you Mr Henley
  • Dean Adams from Providence RiI cannot begin to state how underrated this song is. Probably the Eagles closest thing to prog rock in their catalogue. Combining that with some fantastic meaty heavier riffs and solos from Joe Walsh, to the fantastic harmonies of the band, this song is truly a masterpiece!
  • Karogar from TexasThe 23rd psalm was often recited in Vietnam , I was there in 1969. He’ll was there. Except it used to say : ... even though I walk through the shadow of death I’m not afraid cause I’m the meanest sonofabitch here.....
    Noughf said
  • Stefan from TennesseePatrick,
    You are spot on! No doubt in my mind. The spiritual references are replete throughout the entire song.
    God bless!
  • Kevin D. from Columbus, OhioI concur with what Debi LeFors and Jeff from Cleveland wrote.
    The excesses of America will do us in; we don’t need ISIS to do it for us.
  • Eddie from Long Beach, NyA fantastic song, and in my opinion, one of Joe Walsh's best guitar solos....
  • Pieter from Eersel, NetherlandsDear people, if you listen and look very carefully, this is just about greed.
    Get real and think about why soldiers still have to fight, it's all about money. Why bother with a country that won't bring a profit to our sociaty.
    I love this song, it makes us think of all the stupid things people do just to get rich
  • Patrick from Grand Rapids, Miokay people, personally i belive don henley to be a bit too intelligent to be writing a song with his only intent on the war in iraq. this is obviously a very spiritual song, with multiple biblical references besides that of eden. first of all, the long road out of eden probably refers to a leaving of paradise, as shown in the bible when cain, a wanderer, must leave to go east of eden after killing his brother. henley decribes society as wanderers in this sense, and it is worth noting that the opening music gives this impression of wandering. another reference to genesis in the line "i can't tell wrong from right," which parallels the theme of the tree of knoledge in the garden of eden. still more lines support images of the creation when he sings about "galaxies unfolding, new worlds being born." still the idea of iraq can be proved absurd because the line "been down the road to damascus, the road to mandalay; met the ghost of caesar on the appian highway." damascus is in syria, and is one of the oldest cities in the world. it also is a biblical reference, where in the book of isaiah, there is a prophacy that states the city will become a "heap of ruins." this is more than likely pointing out the direction that america is headed. mandalay is a city in burma, and has been a centerpoint of many other songs. then there is the appian way, which was the most important road in the ancient roman empire, and the story of sparticus and his slave comes from this, where they were defeated by the roman army and crusified along this path--once again giving morose imagery. it is also important to mention the reference to psalm 23 in the third line of the song. psalm 23 is about the protection god has over his people, and it calls him a shepard--perhaps another clue to the theory of wandering, and that we must be led. also, this psalm is often read at funerals, therefore showing us that sullen imagery. basically, this song is not about iraq. it is about society, particularly american society, and henley devotes an entire verse to what he calls "cultural junk." it is also about human morals and and how they are often lost in the sight of ambition, such as creating an empire, as he speaks of. i hope that settles any dispute over the matter, but please feel free to comment with any opinions on what i said.
  • Ozzy from Fresno, Cawow i was so shocked to hear them so recent and as good as ever. I like how they embraced their edgier side
  • Sean from Miami, FlThis Song rocks. And Joe... I think ur wrong about the Iraq thing. It is about Iraq. Cuz it may hav been started in 2001 but Glenn said that Don didn't come up with the lyrics till years later. Besides listen to the words in the song! Its about people in Iraq working there (enter your own word here) off while rich bussiness men dont give a (insert your own word here) about wuts happening. Also, like Debi said, the Garden of Eden is said to have been located in Iraq.
  • Joe from Evansville, Init OBVIOUSLY isnt about the war in iraq...because it was started in 2001...and it was based on what it started out as...i dont believe it would have been possible to evolve from whatever it was in 2001 to a whole song about the war.
    what greed is there about the war btw anyways...we're gona lose hella money if anything...not really gain
  • Brian from Dubois, MoI take a lot of songs for what they're worth, which may or may not be a good thing. It sounds like it's really talking about the garden of eden. What I'm saying is that since Adam and Eve were kicked out of that perfect place, we've managed to fill the world with all kinds of garbage. What have we really done but make the world a crap-tastic place to live?
  • Debi Lefors from Snyder, TxThis song is obviously about the war in Iraq. The Garden of Eden is thought by some to have been in Mesopotamia (Iraq). It parallels the sacrifices of the US soldiers daily life in Iraq to the gluttony and excesses of the average American. Don Henley is quite an observer of the greed and lust of America as a whole.
  • Jeff from Cleveland, OhI believe this song is about at the begining a soldier whos is fighting while people here in the states could give a rats hind quarters what that man is doing, but im quite sure there is underlying things in the song (sorry about any spelling mistakes).
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Chris Tomlin

Chris TomlinSongwriter Interviews

The king of Christian worship music explains talks about writing songs for troubled times.

John Parr

John ParrSongwriter Interviews

John tells the "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" story and explains why he disappeared for so long.

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.