What does Stay Loose mean?

Gordon Lightfoot: Stay Loose Meaning

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Album cover for Stay Loose album cover

Song Released: 1986


Stay Loose Lyrics

If you've got a heartache
Of the kind that will not pass by
Even if you don't see the end
Of what lies beyond the bend
Don't stay that way
It's all in a day, believe me
Even the best of dreams must end
Even so it grieves...

  1. vanislefan
    click a star to vote
    Sep 25th 2023 !⃝

    When I first heard this beautiful ballad I was blown away. The melody is fantastic and the harmony is beyond beautiful. The songs talks about the agony and soul searching that happens when a person encounters an especially traumatic event in their life and how they deal with that loss.

    One of our favorite tunes that he wrote. Hardly known, unfortunately. A panacea for anyone going through a breakup or divorce.

    "If you've got a heartache
    Of the kind that won't pass by
    Even if you can't see the end
    Of what lies beyond the bend.'

    A metaphor of loss: going down a river in a boat ' lost perhaps and disillusioned. And hurting .Not sure what lies ahead. What's going to happen?

    Don't stay that way
    It's all in a day, believe me
    Even the best of dreams must end
    Even so it grieves me.

    You may think this is only happening to you. It can happen to anyone , and 'dreams must end, inevitably', sometimes . Even though he asks you not to 'stay that way', although 'it grieves me'.. it's not easy to forget and forgive.

    Chorus:
    Stay loose, don't fight it
    Let it take you all the way
    And if it's wrong, you will right it
    Do not waste these hours away.

    Don't try to cover or deny your grief. Let it all out. Don't allow the grief to waste all of your time- you'll be OK in the end. Time heals (or so they say)

    How many times have I told you
    These are the tears I've shed?
    Could it be that I need help?
    Is it maybe I've come undone?
    And one thing more
    You know it don't come easy
    Even the best of friends must part
    Even so it grieves me.

    talking to a friend, maybe. Confesses how much the loss is affecting him. 'These are the tears I've shed'. He asks if he is losing his mind.
    Love and friendships don't come easily. When you leave each other , the grief is palpable, a rending, a tearing of both parties...

    Stay loose, don't fight it
    Let love take a holiday
    If it's wrong, you're gonna right it
    Do not waste these hours away

    Take a break from relationships.
    Don't let the grief consume you.
    DOn't spend so much time agonizing over it.
    Easier said than done.

    Soon the storm will be over
    And the clouds will all pass by
    To be insane beyond belief
    Is sometimes the best relief
    And one thing sure
    Love never did come easy
    Even the best of dreams must end
    Even so it grieves me

    In time the trauma and pain will abate
    The heartache may seem to be so new
    So traumatic that you feel you're going crazy
    Nothing is as before
    Just know that time changes things
    He's right he says Love never did come easy
    The hope of being with that person
    Until the end - your dream of being in love and loved - can and does end.
    But it still hurts like crazy
    Even years later.

    The Ray Charles song 'I can't stop Loving You' reminds me most of the meaning behind this .

    I can't stop loving you
    I've made up my mind
    To live in memory
    Of the Lonesome time

    I can't stop loving you
    It's useless to say
    So I'll just live my life
    In dreams of yesterday

    and

    'They say that time heals a broken heart.
    But time has stood still
    Since we've been apart.'








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