What does Steppin' Out mean?

Joe Jackson: Steppin' Out Meaning

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Album cover for Steppin' Out album cover

Song Released: 1982


Steppin' Out Lyrics

Now the mist across the window
Hides the lines
But nothing hides the colour
Of the lights that shine
Electricily so fine
Look and dry your eyes

We so tired of all the darkness
In our lives
With no more angry words to say
Can come alive
Get into...

  1. anonymous
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    Dec 20th 2022 !⃝

    What I took from this song was he was talking about getting in a car and committing suicide, from the dark in our lives to the light

  2. anonymous
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    Feb 17th 2019 !⃝

    Sounds like a gay pride song to me. Finding a place where you can be open, dreaming of a future where you can always be out in the light. "You can dress in pink and blue just like a child" = gender norms are immature, but by all means be as butch or femme as you want.

  3. anonymous
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    Jun 25th 2017 !⃝

    As soon as I read the lyrics and the lyrics were explained. I woke up to the meaning. OMG. I didn't know. I thought it was about going out on the town.
    Dear GOD.

  4. whoeverunomeaz
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    Oct 6th 2008 !⃝

    This song 'Steppin Out' is a song about death and the afterlife. The first verse is about the materialistic world that humans have manifested.

    The mist on the window is the haze that falls over our 'last breath' as we are passing into the threshold of the afterlife. Dry your eyes is referring to the emotional response from our life flashing before our eyes, but if we 'look' and 'dry our eyes,' we'll see the splendor of Heaven.

    The second verse refers to the perfection and 'light' of Heaven-- that there will be no more fear or wants. 'Get into a car and drive to the other side' is the metaphor of our journey into the afterlife. The chorus refers to the fact that all of us will face our death; that we step into the 'unknown' and 'feared' night (our death), which is really the 'light' of our afterlife.

    Third verse again refers to our aging process and how quickly our life passes before and the fact of leaving all of our worldly possessions behind. The fourth verse refers to the restoration to our perfect and child-like selves in the afterlife. The taxi is a metaphor for our shared life experiences with other humans and our commonality that we all our on a 'ride' that ends with our deaths. 'We'll be there in just a while if you follow me' either refers to the fact that the speaker is aware and has already come to grips that life is really a 'short ride,' or it could be a metaphor for Jesus 'leading us to the Promised Land.'


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