There Is a Light That Never Goes Out (Song)

“There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” is a song by the English alternative rock band The Smiths, featured on their third studio album, The Queen Is Dead, released in 1986. The music was composed by Johnny Marr, and the lyrics were written by Morrissey. The song has been regarded as one of the album’s standout tracks and has since attained a cult status within The Smiths’ repertoire.

The lyrics revolve around themes of individual loneliness, the desire for death, and romantic escapism. Morrissey’s characteristic lyrical style juxtaposes the alienating aspects of everyday life with romantic idealism. The central image of a car journey is interpreted as a symbolic expression of both the search for freedom and the longing for existential closure.

The narrator expresses a wish to escape from home with a loved one, romanticizing the possibility of sudden death and thereby presenting an existential paradox. In this sense, the song is viewed as a text that blends romantic and nihilistic perspectives.

Musically, the song is situated within the alternative rock genre, but it gains melodic intensity through Johnny Marr’s guitar arrangements and the use of orchestral strings. Marr’s guitar parts are built on a simple chord progression, creating an atmosphere that harmonizes with the lyrical themes through its repetitive structure.

Another notable feature of the song is that the orchestral effects were recorded using real string instruments rather than synthesizers. This choice imparted a dramatic breadth to the track. The vocal performance stands out through Morrissey’s signature monotone and melancholic delivery.

“There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” was not released as a single upon the album’s publication in 1986. However, in 1992, following the band’s breakup, it was reissued and entered the upper ranks of the UK charts. This development is regarded as reinforcing the song’s significance within The Smiths’ body of work.

The song was frequently performed in The Smiths’ concert repertoire. During live performances in the second half of the 1980s, the direct interaction between the lyrics and the audience was particularly strong. The song has also remained a staple in Morrissey’s solo concert setlists.

The song has no independent award record. Nevertheless, it holds an important place within The Smiths’ musical legacy and has been included in numerous music magazines and list compilations among the leading songs of the 1980s.

Take me out tonight

Where there's music and there's people

And they're young and alive

Driving in your car

I never, never want to go home

Because I haven't got one

Anymore

Take me out tonight

Because I want to see people

And I want to see life

Driving in your car

Oh please, don't drop me home

Because it's not my home, it's their home

And I'm welcome no more

And if a double-decker bus

Crashes into us

To die by your side

Is such a heavenly way to die

And if a ten tonne truck

Kills the both of us

To die by your side

Well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine

Take me out tonight

Take me anywhere

I don't care, I don't care, I don't care

And in the darkened underpass

I thought, 'Oh God, my chance has come at last!'

But then a strange fear gripped me

And I just couldn't ask

Take me out tonight

Oh take me anywhere

I don't care, I don't care, I don't care

Driving in your car

I never, never want to go home

Because I haven't got one

Oh, I haven't got one

And if a double-decker bus

Crashes into us

To die by your side

Is such a heavenly way to die

And if a ten tonne truck

Kills the both of us

To die by your side

Well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine

Oh, there is a light and it never goes out

There is a light and it never goes out

There is a light and it never goes out

There is a light and it never goes out

There is a light and it never goes out

There is a light and it never goes out

There is a light and it never goes out

There is a light and it never goes out...

Bu gece dışarı çıkar beni

Müziğin olduğu, insanların olduğu

Genç ve canlı oldukları yere

Arabanla gezerken

Asla, asla eve gitmek istemem

Çünkü benim artık bir evim yok

Artık yok

Bu gece dışarı çıkar beni

Çünkü insanları görmek istiyorum

Ve hayatı görmek istiyorum

Arabanla gezerken

Ah lütfen, bırakma beni eve

Çünkü orası benim evim değil, onların evi

Ve artık hoş karşılanmıyorum

Ve eğer çift katlı bir otobüs

Üstümüze çarparsa

Senin yanında ölmek

Böylesine cennet gibi bir ölüm yolu olurdu

Ve eğer on tonluk bir kamyon

İkimizi birden öldürürse

Senin yanında ölmek

Eh, zevk de, ayrıcalık da bana ait olur

Bu gece dışarı çıkar beni

Beni herhangi bir yere götür

Umurumda değil, umurumda değil, umurumda değil

Ve karanlık altgeçitte

Düşündüm, "Tanrım, şansım sonunda geldi!"

Ama sonra garip bir korku sardı beni

Ve soramadım

Bu gece dışarı çıkar beni

Ah çıkar beni herhangi bir yere

Umurumda değil, umurumda değil, umurumda değil

Arabanla gezerken

Asla, asla eve gitmek istemem

Çünkü benim artık bir evim yok

Ah, benim artık bir evim yok

Ve eğer çift katlı bir otobüs

Üstümüze çarparsa

Senin yanında ölmek

Böylesine cennet gibi bir ölüm yolu olurdu

Ve eğer on tonluk bir kamyon

İkimizi birden öldürürse

Senin yanında ölmek

Eh, zevk de, ayrıcalık da bana ait olur

Ah, orada bir ışık var ve asla sönmüyor

Orada bir ışık var ve asla sönmüyor

Orada bir ışık var ve asla sönmüyor

Orada bir ışık var ve asla sönmüyor

Orada bir ışık var ve asla sönmüyor

Orada bir ışık var ve asla sönmüyor

Orada bir ışık var ve asla sönmüyor

Orada bir ışık var ve asla sönmüyor.