This song began as a sketch of a young girl saw wandering around my apartment complex years ago. She looked bad. Obviously not in a good place in life. When I went to find her to see if she was okay, she was gone. From there, it grew into descriptions of young people who had gone in directions that I would think would have caused concern for their loved ones. I don't offer solutions in this song...mainly because I don't have solutions. I think the point is...don't let them slip by unnoticed. Be aware of these children, and if we are in a position to help, then maybe we should at least try. I could most definitely do a better job of doing so. This song reminds me of that. And it reminds me of what it feels like to be lost.
This song is a departure for me. It sometimes feels unfinished, and then it sometimes feels exactly as it should be. It's darker than what you'll usually get from me, but it's also important to me that it be this way.
CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT
Words & Music by DINO ROMANELLI
She was just fifteen
And living on the street
She'd sleep with anyone who'd let her crash
And give her food to eat
She liked to stay up every night
And pummel speed into her brain
She didn't give a damn
And hoped that she would go insane
She left her folks behind her
In the days last fading light
And hit the streets to join up
With the children of the night
Johnny ran scared
From his daddy one day
He took off for the state liner
In a stolen Chevrolet
He took his father's beatings
From an early, early age
He ran off on his own
Filled up with his own kind of rage
With his daddy's stolen pistol
He felt ready for the fight
He hit the road and joined up
With the children of the night
Billy and Angie
Shared a special kind of love
The way their parents kept them down
They felt they'd never rise above
Her daddy said girl,
You'll never see that boy again
What you're doing with your life
Well it ain't nothing but a sin
They took off one night together
And they headed out of sight
And loved each other out there
With the children of the night
© Affordable Music, BMI