In The End

[Ruins]

"In The End" is from my point of view is the best song on the whole album, all the the songs are great, but this one is the best, it's really a great song, especially the lyrics, they are great and extremely meaningful, i hope that every mother and father make their children listen to this song and the whole album in general.

Cat Stevens....you are the man

Regards

[egrorian]

Mmm. Each to their own. It has a very nice melody - but the lyrics? Too simplistic and a bit crass really IMHO - like something a schoolkid might have written. I mean, as someone wrote in their amazon.co.uk review, this is the least subtle song ever!

[egrorian]

Cat Stevens' lyrics always were rather simplistic - all part of his charm - I agree. Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE fan but listening to the lyrics of In the End I just personally thought was a step too far.

Still, the song seems to have struck a chord with fans so presume most others don't agree. Fair enough!

[Hope]

I really like that one too Ruins. Because of it's simplicity and the way he sings it. It invokes a feeling when I hear it.

[Lucy13]

I agree with Kareema. The Beloved has evolved as my overall favorite too. My least favorite on the whole album? Ironically, the single: Heaven/True Love.

I hope to see Yusuf work more with Youssou in the future!! Great combination!!!!

[valleycreeper]

Compressing a lot of meaning into a few words is songwriting at its best. I think that's what Mona and Tea were, rather than just being simple. The later albums seemed to go for plain simplicity, and now I think that that was because CS felt traumas (as talked about in MBJ and TfT)were resolved, and now it was time to move on and be happy, which is the goal anyway, not to stay within the misery.

Maybe it's my temperament, maybe it's the fact that things are extraordinarily bad for me, and have been as long as I can remember.... but I find sustenance in the 1970-71 material. I enjoy all the albums, but when CS (or YI) goes for a childlike simplicity in later songs, I'd love to fully appreciate it, but am not in a position to, I guess.

[laurieann]

I like the affirmation that what is evil is going down!
It's so true
And in the end, if we are commited to what is love and what is life, we are going UP!

Laurie

[cristalina]

valleycreeper said:

Maybe it's my temperament, maybe it's the fact that things are extraordinarily bad for me, and have been as long as I can remember.... but I find sustenance in the 1970-71 material. I enjoy all the albums, but when CS (or YI) goes for a childlike simplicity in later songs, I'd love to fully appreciate it, but am not in a position to, I guess.

I'm sorry things are/have been so bad for you and hope they improve. I know when things have been bad for me I like to wallow in Leonard Cohen, well I'll wallow in Leonard Cohen anytime actually

[harmonie]

Hi,

I have to agree with you to a point. It was so much easier to appreciate the childlike simplicity when we were umm children. I think I require a little more substance these days.

[thewind]

when promoting peace and harmony to the world... simplicity... From the child's perspective... is the best

[Golden Sands]

i agree that this song goes back to simplicity.. which is important. there is one part that i don't understand though:
"you can't bargain with the truth
'cause if the world you chose
no further than your nose
will be where all the doors will close- in the end"

i understand the meaning.. and it's probably one of the strongest parts. but it doesn't make grammatical sense.. i'm used to "if" followed by "then." somebody help me!

[Starlight]

I don't have a favorite. I like all the songs on this album. I must say though, as I am driving here and there, when 'I Think I See The Light' comes on I really love the upbeat music backing up his wonderful singing. I like the newer version much better then the one on Mona Bone Jakon. I also love the intensity of "In The End" and I think he makes a more pointed statement through its simplicity. I love the sweetness. and beauty of "Greenfields And Golden Sands". As I said, I like them all, and I am glad my favorite singer is back in such good form.

[kareema113]

zaidkh said:

i agree that this song goes back to simplicity.. which is important. there is one part that i don't understand though:
"you can't bargain with the truth
'cause if the world you chose
no further than your nose
will be where all the doors will close- in the end"

i understand the meaning.. and it's probably one of the strongest parts. but it doesn't make grammatical sense.. i'm used to "if" followed by "then." somebody help me!

you can't bargain with the truth.
'cause if the world you chose
(is) no further than your nose,
(it) will be where all the doors will close- in the end

Punches are being pulled, brother. And there's a lot of parenthetical words in the Qur'an translations.

kareema

[walter]

i love all of his songs but i must admit that the poetry sometimes is a little week
e.g. goods go high and evil going down in the end (a bit simple don't you think)

or his mercy stretched from east to west
to every man, woman and child.
- the rhyme is lousy
- and again a bit too plain.

thinking back to poeatry like
So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out
There's so much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out

[Ruins]

walter said:

i love all of his songs but i must admit that the poetry sometimes is a little week
e.g. goods go high and evil going down in the end (a bit simple don't you think)

or his mercy stretched from east to west
to every man, woman and child.
- the rhyme is lousy
- and again a bit too plain.

thinking back to poeatry like
So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out
There's so much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out

Ok, so simple lyrics are week, right???so..for example we must all stop listening to "Maybe You're Right" because it has one of the most simplest lyrics of all CS' songs "Now maybe you’re right and maybe you’re wrong", what do you think??

Regards....

[walter]

there is a difference between simple and plain.
and there is a difference between rhyme and don't rhyme.
maybe i'm wright.

[Starlight]

And maybe you're "rong". When composing a song there is plenty of room for both complicated and simple lyrics and all levels in between. I like his use of simple lyrics in 'In The End'. It brings the focus to the message, which is straight forward and to the point. I also like the song. It is simple but speaks clearly of a universal truth that can be comforting during these days of new turmoil and violence daily.

[Ruins]

walter said:

there is a difference between simple and plain.
and there is a difference between rhyme and don't rhyme.
maybe i'm wright.

And maybe you're wrong, and i'm sure you are

[Lucy13]

walter said:

i love all of his songs but i must admit that the poetry sometimes is a little week
e.g. goods go high and evil going down in the end (a bit simple don't you think)

or his mercy stretched from east to west
to every man, woman and child.
- the rhyme is lousy
- and again a bit too plain.

thinking back to poeatry like
So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out
There's so much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out

Hi Walter,

As kareema reminded us earlier, the lyrics originally went like this:

...and evil's "gonna fry" in the end. (not "going down")

I think it sounds all right the revised way.

While I do think it's better to NOT rhyme than to rhyme stupidly, I can understand your frustration at wanting more profound rhyming (or semi-rhyming) lyrics. Personally I find that closely (but not perfectly) rhyming lyrics work best! In other words, not rhyming for the sake of rhyming. If lyrics work well in the song (both to the ear and to the mind), then that's all that should matter.

[kareema113]

walter said:

i love all of his songs but i must admit that the poetry sometimes is a little weak
e.g. goods go high and evil going down in the end (a bit simple don't you think)

or his mercy stretched from east to west
to every man, woman and child.
- the rhyme is lousy
- and again a bit too plain.

thinking back to poetry like
So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out
There's so much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out

walter, he's paraphrasing here... not creating a new poem. Some of us know exactly what he's saying... There is a lot of this in this album. He is using established metaphors like the picture of the pink rose on the "The Beloved"'s lyrics page in the deluxe version's book. I don't think it's meant to be a poem, but to relate information musically. There is precedence for this that some of us are aware of.

To put it simply, he's still on the road to find out, but now he's telling you what he found out on that road.

kareema

[Golden Sands]

Here's a link from his speech and performance of In The End, at the 2006 "Global Peace and Unity" conference:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLeBJZ7chk8

[m@kansascity]

"here a song that should not be take too mentally... also to be yourself the judge" (Yusuf)

[thewind]

Perhaps... If you had to write a song that would be played only once... and you wanted to get your point across to everyone... Perhaps you wouldn't write the song the way you would normally would... Short and sweet...

[m@kansascity]

did you all know that Yoriyos covered this song (titled changed, is "The End") in his first album, out these days?

totally different from the Yusuf one, almost spoken, very very good tho

Yusuf also play the guitar in this song and helped his son in arranging some of them

father and son, for real

all good stuff

[1976]

thanks for the info