Before she steps into college, Darlene expects to step in to womanhood, also. That, too, is the way that leaving goes.
"Darlene" has experienced several incarnations.
In 1996, when the events of the song were occurring in real life, the song "Darlene" was entitled "Darling". In 1999, the song was scrapped and its chorus was recanted in an altered tuning for a different song. Rarely performed by Julean after 1999 due to its "loose songwriting and lack of subject or content" -- Julean describes -- the song was later finally utilized to intimate the experience of an old relationship the very same year it was originally written.
On the steps of Union Square over coffee one morning while in New York, where Julean made ends meet teaching guitar and performing in the subway, Julean rewrote "Darling" into the song it is today, honing the subtleties of the revamped song in one of "the roughest rooms imaginable, underground..." Julean recalls. The song was recorded the following year, and has since been a regular inclusion during live performances -- as well as a fan favorite -- for Julean and the Rai.
This version of the recording -- a set of recordings made during the same studio session for "Muse Tree", "Alexandria, Falling", and "Disconnect' in 2007 -- was released in "premaster" form as a physical item for European audiences during performances in Europe from 2008 to 2010. A more recent and mastered collection is available on the U.S. release, "Darlene" (2011), available here:
Darlene
Lyrics From the LP "Darlene" (European Release: "Here.", 2008)
Lyrics and Music by Julean Rai
VERSE I
-------
Darlene...
You waited as long as they
Expected you.
Here's my apartment key.
The Day of Decision,
I've awaited you...
Just come in and
Wake me up.
Pre-Chorus I
-------
Still a little
Undecided?
Well, that's alright
Darlene.
And if you decide to go
That's alright Darlene
And if you never show
Still alright Darlene...
And if we decide to
Go through with things, that's
Surely alright--
VERSE II
-------
Darlene...
And everyone thinks that
You're the crazy child.
That's our little secret
I swear.
But we've played with the other
And the issue, now...
...and what a mighty-fine
Time it's been.
Pre-Chorus II
-------
Still a little
Undecided?
Well, that's alright
Darlene.
And if you decide to go
That's alright Darlene
And if you never show
Still alright Darlene...
And if we decide to
Go through with things, that's
Surely alright--
CHORUS
-------
We're going out in a
Blaze of Glory, I
See the folly in
Our Own Life Stories, and
If the moment escapes,
It will not let me down.
We're going out like a
Motion Picture, don't
Run away
Boogie-man'll get ya', and
If the moment, it fades
It will not let me down
It will not let me down.
BRIDGE
-------
I can hear you
Pacing down the halls...
Now...
Pulling it together
Like it's Now or Never...
Like it's Now or Never...
Just like it's Now or Never...
It's never Now or Never...
No, it's never Now or Never
Darlene.
VERSE III
-------
Darlene...
You steady yourself as
You climb in with me...
I pretended to be asleep.
You climb up on my shoulders
As you wake me
And I steady my eyelids to see
Pre-Chorus
-------
You're still a little
Shaky, darlin'?
Well
That's alright Darlene.
You got things to figure out?
Well, that's alright, Darlene.
You just wanna' mess around?
That's still alright, Darlene.
You're moving closer, now, and that's
Surely alright...
CHORUS
-------
We're going out in a
Blaze of Glory, I
See the folly in
Our Own Life Stories, and
If the moment escapes,
It will not let me down.
We're going out like a
Motion Picture, don't
Run away
Boogie-man'll get ya', and
If the moment, it fades
It will not let me down
It will not let me down.
We're going out in a
Blaze of Glory, I
See the folly in
Our Own Life Stories, and
If the moment degrades,
It will not let me down.
It will not let me down
It will not let me down
It will not let me down,
Darlene,
Copyright 1996, 2006 Julian D. Rai (BMI); Julean Rai (BMI); Julean and the Rai (BMI). All rights reserved.
credits
from Here. (European demo version),
released August 1, 2008
All recording, engineering, and performances by Julean Rai
Indie-folk / antifolk band spanning nearly 30 years and 12 live and studio releases, including the most recent "The War of
the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness", and are currently remastering several albums for re-release in 2023. Julean is known for his dynamic voice, passionate onstage vocal delivery, and a playing style that swings wildly from soft and subtle to fast and breakneck....more
Great production, vocals ... wonderful sparseness of lyrics and phrasing while keeping its brevity. The tone is movielike and pure, while the music itself is like gravity. Recommend. Julean and the Rai
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