“These Days” Single by Bon Jovi from the album These Days Released February 6, 1996 Format CD single Genre Rock Length 6:28 Label Mercury Songwriter(s) Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora Producer(s) Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Peter Collins Bon Jovi singles chronology
“Lie to Me”
(1995)“These Days”
(1996)“Hey God”
(1996)“These Days”is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released in February 1996 as the fourth single from their 1995 album These Days, and showcases the darker tone that Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora’s lyrics sought to achieve with the album. The song which begins with a haunting piano progression, deals with homelessness, loss of innocence and the difficulty of keeping up a relationship in the modern age. It is about people out there trying to be understood, to live their dreams.
These Days
[Verse 1]
I was walking around, just a face in the crowd
Trying to keep myself out of the rain
Saw a vagabond king wear a styrofoam crown
Wondered if I might end up the same
There’s a man out on the corner
Singing old songs about change
Everybody got their cross to bare, these days
She came looking for some shelter with a suitcase full of dreams
To a motel room on the boulevard
I guess she’s trying to be James Dean
She’s seen all the disciples and all the “wanna be’s”
No one wants to be themselves these days
Still there’s nothing to hold on to but these days
[Chorus]
These days – the stars seem out of reach
These days – there ain’t a ladder on the streets
These days are fast, nothing lasts in this graceless age
There ain’t nobody left but us these days
[Verse 2]
Jimmy shoes busted both his legs, trying to learn to fly
From a second story window, he just jumped and closed his eyes
His momma said he was crazy – he said, “momma, I’ve got to try
Don’t you know that all my heroes died?
And I guess I’d rather die than fade away.”
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
I know Rome’s still burning
Though the times have changed
This world keeps turning round and round and round and round
These days
[Chorus]
[Outro]
These days – the stars seem out of reach
These days – there ain’t a ladder on the streets
These days are fast, nothing lasts
There ain’t no time to waste
There ain’t nobody left to take the blame
There ain’t nobody left but us these days