Duchess

Album: Duke (1980)
Charted: 46
Play Video
  • Times were good
    She never thought about the future, she just did what she would
    Oh but she really cared
    About her music, it all seemed so important then

    And she dreamed that every time that she performed
    Everyone would cry for more
    That all she had to do was step into the light
    And everyone would start to roar

    And on the road
    Where all but a few fall by the wayside on the grassier verge
    She battled through
    Against the others in her world, and the sleep, and the odds

    But now every time that she performed
    Oh everybody cried for more
    Soon all she had to do was step into the light
    For everyone to start to roar
    And all the people cried, you're the one we've waited for

    Oh but time went by
    It wasn't so easy now, all uphill, and not feeling so strong
    Yes times were hard
    Too much thinking 'bout the future and what people might want

    An then there was the time that she performed
    When nobody called for more
    And soon every time she stepped into the light
    They really let her know the score
    But she dreamed of the times when she sang all her songs
    And everybody cried for more
    When all she had to do was step into the light
    For everyone to start to roar
    And all the people cried, you're the one we've waited for Writer/s: Anthony George Banks, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins
    Publisher: CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

  • Some Dude from Some WherePrior to getting into metal, I was a huge prog rock fan, especially Genesis. I listened to this song... this entire album, hundreds of times. What I always got from this was that it's about a failed lady musician or singer (the exact method isn't stated). She was just good enough to reach a height of popularity, plateaued, and then dropped off. No one really noticed. Sort of like many one hit wonders in the 80's. It ends in a rehashing of what was and a feeling that things could have been better, and a slight hint of remorse.
  • Joshua from La Crosse, WiActually it was "Behind The Lines", not "Turn It On Again", that Collins covered on the Face Value album.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)Songwriter Interviews

The co-writer/guitarist on many Alice Cooper hits, Dick was also Lou Reed's axeman on the Rock n' Roll Animal album.

Amanda Palmer

Amanda PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo.

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.