In the Heat of the Night

Album: In the Heat of the Night (1979)
Play Video
  • In the heat of the night, when you know it ain't right
    But you do what you want to do
    You do what you feel, no one can feel like you
    Out in the summertime city, ain't it a pity
    There's so much to tie you down
    You're leaving tonight to somewhere you can't be found
    While down at the edge of town
    At a pool hall where they all hang around
    You hear them talkin' about the girls they knew
    And talk about what they're gonna do
    Then you ask yourself, is this where you belong?
    Is it right, or is it wrong?
    Does it matter what's right, in the heat of the night?

    Out in the streets tonight, under the neon lights
    You're searchin' for something new
    But nothin' is real, and no one can feel like you
    They say that eagles fly in this red hot sky
    But were they just passin' through
    Or did they look down, and see what you found was true

    But still in the back of your mind
    You've got somethin' to believe in, but there's so much to find
    As the bright lights dim, and the night closes in
    You thought everything is ending, but it's yet to begin
    And you ain't seen nothing yet!
    But what you see you'll never forget, and you'll say

    Why oh why)
    Did it take you so long to want something more?
    Why oh why)
    Did you never get off on this before?
    Why oh why)
    Well, here it is, the love you've been waitin' for
    Why oh why)
    Standin' in front of you like an open door

    And then you ask yourself, is this where you belong?
    Is it right, or is it wrong?
    Does it matter what's right, in the heat of the night?

    In the heat of the night, when you know it ain't right
    But you do what you want to do
    You do what you feel, 'cause no one can feel like you Writer/s: MICHAEL DONALD CHAPMAN, NICHOLAS BARRY CHINN
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 1

  • Shelley Kaloci from Akron, OhioI think this is the best Neil Giraldo guitar solo ever!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

N.W.A vs. the World

N.W.A vs. the WorldSong Writing

How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the Song

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the SongSong Writing

How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.

P.F. Sloan

P.F. SloanSongwriter Interviews

P.F. was a teenager writing hits and playing on tracks for Jan & Dean when he wrote a #1 hit that got him blackballed.

Daniel Lanois

Daniel LanoisSongwriter Interviews

Daniel Lanois on his album Heavy Sun, and the inside stories of songs he produced for U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.