The Key



Each time that I hold you, your eyes fill with fear,
You can't lose control now, the price is too dear,
But love, I have heard you crying in the dark,
And the tears on your pillow came bleeding, weeping from your heart.

Oh sinner, you're losing all that you had,
Your day is in peaces, your night has gone mad,
And love cannot touch you, the search has no end,
And the one you've forgotten was really your only friend...

Then your soul flies to Heaven,
You reach out for me,
But the door will not open,
You've thrown away the key;
No the door will not open,
You've thrown away the key...

Oh stranger beware the life that you lead,
Is filled with the warnings you can or will not read;
Your castle has fallen, it lies in the sand,
I heard your voice calling, I thought I felt the brush of your hand...

Oh gambler remember the love that you lend,
Will never come back for the game has no ending;
The smiler is calling, you turn for the deal,
And the aces keep falling with every spin of the wheel;

Then you gather your winnings,
You're ready to leave,
But the door will not open,
You've thrown away the key,
Oh there's no point in staying,
So don't wait to see,
For the door will not open,
You've thrown away the key...
"Didn't I try and answer that one before and I forgot? Well, I can remember now! It's about someone trying too hard to give themselves to somebody else. I wrote the song because I remember a situation where I was in love with this girl, but she didn't reciprocate - and decided to chase after a lot of fellows. I met her some years later and she was miserable. She thought that, if she'd resolved herself to actually trying to connect with just one person - instead of about 50 at the same time - then it would have worked a bit better. 'The door will open, you've thrown away the key.' In other words, when the time has come to fall in love, it's too late because you've spread yourself about too much - not promiscuously - but just emotionally."
The Getaway Gazette, January 1988

Albums

"The Key" appears on the following albums:

Far Beyond These Castle Walls