Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a stark picture of urban desolation, contrasting the superficial glow of city lights with a profound sense of loss. A "long street" and "street of the sky" set the scene, illuminated by "street lanterns" and a "hundred street stars." This artificial brilliance, including a "bright artificial moon," is meant to dazzle, yet it only serves to highlight the emptiness. The narrator observes "girls chatting" and "birds flying by," fleeting images that underscore the transient nature of this environment.
The central tension emerges with the introduction of a "gloomy face" at a "window of the sky," looking down with a "reproachful" gaze. This figure directly contrasts with the earlier, almost dreamlike observations. Where "wind once danced," now "rain fell." This shift signals a descent from a more vibrant past into a present marked by decay and disillusionment. The appearance of a "dirty beggar" singing "It was, it was" solidifies this feeling of a lost golden age.
The most striking craft element is the repeated questioning of authenticity and clarity: "Will the sky ever be clear again? Will a real moon ever rise again?" This refrain, echoing throughout the latter half of the lyrics, directly challenges the artificiality presented earlier. The "artificial moon" and "street stars" are exposed as poor substitutes for genuine celestial bodies, mirroring the narrator's own yearning for a lost sense of truth or purity. The beggar's mournful refrain, "It was, it was," acts as a lament for this lost authenticity.
This lyrical construction is effective because it grounds a deep sense of existential longing in concrete, albeit bleak, urban imagery. The contrast between the superficial sparkle of the city and the profound sadness of the beggar's song creates a powerful emotional resonance. The insistent questions about the sky and moon leave the listener with a lingering sense of unresolved yearning, making the song's critique of artificiality and loss feel deeply personal and poignant.
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