Klaagzang du jour: The Needle And The Damage Done/Tonight’s The Night

Neil Young schreef The Needle and the Damage Done voor zijn vriend Danny Whitten, de gitarist van Crazy Horse. Whitten worstelde met een heroïneverslaving die hij nooit de baas werd. In 1973 overleed hij aan een overdosis. Hij werd al snel gevolgd door Bruce Berry, een andere vriend van Young die als roadie bij Crazy Horse werkte. Hun dood was de aanleiding tot Young’s album Tonight’s The Night, één van de meest benauwende en deprimerende albums uit de rockgeschiedenis.

I caught you knockin’
at my cellar door
I love you, baby,
can I have some more
Ooh, ooh, the damage done.

I hit the city and
I lost my band
I watched the needle
take another man
Gone, gone, the damage done.

I sing the song
because I love the man
I know that some
of you don’t understand
Milk-blood
to keep from running out.

I’ve seen the needle
and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie’s
like a settin’ sun.

[Chorus]
Tonight’s the night [x8]

[Verse 1]
Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van

A sparkle was in his eye
But his life was in his hands
Well, late at night when the people were gone
He used to pick up my guitar
And sing a song in a shaky voice
That was real as the day was long

[Chorus]
Tonight’s the night, yes it is, tonight’s the night [x2]

[Verse 2]
Early in the morning at the break of day
He used to sleep until the afternoon
If you never heard him sing
I guess you won’t too soon
Because people let me tell you
It sent a chill up and down my spine
When I picked up the telephone
And heard that he’d died out on the mainline

[Chorus]
Tonight’s the night [x4]

[Verse 3]
Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van
Well, early in the morning at just about the break of day
He used to sleep until the afternoon

[Chorus]
Tonight’s the night, yes it is
Tonight’s the night [x7]