The Smashing Pumpkins – Tonight, Tonight (Official Music Video)
Inspiration Behind Tonight, Tonight:
Billy Corgan writes about escaping an abusive childhood. Tonight, Tonight is addressed to himself, as Billy reflects upon growing up in Chicago. The lyrics blend themes of hope, change, and self-empowerment. This personal encounter of escaping conceived self-belief which became the emotional core of Tonight, Tonight.
Biblical Application:
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it, John 14:12-14.
Exegesis of Tonight, Tonight:
Time
Is never time at all
You can never ever leave
Without leaving a piece of youth
And our lives are forever changed
We will never be the same
The more you change, the less you feel
Billy waited longer than he wanted to escape the abuse he endured as a child. However, leaving this situation didn’t remove the soul spirits hurts that lingered deep inside. This transition was difficult, not meant for a child.
Believe
Believe in me
Like a prayer, hope that things will get better.
Believe
That life can change
That you’re not stuck in vain
We’re not the same, we’re different
Tonight
Like a mental struggle, speaking belief into existence. This was Billy’s road to healing and recovery.
Tonight
So bright
Tonight
Things have to change tonight. Believe that life can get better.
And you know you’re never sure
But you’re sure you could be right
If you held yourself up to the light
And the embers never fade
In your city by the lake
The place where you were born
There is always inner doubt lurking. Subtle reflections of growing up in Chicago, searching for what is right with a flicker of hope that refuses to die.
Believe
Believe in me
This is where belief is essential.
Believe
In the resolute urgency of now
And if you believe there’s not a chance tonight
Looking for an opportunity to escape. Believing freedom is possible.
Tonight
So bright
Tonight
May tonight is the night.
We’ll crucify the insincere tonight
We’ll make things right
We’ll feel it all tonight
We’ll find a way to offer up the night
Tonight
The indescribable moments of your life
Tonight
The impossible is possible
Tonight
Believe in me as I believe in you
Tonight
This is the struggle that Billy fought through to escape abuse as a child.
Final Thoughts:
Part of growing up is finding friends that you can lean on during trials that you experience. As someone helps you through a different situation, pay it forward by helping someone who faces a similar ordeal. Some of my closest friends in high school and college are the ones I poured out my heart and soul to. In our separate brokenness, we leaned on each other to get through these painful hardships. Tonight, Tonight now serves as an anthem for any children trying to escape abusive homes today.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 