What Do the Lyrics to Patti Smith’s “Because the Night” Mean?

Written originally by Bruce Springsteen in 1977, but passed over to Patti Smith via her producer, the now-iconic businessman Jimmy Iovine who was also working with The Boss, “Because the Night,” released by Smith in 1978, has become a big hit. And Smith’s biggest.

In the 1990s, the song enjoyed a resurgence when the group 10,000 Maniacs recorded a live, orchestral cover (see below). But what does the song itself mean? What night? Why did Springsteen pass? Why did Smith take it and why did it do so well for her (No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100)?

Let’s dive into the meaning of the song’s lyrics below.

Lust

The short answer to the question What is this song about? is lust. But more than just the desire for passionate human physical connection, the song is about being taken by another person.

In the more rigid 1970s, this concept was reserved for the fairer sex, so while Bruce liked the song he’d written, he didn’t want to put his voice to it (at least, at first). He and Iovine thought the song would be better in the hands, no pun intended, of a female singer. So, Smith, who was looking for a hit for her record at the time, took it on and knocked it out of the park. She sings in the opening stanzas,

Take me now baby here as I am
Pull me close, try and understand
Desire is hunger is the fire I breathe
Love is a banquet on which we feed

Come on now try and understand
The way I feel when I’m in your hands
Take my hand come undercover
They can’t hurt you now,
Can’t hurt you now, can’t hurt you now
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to lust
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to us

Loneliness

The song is also about loneliness. While the first stanzas are all about dual compatibility, the third verse and the one post-chorus, is all about being alone—waiting by the phone. Sings Smith,

Have I doubt when I’m alone
Love is a ring, the telephone
Love is an angel disguised as lust
Here in our bed until the morning comes
Come on now try and understand
The way I feel under your command
Take my hand as the sun descends
They can’t touch you now,
Can’t touch you now, can’t touch you now
Because the night belongs to lovers

The rest of the song, Smith/Springsteen/10,000 Maniacs sing about how they cannot live without the subject of their affection. The key line here is, Without you I cannot live / Forgive, the yearning burning.

Either way, though, the point is made. Thanks to Springsten’s inspiration, Smith’s delivery, and 10,000 Maniacs’ resurrection.

Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for The Bob Dylan Center