Goodbye to Roseland
Written by Dennis DeYoung
Lead Vocals by Dennis DeYoung
There was a time
When we were children
Blue skies would shine
And all was forgiven
And there were heroes to guide us
And we had family beside us
And there were dreams to believe in
Each and every day
And I was your friend
Father and brother
And you were my wife
Mistress and mother
And through the good times and bad times
We shared the love of a lifetime
Oh what a shame and a damn crime
For it all to end
So goodbye to Roseland
How I wish I could stay
To live in the memory
Of your sweet sweet day
But every road that we travel, has an end
And so the time now has come to say
Farewell old friend
Well goodbye to Roseland
How I want you to know
Just how much I miss you
So I got to let go
But all the love that you gave me will remain
And every tear that I've cried has not been shed in vain
Interpretation
This is Dennis DeYoung's touching way of saying goodbye to Roseland, the neighborhood on the south side of Chicago where he grew up down the street from John and Chuck Panozzo. Yes, this is the same Roseland that Styx immortalized in the song The Earl Of Roseland, only the song looks back with a more somber nostalgia. Roseland, once home to many hardworking blue-collar families, has since fallen into neglect and become one of the poorer and more dangerous areas in the city. The familes that once lived there have long since moved to the suburbs or other parts of the city.
While the song sings of the passing of a particular neighborhood in Chicago, it also tells the story of many similar neighborhoods in cities around the country. In a larger sense, it tells of the changing nature of America, as many families live in a state of virtual isolation from the communities where they live. There are no longer many communities in America that reflect the nature of the Roseland where Dennis DeYoung and his bandmates were raised.
Metaphorically, the song could also represent the nostalgic longing for the innocence and security of childhood that many people feel as they move through life. Roseland stands as a symbol of what we all had in childhood but lost somewhere along the way in our lives.
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