Shadows in the Moonlight [Tommy Shaw]

Shadows in the Moonlight

Written by Tommy Shaw, Gary Bur

Lead Vocals by Tommy Shaw

She was raised in Kentucky in a good Christian home
They had plans for her future that to them were carved in stone
He came from West Virginia for work down at the mill
From his tiny window he could see her housetop on the hill

The first time that he saw her, she was in her Sunday dress
He came to church in his working clothes, trying to look his best
Somewhere between the sermon and the congregation's rise
They caught a crystal vision of their future in each other's eyes

Across that big sandy river, what's done has been done
No one knows who we are, no one knows where we're from
We'll raise up a family, we'll build us a home
But tonight, we're just shadows in the moonlight

Her father heard her ladder land against the bedroom wall
Came outside waving a pistol yelling “leave my child alone!”
She ran for the wagon while they struggled for the gun
It went off, like a cannon; someone cried
"My God, what have I done!?"

Across that big sandy river, what's done has been done
No one knows who we are, no one knows where we're from
We'll raise off a family, we'll build us a home
But tonight, we're just shadows in the moonlight

Across that big sandy river, what's done has been done
No one knows who we are, no one knows where we're from
And I hope it will be forgiveness in the days yet to come
But tonight, we're just shadows in the moonlight
Yes tonight, we're just shadows in the moonlight 

Interpretation

A young Christian couple goes out west on their own to raise a family, and one tragic day the father accidentally kills a man who was attacking his daughter. They continue on their journey hoping to leave that memory in the past and continue with their lives.