I Don't Like the Dark — An adult carries a glowing lantern down a Merced street as neighbors illuminate their porches and dark birds transform into golden swallows above night-blooming flowers

The songbook

I Don't Like the Dark

Words by Douglas Heyes Jr. Listen to the recorded versions and follow the lyric below.

Original Doug Heyes lyrics · AI-generated music & vocals

A lifelong fear of darkness expands into images of predators, uncertain journeys and a turbulent universe. The narrator alternates between vulnerability and wolf-like bravado before finding guidance in stars and the possibility of returning home. His wider perspective does not erase the simple fear that gives the song its refrain.

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Recorded versions

3 recordings. Different voices and arrangements bring another side of the song into the light.

Lyrics

I Don't Like the Dark

Words by Douglas Heyes Jr

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I DON'T LIKE THE DARK

I Don’t Like The Dark
Since I was just a kid
I needed a little spark
For everything I did
A school of tiger sharks
Is circling the beach
Predators in Lincoln Park
Hunting for something to eat

It might be you, it might be me
It could be your whole family
That's not up to you and me
Hanging from the old oak tree
Dancing in the Summer breeze
A skeleton in a winding sheet
Plays his bones to keep the beat

I Don’t Like The Dark
I guess I never will
I can hear the Meadowlark
As the Sun comes up over the hill
But if you're looking for a thrill
I just might be your man
I'm Like the Wolf at midnight
When I circle for the kill

There's a legend way out here
I'll tell you how it goes
You live your life without fear
Summer rains and winter snows
You can feel the North Wind blow
It doesn't matter where you go
Don't ask me, cuz I don't know
Which way does the river flow?

Through the canyons to the Sea
What stands between you and me
A mighty river, ocean tides
Another long and sad goodbye
I Don’t Like The Dark
In the middle of the night
I don’t know where to start
But I try to get it right

And through the heart of darkness
I can finally see the light
Polaris in the sky
Here come the Northern lights
Jupiter and Venus are shining in Aquarius
These times of change are very curious
Black holes and galaxies, quasars and quarks
The Universe is furious

Time and space are an illusion
Noise and haste bring on confusion
Control is only a delusion
Do not give up your position
You're a Traveler on a mission
We'll come home to Lincoln Park
But I still Don’t Like The Dark
*********

© Douglas Heyes Jr. All rights reserved.