Bob Seger: Against the Wind Meaning

Song Released: 1980

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Against the Wind Lyrics

It seems like yesterday
But it was long ago
Janey was lovely, she was the queen of my nights
There in the darkness with the radio playlng low
And the secrets that we shared
The mountains that we moved
Caught like a wildfire out of...

1.  

   anonymous

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   Sep 28th 2012, 06:51 report

   
   

   This is one of my favorite Bob Seger songs. It definitely refers to an earlier love that he is remembering and reflecting upon. Everyone does this as they grow older in life - lessons learned from past experiences in relationships with past loves. The best line of the song to me has always been, "Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then." I can so relate to that. They say love is blind, but somewhere along the line the eyes open and the truth sets in and when it does, it hits so hard and you certainly feel like you are "running against the wind." And two lives that at one time seemed inseperable begin to sever and take different paths in life. This song is definitely a testament to Seger's ballad writing genius.

   
   
   
   

2.  

   anonymous

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   May 12th 2012, 00:33 report

   
   

   I think the song is simply about growing up. You think things are tough when you are young, yet they become harder everyday. As time goes on, you wish you could go back to a simpler time and life. The title sums it up for the most part. A GREAT song, with some GREAT lyrics! As far as the line, "Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then", B.S. said when he first wrote the song, he did not like the line at all. Everyone told him it was great, and he decided to leave it in. He claimed he made a good choice, as he has heard the line used in several hit songs, so it must have been good.

   
   
   
   

3.  

   anonymous

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   Feb 5th 2012, 15:48 report

   
   

   The strength of young love means that you can fight anything together, mostly cos you dont know what's coming next.(wish I did'nt know now what I didnt know then).
   We got married in '80 and didnt have a pot to pee in.
   Worked sooooo hard.
   just left her hospital bed where she is suffering from depression even though we have everything .rushed home to make dinner for the kids and was ok till I HEARD THOSE LYRICS.
   Guess Im still running against the wind.

   
   
   
   

4.  

   anonymous

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   Jun 19th 2011, 01:48 report

   
   

   This is about a man who has matured and is looking back and reflecting upon his younger years. About the promise of young love. About the tendency of the young to pursue goals at any cost, without regard for what that pursuit really costs.

   
   
   
   

5.  

   PlaneGuy

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   Jun 16th 2010, 00:06 report

   
   

   This song is clearly about a man's look back at his first love... and his regret over losing her. It sounds so much like my situation, it breaks my heart to hear it... Even the name sounds similar to my first true love. I never should have ended the relationship.. That was the single worst mistake I ever made in my life... and it has torn me apart for decades!

   
   
   
   

6.  

   LuckyCreep

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   Apr 5th 2010, 07:18 report

   
   

   Another Seger classic. A couple quick comments:
   
   -The line "Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then" is brilliant writing. So simple but contains so much, which is why it's classic Seger. You might find yourself like many critics initially were: dismissing it as juvenile writing. If you keep with the song, you might get it like so many critics later did.
   
   -From the last verse: "I've got so much more to think about. Deadlines and commitments, What to leave in, what to leave out." Always loved that. On one level, it could refer to Bob's own situation at the time with the album recording process and figuring out what songs "to leave in and what to leave out." That's just the surface, though. As usual, with Bob's writing, you can always go deeper if you choose to.

   
   
   
   

7.  

   KnowUNIX

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   Sep 26th 2009, 16:52 report

   
   

   The first verse reminds me of spending time in the back seat of my car with my high school girlfriend, with the radio playing low. We swore to stay together forever, now I have to look her up in my yearbook just to remind myself what see was like. If I knew then, what I know now, it would sure have taken all the powerful emotions out of the way we felt then.
   
   Verse two makes me think about how years passed and I traveled away via enlisting in the military in the mid 70's. I met a lot of people around who swore to be friends forever, only to be gone in a few months. That was also a time of rampant drug use. Many of the military personnel were recently back from Vietnam and neighboring countries. Amphetamines like white cross, speed balls, crystal-meth and other powders were causing many to 'lose their way'. They were 'living to run and running to live' & 'moving eight mile a minute for months at a time'. Running was a way to use the drug and how also a person acts when taking amphetamines. Moving very fast and staying awake for weeks, months at a time was typical. Now to do all this, you must break many rules, which will get you kicked out of everywhere . . . you'll need a new place to stay 'searching for shelter again and again'.
   
   Then in verse three you grow up and conform back into society, stop drifting and get a job. But you remember where you have been . . . you're older, but still runnin' against the wind.