When “happily ever after” fails/
And we’ve been poisoned by these fairy tales.

Listen to the piano. Can you hear that is Bruce Hornsby? He cowrote this song with Henley. This song is about three examples in the narrator’s life about times when he realizes the that the fairy-tales he’s been told his whole life won’t match reality. Henley calls this the “end of the innocence”. Each of us experience many of these throughout our lives.

Of specific importance to him (or at least the ones he discusses in this song) are the disillusionment related to the breakup of his parents, the corruption of the Reagan administration and saying goodbye to his first love. At what moments in your life did your innocence end? There is a moment when you realize, I am not going to be a professional baseball player, am I?

The song’s tone is nostalgic: Henley does that well. There are moments when the song sounds bright—as we remember happier days—and times the music sounds darker—like during the sax solo at the end. The song is well composed. The song hits home because this is a theme that everyone has wrestled with at some point in their life: you might refer to it as “the end of your innocence” or just “growing up”. This song conveys these emotions well. This sound is quite different from his work with The Eagles.

End of the Innocence Lyrics

Remember when the days were long
And rolled beneath a deep blue sky?
Didn’t have a care in the world,
With mommy and daddy standing by.
When “happily ever after” fails,
And we’ve been poisoned by these fairy tales.
The lawyers dwell on small details
Since daddy had to fly.

Oh, but I know a place where we can go,
Still untouched by man;
We’ll sit and watch the clouds roll by,
And the tall grass waves in the wind.
You can lay your head back on the ground,
And let your hair fall all around me.
Offer up your best defense,
But this is the end,
This is the end of the innocence.

O’ beautiful, for spacious skies,
But now those skies are threatening.
They’re beating plowshares into swords,
For this tired old man that we elected king.
Armchair warriors often fail,
And they’ve been poisoned by these fairy tales;
The lawyers clean up all details
Since daddy had to lie.

Oh, but I know a place where we can go,
And wash away this sin.
We’ll sit and watch the clouds roll by,
The tall grass waves in the wind.
Just lay your head back on the ground,
And let your hair spill all around me.
Offer up your best defense,
But this is the end,
This is the end of the innocence.

Who knows how long this will last?
Now we’ve come so far, so fast.
But somewhere back there in the dust,
That same small town in each of us.
I need to remember this
So baby, give me just one kiss.
And let me take a long last look,
Before we say good bye.

Just lay your head back on the ground,
And let your hair fall all around me.
Offer up your best defense,
But this is the end,
This is the end of the innocence.

Songwriters: Bruce Hornsby / Don Henley