Just did a little research on those White Lion's lyrics.
Obviously you picked the second one on the list to quote. Scrolling down a few would have brought you to this one that borrows from Viking folklore. It's called "Lady of the Valley"
Lady of the Valley -- White Lion
lady of the valley
can you hear me cry
in the sillness of the night
I have lost my brother
in the fights of the war
and my heart has broken down
in the night I cry but no one seems to hear
I step into the light but all I feel is fear
lady of the valley
can you bring him back
to the days when we were kids
once we were together
we stood young and strong
now it seems so long ago
the golden key is at the end of the chain
how it hurts ohh lady free me from this pain
in the night I cry to the lady of the valley
cause I'll die without the lady of the valley
in the night I call to the lady of the valley
on my knees I fall before the lady of the valley
in the valley lies the treasure
and the lady guards it well
he who bears all the pressure
is the one to break the spell
there's a sign that I've followed
and it has led me to your seat
I have brought my fallen brother
and I've laid him, yes I've laid him
at your feet
in the night I cry to the lady of the valley
cause I'll die without the lady of the valley
in the night I call to the lady of the valley
on my knees I fall before the lady of the valley
And here is another one, further down the list. This one is an obvious allusion to the Second Coming of Christ called "When the Children Cry.
When the Children Cry -- White Lion
Little child
dry you cryin eyes
How can I explain the fear you feel inside?
'Cause you were born into this evil world
Where man is killin' man but no one knows just why.
What have we become
just look what we have done
All that we destroyed you must build again.
When the children cry
let them know we tried
'Cause when the the children sing
then the new world begins.
Little child
you must show the way
To a better day for all the young.
'Cause you were born for the world to see
That we all can live with love and peace.
No more presidents and all the wars will end
One united world under God.
When the children cry
let them know we tried
...
What have we become
just look what we have done
All that we destroyed you must build again.
No more presidents and all the wars will end
One united world under God.
When the children cry
let them know we tried
'Cause when the children fight
let them know it ain't right.
When the children pray
let them know the way
'Cause when the children sing
then the new world begins.
And yet another, the story of a reluctant soldier leaving to fight a war ... perhaps Vietnam ... without really knowing why. This is called War Song.
War Song -- White Lion
I got the call one summer night
He said you¹re on tomorrow¹s flight
My mother cried my sister too
My father said I¹m proud of you
I can¹t believe it¹s true
We¹re going after ³who²
And still I wish that I just knew
What are we fighting for
When the price we pay is endless war
What are we fighting for
When all we need is peace
Though I¹m blind to what I see
They tell me there¹s an enemy
I know I gotta get outta here
Insanity is drawing near
Can¹t take it anymore
I¹ve knocked on heaven¹s door
No I¹m not dying for this war
What are we fighting for
When the price we pay is endless war
What are we fighting for
When all we need is peace
What are we fighting for
Can¹t we learn from what we¹ve done before
What are we fighting for
When no one ever wins, in war
A young man returns from war
Where he didn¹t know
What he was fighting for
The streets remained the same
But people¹d changed
The medals on his chest
Didn¹t mean a thing
A tear dropped from the corner of his eye
Did he come come
My grandpa died in Normandy
My brother is still in Vietnam
I know there¹s nothing good in war
I know Rcause I¹ve been there before
So what am I gonna do
I know this war ain¹t through
And still I wish that I just knew
What are we fighting for
When the price we pay is endless war
What are we fighting for
When all we need is peace
What are we fighting for
Can¹t we learn form what we¹ve done before
What are we fighting for
When no one ever wins, in war
Other profound lyrics, not appearing on the site you viewed are ...
"Little Fighter" -- Martin Luther King Jr.
"Broken Home" -- Domestic Violence
" Cry for Freedom" -- Apartheid
"El Salvador" -- Dictatorship versus Freedom
"The Road to Valhalla" -- Viking Folklore
Of the three I quoted, two are from the album
Pride (1987), which admittedly contains more Pop anthems and ballads than profound Rock songs. Blame the times, not the band. They had the talent to do Rock and were pressured for hits, so they chose to do some of each. The albums
Fight to Survive (1985) and
Big Game (1989) were similar, containing both Pop anthems, ballads, and profound Rock. Nearly all of their songs were quite intricate in a musical sense, despite the simplistic lyrics of their big commercial hits. I'm not saying they're the greatest band ever, only that there's more to them than what those who've only heard their pop hits are aware of.
Poison's "Something to Believe In" is another profound lyric from a "hair metal" band ...
Something to Believe In -- Poison
Well I see him on the TV
Preachin' 'bout the promised land
He tells me to believe in Jesus
And steals the money from my hand
Some say he was a good man
But Lord I think he sinned, yeah
Twenty-two years of mental tears
Cries a suicidal Vietnam vet
Who fought a losing war on a foreign shore
To find his country didn't want him back
Their bullets took his best friend in Saigon
Our lawyers took his wife and kids, no regrets
In a time I don't remember
In a war he can't forget
He cried "Forgive me for what I've done there
Cause I never meant the things I did"
Chorus:
And give me something to believe in
If there's a Lord above
And give me something to believe in
Oh, Lord arise
My best friend died a lonely man
In some Palm Springs hotel room
I got the call last Christmas Eve
And they told me the news
I tried all night not to break down and cry
As the tears rolled down my face
I felt so cold and empty
Like a lost soul out of place
And the mirror, mirror on the wall
Sees my smile it fades again
Chorus
Sometimes I wish to God I didn't know now
The things I didn't know then
Road you gotta take me home
Solo
I drive by the homeless sleeping on a cold dark street
Like bodies in an open grave
Underneath the broken old neon sign
That used to read JESUS SAVES
A mile away live the rich folks
And I see how they're living it up
While the poor they eat from hand to mouth
The rich is drinkin' from a golden cup
And it just makes me wonder
Why so many lose, so few win
Chorus
You take the high road
And I'll take the low road
Sometimes I wish to God I didn't know now
The things I didn't know then
And give me something to believe in
I'll sum up by reiterating a point from an earlier post..
Even if Hair Metal were truly "no better than Pop music" then it would certainly deserve credit for being a much more enjoyable and talent-rich sub-genre within Pop than the likes of Britney, Christina, N'Sync et al.
Sometimes it seems too easily forgotten that Rock is, by definition, a sub-genre of Popular Music. At least the hair bands' live shows were truly played as oppsed to lip-synced. That in itself deserves some measure of respect considering the climate of today's mainstream Pop. Even the hairstyles, although they looked like wigs, were usually the musicians' own hair.
In the words of Paul Stanley, "This is rock-n-roll. We're not painting the Sistine Chapel (sp) here, we're just some guys with paint rollers trying to spruce up the place."