Don't Talk To Strangers

[Nurse Ratched]

[Raider434]

The intro is brilliant, especially the progressive change from a quiet hymn to some good ol' classic DIO-isian metal. It's one of the best songs in the album accompanied by gypsy, rainbow in the dark and invisible.
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" ...bring the ones you hate. They say- I'm sorry - but they'll have to wait for the end of the world ...."

[Turtle]

It's a great song! Actually my DIO favourite one. It's just about not letting anyone to harm you. Not dreaming and at least partly living in reality. Cause world is full of evil and mean people. And you can pay a hell of a prize for letting your guard down.
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Sorry for my English

[chevojr]

Thanks "turtle" I love it when older posts are refreshed.... who's got time to read them all?

Surprisingly, I found my daughter (7) singing this one day. She constantly listens to music while on the internet (and must of came across my Dio playlist). She was confused, "Dad are flowers evil?" and "is heaven evil?".

The whisper of the first line grabbed her attention and was most obvious to her.
The rest i explained:

"Don't write in starlight 'cause the words may come out real"
Simple! Be careful what you wish for! Avoid the occult, horoscopes and magic.

"Don't hide in doorway/key/soul"
Challenging to explain.... I left it as, Live life! , dont waste time trying to explain everything in this complex, magnificent world.

"Don't go to heaven/really hell"
I hope not to offend anyone! We live in the epicenter of a major American religion. So, "WE" , understand this as false religion. A salesman with a big smile on his face with an outreached hand, while crossing his fingers behind his back.

"Don't smell the flowers"
Dont do drugs!

"Don't dream of women"
Uncomfortable yet informative, this was a great oppurtunity to bring up promiscuous sex and pornography.

Thanks Ronnie!

[Turtle]

Problem with kids is that they usually take everything literally. Don't understand symbolism, sarcasm atd......

"Don't write in starlight 'cause the words may come out real"
More or less I agree here.

"Don't hide in doorway/key/soul"
I think this is more about some doors should be left closed. There might be terrible things inside your mind or even around you. You just don't wont to know some things even if you think you wont to.

"Don't go to heaven/really hell"
Again, I think this is more about power of illusion. We might want something our whole live and we thing it's great but when we get it we can realise it's not as good as we were thinking it is. Heaven and hell, it's all locked inside human mind, the most beautiful but also the most terryfiing things are there. Have no wishful thinking

"Don't smell the flowers"
Don't expose yourself to things which could make you vurneable. Never let your emotions to overcome your senses.

"Don't dream of women"
Difficult one but I think this about how dangerous and destructive is to invest your feelings into someone ho doesn't give anything back
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Sorry for my English

[chevojr]

[GUITARGOD]

The first time i heard the line "don't smell the flowers..thier an evil drug and they'll make you loose your mind" I thought that was the most beautiful thing i'd ever heard. Love that line.
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GUITARGOD

[Turtle]

[chevojr]

[Holy Diver 1]

Classic DIO! If someone who had never heard his music wanted a sample, that song would be a perfect introduction. Of course it's off the ultimate Dio album! "HOLY DIVER"
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"The old ones speak of winter, the young ones praise the sun and time just slips away..."

[joan_antonini]

This song is one of my favorite Dio songs. I love how his voice starts out soft and then his voice goes full blast. He has such a powerful voice. I think he still has the best voice in rock. His music always has a calming affect on me. He's the best!
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If you wish hard enough you might be surprised what awaits you at the end of the rainbow!

[cameljackson]

I've always related the song to guilt, mostly. The fact that he changes perspective from second person to third person and then back to second person is also something worthy of note. To me, that makes the song seem like a grandfather of sorts is passing life lessons down to his offspring at the beginning, and then the second person part is the rite of passage the boy goes through (life, and him using the lessons his grandfather taught him). At the end of the song, it's the child speaking, who is now an elder passing information down to his grandson. That's a bit of a stretch, but there are a lot of those, so stay with me haha.


Starting my critical, line by line analysis on the title, "Don't Talk to Strangers."
I believe it means know who your confidants are. Don't talk to people that you don't know well enough to trust with that information.

"Dont talk to strangers, because they're only there, to do you harm."
Echoing what I said up there, trusting someone with confidential information (about something you're guilty about) is always something you should be careful with; word spreads, damage is done, your world is shattered. Best avoid that altogether.

"Don't write in starlight, or the words may come out real."
Simple: be careful what you wish for. It may not always be what you want (the protagonist of the song may have gotten what he wanted, but then regretted/ felt guilty about it)

"Don't hide in doorways, you may find the key, that opens up your soul."
Don't dwell too much on the opportunities you've missed out on (life's "doorways," or portals leading to change, if you will), as you may learn something about yourself you didn't want to.

"Don't go to Heaven, 'cause it's really only Hell."
Beware of paradise, it may not really be all it's cracked up to be; you're blinded by the things you love, so when other people try to talk you away from it, you struggle to rationalize your feelings towards that person (or object >_>). Listen to outside voices (but don't talk to them? this one's a bit hazy)

"Don't smell the flowers. They're an evil drug, to make you lose your mind."
Don't give into temptations. The evil, mind altering flowers seem to tempt us all at some point; it's important that we learn not to smell them. The protagonist did this once, and it nearly destroyed him. (This could also just be expanding on the previous line, meaning, essentially, the same thing.)

"Don't dream of women, 'cause they'll only bring you down."
Simple: be careful when you're falling in love. It can take you places you don't want to go (a sentiment echoed in Shame on the Night).

"Hey you, you know me, you've touched me, I'm real. I'm, forever, the one you look and see, can you feel me? I'm danger. I'm the stranger."

Whatever the protagonist (the new one, the child) feels guilt about is now revisiting him. He knows he's guilty about something, he's touched it, he's seen it. He can now feel a knot in his stomach, and regrets telling people "in confidence" (not quoting the song, just the general concept of telling people things in confidence) about it.

"I'm danger. I am the stranger. I, I'm darkness, I'm anger, I'm pain. I'm, a master, the evil song you sing inside your brain, drive you insane."

What the protagonist feels guilt over is tearing him apart right now, "driving him insane." This is also why I LOVE the line, "the evil song you sing inside your brain," because it's so intricately written, to mean something as simple as "something that you feel guilt over is gnawing at you, and you can't tell anyone because you know of this thing's magnitude."

"Don't talk! don't let them inside your mind, no. Just run away, run away, go!"

I really think it's interesting how the song has JUST shifted to second person again. That's very important; I think this is kind of this character's initial moment of growth, foreshadowing the latter part of the song when he is bestowing his own messages unto the next generation. But this isn't speaking to his grandson, this is him speaking to himself. He's saying "keep your mouth shut," basically, and that the only people who should know about this are me, myself and I.

"Don't dance in darkness, you may stumble and, you're sure to fall."

Don't attempt to do things when you yourself don't know anything about them. Study first, act later. This is the part of the song when the child, after going through the rite of passage I mentioned earlier, becomes an old man, and is now passing down his own life lessons, which is why the lyrics are a little bit different than the previous ones.

"Don't write in starlight, cause every word may come out real. Don't talk to strangers, cause they're only there, to make you sad. Don't dream of women, cause they'll only bring you... DOWWWWWWWWWWWWWN"

Same meaning, same significance as the last time he said them. Except notice how they're written a little bit differently? That could be a nod to how time erodes all messages, but that is most definitely stretching it >_>


I'm pretty sure I exaggerated or completely misinterpreted this song. Ah well, still a great song with a very indefinite and subjective message. Great abstract writing by Ronnie James Dio.

[neon knight pete]

i like the way dont talk to strangers starts off slow / then goes into overdrive, its the same with the last in line line folks . BRILLANT :
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PEsneesby