Donald Fagen - On The Dunes Lyrics






Drive along the sea
Far from the city's twitch and smoke
To a misty beach
That's where my life became a joke

On the dunes
On the dunes
Became a joke on the dunes
Where rents are high
And seabirds cry
On the dunes

As you spoke you must have known
It was a kind of homicide
I stood and watched my happiness
Drift outwards with the tide

On the dunes
On the dunes
Homicide on the dunes
It wasn't fair
It's brutal there
On the dunes

Pretty boats
Sweeping along the shore
In the faltering light
Pretty women
With their lovers by their sides
It's like an awful dream
I have most every night

In the summer all the swells
Join in the search for sun and sand
For me it's just a joyless place
Where this loneliness began

On the dunes
On the dunes
Loneliness on the dunes
I'm pretty tough
But the wind is rough
On the dunes

Pretty boats
Sweeping along the shore
In the faltering light
Pretty women
With their lovers by their sides
It's like an awful dream
I have most every night

In the summer all the swells
Join in the search for sun and sand
For me it's just a joyless place
Where this loneliness began

On the dunes
On the dunes
Loneliness on the dunes
I'm pretty tough
But the wind is rough
On the dunes





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Donald Fagen On The Dunes Comments
  1. b.... a....

    There's a little whispering drum machine working away in the background, the drummer goes in and out time with it, and thats just one small element of this towering track. Listening to this in 2019 is so bittersweet because, with very few exceptions, nobody has made music this good in three decades.

  2. H.... S....

    Donald Fagen is some kind of gifted lyricist and songwriter. Listen to the words and be transported to places seldom if ever visited--or maybe previously visited and now a distant memory. But not for long. Serious kudos to this musician extraordinaire!

  3. b.... ....

    Outta tune guitar at 4:33

  4. s.... ....

    I wish Tony Bennett would do a cover of this song.

    s.... ....

    WHY - this it perfect as it is..............

    s.... ....

    Agreed, altho Donald complains that their (Fagen&Becker) music isn't covered very much because it's more difficult to play to some other strickly pop tunes

  5. C.... D....

    This is why i love cars

  6. J.... N....

    This is an underrated musical masterpiece from Donald Fagen.

  7. T.... w....

    30 thumbs down? Really? Take the cotton wool out of your ears!

  8. K.... D....

    This guy has bin sent from some obscure galaxy to teach us music , musical alien in a good way 😎

  9. C.... F....

    Vamp out Donald!

    C.... F....

    the very best vamp in history of music! most are in front of the song, or the middle or in the bridge, this really stands alone in how you feel and never ever want it to stop...........

  10. P.... S....

    The older I get, the more I appreciate the genius of their art. Their song reminds me of a pivotal point in my life. Bittersweet.

  11. G.... B....

    The equal of any Dan number. Sublime.

  12. k.... s....

    the rents are high and sea birds fly

  13. J.... D....

    Whole album pure steely

  14. C.... O....

    Great!!!!!!!!

  15. L.... J....

    "It's like an awful dream I have most every night". So true..........

  16. C.... O....

    Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  17. B.... ....

    Bliss @5:56.....

  18. L.... ....

    His decision to just keep playing the intro as an instrumental is just perfect.

  19. T.... G....

    came from his self-exiled existence to produce this amazing album

  20. T.... G....

    anyone who doesnt understand the brilliance of Becker...

  21. T.... G....

    only realized recently what a bass killer Walter Becker really was. Rest in peace our brother!

  22. P.... M....

    God bless Donald Fagen. (et al...)

  23. J.... A....

    I could listen that lovely syrupy bassline forever...

  24. T.... Y....

    There is only one flaw with this song. It ends. That's it.

    T.... Y....

    YES!!!!!!!!!!!

  25. J.... P....

    Love Steely Dan . Found this song a while back, wow !

  26. L.... P....

    8 minutes and it is still too short............

  27. G.... W....

    that chord progression on the fadeout might be the greatest I ever heard and I've heard a big bunch including all of Donald's

  28. L.... J....

    Very very nice.

  29. S.... Y....

    YESSSSSSS...LOVE THIS SONG...I SIMPLY CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF IT...

  30. g.... ....

    *On the Dunes / lyrics:*

    Drive along the sea
    Far from the city's twitch and smoke
    To a misty beach
    That's where my life became a joke

    On the dunes
    On the dunes
    (Became a joke on the dunes)
    Where rents are high
    And seabirds cry
    On the dunes

    As you spoke you must have known
    It was a kind of homicide
    I stood and watched my happiness
    Drift outwards with the tide

    On the dunes
    On the dunes
    (Homicide on the dunes)
    It wasn't fair
    It's brutal there
    On the dunes

    Pretty boats
    Sweeping along the shore
    In the faltering light
    Pretty women
    With their lovers by their side
    It's like an awful dream
    I have most every night


    In the summer all the swells
    Join in the search for sun and sand
    For me it's just a joyless place
    Where this loneliness began

    On the dunes
    On the dunes
    (Loneliness on the dunes)
    I'm pretty tough
    But the wind is rough
    On the dunes
    ( On the dunes )

    g.... ....

    thank you so much for posting this

    g.... ....

    Thank you from Italy

    g.... ....

    This is still so scary, but at the same same - so GOOD!

  31. A.... L....

    Some things in America are a little bit sad but this record reflects everything which is so right, a beautiful number by a very under estimated artist.

  32. K.... D....

    Club owner says 3 am lovers wind it up”.. gets this outro to shut the bar to .. stragglers linger long in the shadows .. finally he hangs his tea towel up and sighs “ok last one.....the doors are locked yo can light up”. and these beautiful drums continue to spank your senses wth velvet.... nice..

    K.... D....

    yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  33. J.... C....

    CHRIS PARKER-DRUMS-GREAT!!

  34. A.... M....

    I love all the music they play because they surprise me with their solutions for his melodies. It's a pleasure listen every one. Bless God for listen them alive in NY years ago.

  35. B.... ....

    Probably the best song ever

    B.... ....

    And 'Snowbound'....and

    B.... ....

    'Third world man'...

    B.... ....

    and don't we all keep going back to this one so often.........

  36. D.... F....

    The magic of ordinary days...

  37. G.... H....

    This whole CD is a trip.. quite literally.My "go to" Fagen ( w/ Becker) work. Always fresh and inspiring.
    I just don't understand why it was not a critical fav.
    Ahhh on The Dunes - where the journey sadly ends.

  38. P.... ....

    Excellent and relaxing song

  39. L.... P....

    it took a while , but finally the drummer - chris parker - fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  40. S.... W....

    Thank you for this epic post of an amazingly beautiful, relaxing and serene masterpiece. I got this album upon release and played many times for 3 to 5 years.

  41. L.... M....

    who's on the sax?

    L.... M....

    Cornelius Bumpus?

    L.... M....

    @NMB Absolutely! What a player!! RIP!

  42. G.... R....

    They Dun Dunnit on the DUNES!

  43. C.... M....

    Not even sure why this song is so enchanting. It's another of those Fagen compositions that you ignore the first few times and suddenly you have to listen to it over and over again.

  44. e.... ....

    Most accomplished,sophisticated,masterful,brilliant last 4 min.of a song ever.

  45. G.... M....

    Early morning i sat in bed as a cool breeze came thru my window ..listening to " On the dunes" this is the only melody i want in my head all day ......

  46. t.... ....

    That intro/outro is absolute perfection. 'The end of a perfect day', or likewise 'the sun rising on your day off'.

  47. D.... W....

    Natural explosion of sticky love sauce, splattering into and splutting off of your face. No twelve napkins could ever touch the moisture goo in any meaningful way.

    D.... W....

    ?????????????

  48. a.... ....

    the instrumental at the end sounds like waves crashing on the dunes.

  49. j.... w....

    "On The Dunes" is Don - in perfection!

  50. J.... V....

    I imagine gliding over the sand like a lizard

  51. M.... L....

    Was able to sleep in today but had some work on my mind and this song in my head. Haven't started my work yet. Knowing how to prioritize is good!

  52. G.... S....

    GENIUS FAGEN

  53. W.... W....

    play it again Cue..!

  54. y.... .....

    Sublime !! Et surtout la partie instrumentale à la fin !!!

  55. B.... ....

    Subtle poetry, beautiful harmony, inspired singing; Donald's music is enchanted.

  56. t.... ....

    great album.... music is so bad in 2017!

  57. N.... B....

    I basically wish this outro would go on forever...the improvising by the drummer is facemelting insane

    N.... B....

    Yep. These chords forever, no matter what I am doing; making a sandwich, sleeping, its my birthday, all these situations need this chord progression.

  58. D.... T....

    So much of his brilliance is subtle. When he sings 'pretty boats sweeping along the shore'' at the exact same time you can hear the synth replicate the sound of a yacht engine cruising up the coast. Astoundingly beautiful.

  59. B.... ....

    So beautifully sung! Donald's singing genious is second to none!

    B.... ....

    Yep....Absolutely awesome...A greeting from Trento, Italy

  60. D.... J....

    Great percussion at the end. What a mood.

  61. D.... J....

    Bittersweet.

  62. D.... J....

    Too beautiful. Kills me.

  63. C.... F....

    10 people fell off the dunes to their death. Duĺlards. Now 11

    C.... F....

    you are right!

  64. T.... W....

    The instrumental play out is sublime... puts me mindful of an older man's ending to aja. So many happy memories of this album.

    T.... W....

    Right on

    T.... W....

    Nice comparison there.

  65. O.... c....

    Magique.

  66. C.... R....

    is there better music to play on the beach as the sun goes down?
    the WHOLE album.
    bliss.

  67. �.... ....

    心地いい大好きな曲です。

  68. J.... S....

    The Kama's been in the shop for quite a while, since in 2017 there's nobody alive who knows how to fix it. Normally this isn't a problem, since the shop Dan takes it to has a lift that doubles as a time machine, able to send the Kama back to the future for repairs, or, alternatively, bring a tech geek from then to now. Unfortunately, the lift, too, is out of commission and has been for a long while, and, since it, too, needs a part from the future to fix it, it will probably stay out of order until sometime in that rather distant future. Dan has spent many an hour sipping cafe chicos at El Gaucho's Cafe, pondering his options. Apart from ordering another round, he doesn't seem to have any. Oh well, at least the wind is rough.

    J.... S....

    YES!!!!!!

  69. j.... k....

    my life became a joke 3 months ago.

    j.... k....

    i don't want to admit this but i hope you aren't totally right

    j.... k....

    The key to mental health is accepting that your life IS probably a joke, and then learning to laugh at and along with it, regardless of whether or not you ultimately get (or hear) the punchline (if indeed, there is one).

    I'd just as soon play out my daily role in this long-running, low-budget, quirky, dry, local sitcom than audition for a part in any sort of tragedy -- no matter how big or dramatic the production.

    j.... k....

    Pogue Mahone Well said. I agree with every word.

    j.... k....

    today , i am beginning think that my whole life has been some sort of a whimsical joke - however - we still have this fantastic music to hear forever!!!!!!! so all is going to be OK!!!!!!!

    j.... k....

    mine, today!!!!!

  70. M.... N....

    The mix is perfect. The bass really comes through, which is really tricky. Most music produced today is bass weak or bass heavy. I can also hear clear piano and guitar rhythms. Very well done.

    M.... N....

    That's one of the trademarks for Donald Fagen, his songs have to be perfectly engineered, all of the instruments in proper syncronization for the utmost pleasure of the listener!

    M.... N....

    How could you expect anything else ? Listen to the Nightfly at top volume !! :)

  71. D.... G....

    Well Done Donald!

  72. G.... B....

    its pretty tough,but the wind is rough

  73. P.... L....

    I live in Rhode Island on Narragansett Beach looking at the Newport bridge and Beavertail Lighthouse...shit this is nice

    P.... L....

    Jamestown side?

  74. D.... K....

    as the years pass the real pleasure of my life is when I get to figure out bits and pieces of some of his later compositions on the keys ... inspiration like no other

    D.... K....

    It's like channeling genius.

  75. L.... P....

    origally i thought this was a filler song- i was wrong

    L.... P....

    Actually, according to the biog of Steely Dan (Reelin' in the years by Brain Sweet) this was an outtake from the Nightfly album. Pity it wasn't included there, but at least we have it here.

    L.... P....

    It's not from Nightfly, it was written in 83 as part of a direct sequel to the Nightfly that never materialized.

  76. S.... W....

    I have third row seats to see them in concern in June. Am thrilled. Who knows how much longer they will tour.

    S.... W....

    where did you see them

    S.... W....

    Wow Walter Becker just died. Glad you had the opportunity.

    S.... W....

    Saw them in the Woodlands(Houston) in 2016. It was my first time ever seeing them. Awesome show! I obviously had no idea that it would be the last time I’d see Walter play with the band. So glad I went. I missed them when this album originally came out in the early 90’s. I’m to the point where I’m just like “spend the money, buy the tickets!”

  77. J.... B....

    the Mighty Dan of Steel,100%

  78. A.... B....

    Boy, they sure must have been loving the melody because they go at it for a while, don't they? I would, too. : )

    A.... B....

    if somethings not broke you don't fix it...right? : )

  79. V.... A....

    Beautiful, absolutely Devine.

  80. B.... ....

    The Magic IS here ( once again). Thanks D

  81. T.... 5....

    Rich man's lament, very moving.

  82. Y.... R....

    Transcends Me to a peaceful beach everytime...💜

  83. s.... ....

    This is the stuff dreams are made of!

  84. y.... ....

    It's should be made a crime when masterpieces like this aren't promoted as a celebration of human potential. Just close your eyes and drift off into another dimension - oh what imagery this song conjures.

    y.... ....

    lol I've been doing that since I was fifteen when I bought my first SteelyDan album Goucho

  85. J.... D....

    absolute mastery on the drum kit

    J.... D....

    Snare roll at 0.31 sets it up,
    Brilliant drumming.

    J.... D....

    is he the drummer on walter beckers Paging Audrey? great feel. cheers

    J.... D....

    Christopher Parker is a great drummer. The improvised parts on the coda/outro were total impromptu, not planned at all, but were so good, The Don kept 'em.

    J.... D....

    Symbol work is amazing

    J.... D....

    Cymbal work

  86. D.... S....

    so good I made it my password (variant, so don't get any ideas)

    D.... S....

    me too, for the Video Library 20 years ago, good job we're in different continents...

    D.... S....

    it's far-reaching, the steely DAN

    D.... S....

    Karmakind?

  87. M.... ....

    Love the instrumental at the end...

    M.... ....

    Oh that sax .

    M.... ....

    Just had to bring y'all back here

    M.... ....

    their instrumental breaks are wayy too short. The beginning of Florida Room should have been 5 minutes long.

    M.... ....

    Me three :)

    M.... ....

    It could be the soundtrack to my entire life and I would never get tired of it.

  88. t.... ....

    "I stood and watched my happiness drift outwards with the tide" - what a line!

    t.... ....

    twangbarfly Amen to that.

    t.... ....

    "Pretty boats, sweeping along the shore. In the faltering light."

    t.... ....

    twangbarfly Is

    t.... ....

    What a line indeed!

  89. j.... ....

    Read somewhere this is Becker on bass?

    j.... ....

    He also co-wrote 'Snowbound' with Fagen back in the 1980's, which with his playing credits on this album tracks surely makes it a Steely Dan record, in all but name?

    j.... ....

    Becker is unreal on the bass, check out the Aja outtake "The Bear"

    j.... ....

    Of course it`s Walter on Bass

    j.... ....

    Yes, Walter played all the bass and lead guitar parts on 'Kamakiriad'.

    j.... ....

    Now that I know it's him, even his way of standing and addressing an instrument and the way he moves comes into focus. It's Becker. RIP.

  90. r.... u....

    Perfect

  91. H.... W....

    never get tired of this song

  92. B.... ....

    One of the Geniuses of modern Music.

    B.... ....

    Fagen should be much more recognized by the world. His compositions are just timeless!

    B.... ....

    YES GENUIS.

    B.... ....

    Clearly!

  93. D.... S....

    I can just about see the bikinied babe strolling away and poor, poor Donald eagle eyeing that ass...

    D.... S....

    Don does LOVE the ladies....

    D.... S....

    Hurricane Odile, the largest cat 4 ever hit here in Cabo three years ago. Afterwards this song haunted me for days. It still does.

  94. P.... ....

    DF what a man

    P.... ....

    F***in legend !

  95. A.... ....

    Muchas gracias, es muy dolce! It seems like yesterday & yet it's a classic already.