The late winter of 1998, American rapper Eric Schrody, better known by his pseudonym Everlast, suffered a severe heart attack. Still not fully recovered, he composed the composition “Put Your Lights On” (“Light the Lights”), which he later called one of his most personal songs. This track, performed with Santana and awarded the Grammy Award, became perhaps Everlast’s most famous work.
The idea for the song “Put Your Lights On” came to Eric while he was at his house in the mountains. From above, he watched the lights of the city below him light up one by one in the evening. But the meaning of the text is much deeper. The phrase “put your lights on” is a common expression for sinners. In fact, this is a call to be careful in a world full of dangerous temptations.
Everlast himself explained that his composition is “… about hope, but it comes from a really dark place… and really questions a lot of your beliefs and reinforces it all in your soul.”
In the same 1998, Santana called Eric and asked him to pick up some track for the Supernatural album. Everlast suggested “Put Your Lights On” and they sang the song together.
The song was released as the third single from “Supernatural” and peaked at number eight on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks. In 2000, she won a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
Interesting Facts
- Everlast, who converted to Islam in 1996, included in the text an excerpt from a prayer meaning “no god but Allah.” During the recording of the song, he wanted to remove it, but Santana insisted that the phrase should be left.
Lyrics of Put Your Lights On by Everlast/Santana
Hey now, all you sinners
Put your lights on, put your lights on
Hey now all you lovers
Put your lights on, put your lights on
Light up the lights, light up the lights
Hey all you lovers
Light the fires, light the fires Hey now, all you killers
Put your lights on, put your lights on
Hey now, all you children
Leave your lights on, you better leave you lights on
Light up the lights, light up the lights
Hey all you kids
Don’t put out the fires, you better not put out the lights ‘Cause there’s a monster,
Living under my bed, whispering in my ear
And there’s an angel, with a hand on my head
She say I got nothing to fear
Whispering in my ear
But the angel whose hand is on my head
Says I have nothing to fear There’s a darkness, living deep in my soul
Still got a purpose to serve
So let your lights shine, deep into my home
God don’t let me lose my nerve, don’t let me lose my nerve
And I still have a purpose in life
So let your lights fill my whole house with light
God, don’t let me get scared, don’t let me get scared Hey now, all you sinners
Put your lights on, put your lights on
Hey now, all you children
Leave your lights on, you better leave your lights on
Light up the lights, light up the lights
Hey all you kids
Don’t put out the fires, you better not put out the lights ‘Cause there’s a monster,
living under my bed whispering in my ear
And there’s an angel, with a hand on my head
She say I got nothing to fear
She says, la elaha ela allah, you don’t shine like a star
La elaha ela allah, you don’t shine like a star
And fade away ‘Cause the monster that lives under my bed
Whispering in my ear
But the angel whose hand is on my head
Says I have nothing to fear
He says: “There is no god but Allah, you do not shine like a star.
There is no god but Allah, you don’t shine like a star
And you go out
