Song lyrics from 1996: "he just knew"?

Question

Back in 1996, right around the same time Jackson Browne had a hit with "Your a Friend of Mine", there was another song which had the line, "he just knew" in the refrain. Maybe it was "he didn't have to think twice about it, he just knew".

The only thing I can remember is that the song dealt with a person's longing to not have so much uncertainty. The lyrics talk about someone, maybe John Wayne, and the singer laments that he isn't as certain as these Old West cowboy types who just knew the right thing to do.

I tried the website www.letssingit.com but I don't have enough lyrics to do a search.

I promise Best Answer Award to the first person with the correct answer!

Answer 1

Hero
by Phil Collins ??

Well it was one of those great stories
that you can't put down at night
the hero knew what he had to do
and he wasn't afraid to fight
the villain goes to jail, while the hero goes free
I wish it were that simple for me.

And the reason that she loved him
was the reason I loved him too
and he never wondered what was right or wrong
he just knew - he just knew.

Shadows and shape mixed together at dawn
but by time you catch them simplicity's gone
and so we sort through the pieces
my friends and I
searching through the darkness to find
the breaks in the sky.

And the reason that she loved him
was the reason I loved him too
and he never wondered what was right or wrong
he just knew - he just knew.

And we wonder, yes we wonder
how do you make sense of this
when the hero kills the maiden
with his kiss - with his kiss.

Well it was one of those great stories
that you can't put down at night
the hero knew what he had to do
and he wasn't afraid to fight
the villain goes to jail, while the hero goes free
I wish it were that simple for me
- if it were that simple for me.

Answer 2

Hi,

The year "You're A Friend of Mine" was released was 1986. The song I believe you may be referring to, however was released in 1993. It is called "Hero" and was written by David Crosby & Phil Collins:

Well it was one of those great stories
that you can't put down at night
the hero knew what he had to do
and he wasn't afraid to fight
the villain goes to jail, while the hero goes free
I wish it were that simple for me.

And the reason that she loved him
was the reason I loved him too
and he never wondered what was right or wrong
he just knew - he just knew.

Shadows and shape mixed together at dawn
but by time you catch them simplicity's gone
and so we sort through the pieces
my friends and I
searching through the darkness to find
the breaks in the sky.

And the reason that she loved him
was the reason I loved him too
and he never wondered what was right or wrong
he just knew - he just knew.

And we wonder, yes we wonder
how do you make sense of this
when the hero kills the maiden
with his kiss - with his kiss.

Well it was one of those great stories
that you can't put down at night
the hero knew what he had to do
and he wasn't afraid to fight
the villain goes to jail, while the hero goes free
I wish it were that simple for me
- if it were that simple for me.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

I don't know if this is the correct song, but I found this one:

"Hero" by Phil Collins
Well it was one of those great stories
that you can't put down at night
the hero knew what he had to do
and he wasn't afraid to fight
the villain goes to jail, while the hero goes free
I wish it were that simple for me.

And the reason that she loved him
was the reason I loved him too
and he never wondered what was right or wrong
he just knew - he just knew.

Shadows and shape mixed together at dawn
but by time you catch them simplicity's gone
and so we sort through the pieces
my friends and I
searching through the darkness to find
the breaks in the sky.

And the reason that she loved him
was the reason I loved him too
and he never wondered what was right or wrong
he just knew - he just knew.

And we wonder, yes we wonder
how do you make sense of this
when the hero kills the maiden
with his kiss - with his kiss.

Well it was one of those great stories
that you can't put down at night
the hero knew what he had to do
and he wasn't afraid to fight
the villain goes to jail, while the hero goes free
I wish it were that simple for me
- if it were that simple for me.