Discover the story of the song > The Midnight Oil – Barbara Mandrell

The protagonist in this song is a woman who is always working late at the office, and her boss relies on her a lot. She lies to her partner about how late she'll be, and while putting on makeup, she thinks about the one person who truly loves her. She admits that she cheats on her partner, and feels guilty about it, because she has "the midnight oil" all over her, but she can't break free from the person who is "the devil" in her life. In the end, she continues to put on makeup and pretend to be happy with her partner, even though she knows it's not true.