This is a "confession" of Jim Morrison's aims in life. To the end of the night was his aim through many ways of speeding up death, a kind of death through hallucinations and visions into other worlds (drugs). He was trying to get somewhere nobody had ever been before, a place of complete peace. (thanks, scarlett - winchester, England)
Some of the lyrics were inspired by the French novel Journey To The End Of The Night .
The line, "Realms of bliss, realms of light, some are borne to sweet delight, some are borne to sweet delight, some are borne to the endless night." is taken almost verbatim from the poem Auguries Of Innocence by William Blake. (thanks, max - geneva, IL)
This helped The Doors get a record deal. They included it on a demo they made for Aura Records in 1965. It didn't get them signed, but they landed a deal with Electra 2 years later.
This was released as the B-side of "Break on Through."
