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Mar 17, 2025
"
sapper
This should actually be "clapper" rather than "sapper," because it refer so the metal arm that rings a bell. This extends the church metaphor with steeple, adding an element of naughty blasphemy to the song.
Additionally, "clapper" resonates also with "the clap" mentioned elsewhere in the song.
Additionally, "clapper" resonates also with "the clap" mentioned elsewhere in the song.
Nov 2, 2024
"
Loving the alien)
A reference to Leviticus 19:34:
"You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt".
Curiously, it seems that many American evangelicals like to ignore this verse or treat it as non-literal.
"You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt".
Curiously, it seems that many American evangelicals like to ignore this verse or treat it as non-literal.
Nov 2, 2024
Sep 7, 2024
"
droogie don't
Bowie was well-known to admire Stanley Kubrick, with Space Oddity a notable nod to the director's work, while the timpani at the end of Life on Mars? evokes the score of 2001.
"Droogie" here is a reference to "Droog," the Nadsat word for "friend" used in both the book and the film A Clockwork Orange.
"Droogie" here is a reference to "Droog," the Nadsat word for "friend" used in both the book and the film A Clockwork Orange.
Aug 16, 2024
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untamed youth
May be an reference to a 1957 film of the same name starring Mamie van Doren. If so, then the purpose of the allusion is unclear; the film deals with delinquent teen girls who are dubiously sentenced to perform hard labor on a nearby farm owned by a corrupt businessman. In the context of the song, it may be meant to evoke a similarly delinquent youth, but without necessarily involving punishment for any crimes.
Sep 17, 2023
Sep 17, 2023
Sep 17, 2023
Jun 28, 2022
Jun 16, 2021
"
We danced in graveyards
With vampires till dawn
With vampires till dawn
A curious image, this pairing evokes a contradicting statement in issue #17 of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, in which Richard Madoc, rambling and overcome by a torrent of ideas, declares that "vampires don't dance."
Though Amos and Gaiman have been friends for decades and have a history of alluding to one another's works, it unclear if this line is indeed a reference to Gaiman's writing, or vice versa. It may simply be that the two artists conjured similar imagery.
Though Amos and Gaiman have been friends for decades and have a history of alluding to one another's works, it unclear if this line is indeed a reference to Gaiman's writing, or vice versa. It may simply be that the two artists conjured similar imagery.
Feb 11, 2021
Oct 28, 2020
"
I held the blade in trembling hands
A stark statement of anguish, the narrator is moments away from slashing his wrists (or throat, perhaps), interrupted only by a timely phone call.
Much of Pink Floyd's work under Roger Waters deals with theme of hopelessness and despair, often leading to transformation of the character or sublimation of the trauma into some artistic expression.
Much of Pink Floyd's work under Roger Waters deals with theme of hopelessness and despair, often leading to transformation of the character or sublimation of the trauma into some artistic expression.
Oct 28, 2020
Oct 28, 2020
"
If you negotiate the minefield in the drive
And beat the dogs and cheat the cold electronic eyes
And if you make it past the shotgun in the hall
Dial the combination
And beat the dogs and cheat the cold electronic eyes
And if you make it past the shotgun in the hall
Dial the combination
These multiple layers of protection are metaphors for the psychological defense mechanisms that the narrator has erected to shield him from emotional harm and, by extension, to prevent him from forming deep emotional attachments to others.
Oct 28, 2020
Sep 3, 2020
"
She's so good, it make
A dead man c
A dead man c
This is a line originally appearing Lucille Bogan's recording of Shave 'Em Dry, in 1935. A "dirty blues" song, the piece was recorded and performed by various artists, but Bogan's rendition is the most notorious for its unapologetically explicit content.
Aug 4, 2020
"
We can live like Jack and Sally if we want
Where you can always find me
And we'll have Halloween on Christmas
Where you can always find me
And we'll have Halloween on Christmas
The above explanations are obviously correct, rightly identifying "Jack and Sally" as the characters from Nightmare Before Christmas.
However...
The names also evoke "Jack and Sally" Simmons from the 1992 film "Husbands and Wives." Here, the characters are unfulfilled in a marriage long devoid of passion. They separate but ultimately decide that they're happier together than apart, and they reunite for the sake of comfort and companionship.
Although this is almost(!) certainly not the intended reference, I can't help thinking about it every time I hear the song.
However...
The names also evoke "Jack and Sally" Simmons from the 1992 film "Husbands and Wives." Here, the characters are unfulfilled in a marriage long devoid of passion. They separate but ultimately decide that they're happier together than apart, and they reunite for the sake of comfort and companionship.
Although this is almost(!) certainly not the intended reference, I can't help thinking about it every time I hear the song.
Feb 22, 2020
"
The wire that holds the cork
This is the line as given in the album's liner notes, but on the recording the line is "the rusty wire that holds the cork."
The difference is small but significant; "rusty" implies weakens through decay, ultimately allowing the cork to burst free under pressure.
The difference is small but significant; "rusty" implies weakens through decay, ultimately allowing the cork to burst free under pressure.
Dec 11, 2019
Sep 13, 2019
Sep 13, 2019
"
Vera Lynn
A popular singer (102 years old at the time of this posting!) whose outdoor concerts entertained British troops overseas during World War ii. An impressive figure, Ms. Lynn has spent much of her life in charitable works for veterans, disabled children, and the fight against breast cancer.
The narrator here refers to Lynn's 1939 recording of "We'll Meet Again, " a song that was hugely popular during the war, and which later famously played over the nuclear montage at the end of the film Dr. Strangelove.
The narrator here refers to Lynn's 1939 recording of "We'll Meet Again, " a song that was hugely popular during the war, and which later famously played over the nuclear montage at the end of the film Dr. Strangelove.
Sep 13, 2019
Sep 13, 2019
"
the nazz
This is a multi-layered reference, evoking Todd Rundgren's band "Nazz" as well as the Yardbirds' song "The Nazz are Blue," from which Rundgren's band took its name. The latter is in turn a retelling of the story of Jesus of Nazareth.
The term also alludes to "The Nazz," a monologue by Lord Buckley (1906 - 1960) that tells of a supremely cool Christ-like "carpenter kitty" who worked miracles.
This last reference seems the most relevant in the context of the song, with Bowie describing Ziggy both as a "leper messiah" and a "cat from Japan."
The term also alludes to "The Nazz," a monologue by Lord Buckley (1906 - 1960) that tells of a supremely cool Christ-like "carpenter kitty" who worked miracles.
This last reference seems the most relevant in the context of the song, with Bowie describing Ziggy both as a "leper messiah" and a "cat from Japan."
Sep 13, 2019
"
The crops of few, the cattle gun
A cattle gun is the an air-powered device for driving a metal shaft into the skull of an animal to be slaughtered. One version of the tool famously appeared in No Country For Old Men. Although this item certainly exists, it makes no sense in context here.
The actual phrase is "the crops are few, the cattle gone," and it is a statement of the impending famine due to vast overcrowding. This correct phrase is much more consistent with the tone and message of the overall song.
The actual phrase is "the crops are few, the cattle gone," and it is a statement of the impending famine due to vast overcrowding. This correct phrase is much more consistent with the tone and message of the overall song.
Sep 13, 2019
Sep 9, 2019
Sep 9, 2019
Sep 8, 2019
Sep 8, 2019
Sep 8, 2019
"
The yards would still be open on the clyde
Refers the shipbuilding yards along the River Clyde in Scotland. Of major industrial and strategic importance to the British Empire and navy, the yards saw a steep decline in the years following World War II, in part due to competition with Japanese ship manufacturers.