This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
He's everybody's token, on everybody's wall
Blessing all the papers, thanking one and all
Hugging all the babies, kissing all the ladies
Knowing all that you think about from writing on the wall
He's so divine, his soul shines
Breaks the night, sleep tight
His ever loving face smiles on the whole human race
He says, I'm somebody
He's got his eye on your soul, his hand on your heart
He says, don't hurry, baby
Somebody up there (somebody) likes me
He's the savage son of the TV tube
Planets wrote the day was due
All the wisest men around
Predicted that a man was found
Who looked a lot like you and me, yeah
Everyone with sense could see
Nothing left his eye unmoved, he
Had the plan, he had to use (somebody)
He's so divine, his soul shines (somebody)
Breaks the night, sleep tight (somebody out there, somebody)
His ever loving face smiles on the whole human race (somebody, somebody, somebody, somebody out there)
He's got his eye on your soul, his hand on your heart
He says, don't hurry, baby
Somebody up there (somebody)
Somebody plays my song in tune
Makes me, makes me, makes me stronger for you, babe
Was a way when we were young, that
Any man was judged by what he'd done
But now you pick them on the screen (what they look like)
Where they've been
He's got his eye on your soul, his hand on your heart
He says, don't hurry, baby
Somebody up there (somebody) likes me
That given time, the leaders go
Tell me, can they hold you under their spell
Can they walk and hold you as well as a
Smile like Valentino?
Could he sell you anything?
Keep your eyes on your soul, keep your hand on your heart
He says, don't hurry, baby
Somebody up there (somebody) likes me
Somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody) (somebody)
Somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody) (somebody)
Somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody somebody)
Somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody somebody)
Yeah, can't remember (somebody) peace so well
Oh, space to ramble, (somebody, somebody) space to boogie
Soul shine (Ooh-ooh)
So divine
Somebody (ooh-ooh, somebody)
Soul shine (Ooh-ooh)
So divine
Somebody (ooh-ooh)
Somebody, somebody, somebody
Yeah, can't remember, peace so well
Can't remember peace so well
Can't remember peace so well
Soul shine (Ooh-ooh)
Soul shine
So divine
Somebody (ooh-ooh, somebody)
Soul shine (Ooh-ooh)
So divine
Somebody (ooh-ooh)
Blessing all the papers, thanking one and all
Hugging all the babies, kissing all the ladies
Knowing all that you think about from writing on the wall
He's so divine, his soul shines
Breaks the night, sleep tight
His ever loving face smiles on the whole human race
He says, I'm somebody
He's got his eye on your soul, his hand on your heart
He says, don't hurry, baby
Somebody up there (somebody) likes me
He's the savage son of the TV tube
Planets wrote the day was due
All the wisest men around
Predicted that a man was found
Who looked a lot like you and me, yeah
Everyone with sense could see
Nothing left his eye unmoved, he
Had the plan, he had to use (somebody)
He's so divine, his soul shines (somebody)
Breaks the night, sleep tight (somebody out there, somebody)
His ever loving face smiles on the whole human race (somebody, somebody, somebody, somebody out there)
He's got his eye on your soul, his hand on your heart
He says, don't hurry, baby
Somebody up there (somebody)
Somebody plays my song in tune
Makes me, makes me, makes me stronger for you, babe
Was a way when we were young, that
Any man was judged by what he'd done
But now you pick them on the screen (what they look like)
Where they've been
He's got his eye on your soul, his hand on your heart
He says, don't hurry, baby
Somebody up there (somebody) likes me
That given time, the leaders go
Tell me, can they hold you under their spell
Can they walk and hold you as well as a
Smile like Valentino?
Could he sell you anything?
Keep your eyes on your soul, keep your hand on your heart
He says, don't hurry, baby
Somebody up there (somebody) likes me
Somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody) (somebody)
Somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody) (somebody)
Somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody somebody)
Somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody) somebody (somebody somebody)
Yeah, can't remember (somebody) peace so well
Oh, space to ramble, (somebody, somebody) space to boogie
Soul shine (Ooh-ooh)
So divine
Somebody (ooh-ooh, somebody)
Soul shine (Ooh-ooh)
So divine
Somebody (ooh-ooh)
Somebody, somebody, somebody
Yeah, can't remember, peace so well
Can't remember peace so well
Can't remember peace so well
Soul shine (Ooh-ooh)
Soul shine
So divine
Somebody (ooh-ooh, somebody)
Soul shine (Ooh-ooh)
So divine
Somebody (ooh-ooh)
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A obscure song from Young Americans--what great lyrics and fantastic sax by David Sanborn. The thought that there is going to be a leader that deceives is pretty prevalent in Bowies writing. Big Brother, etc. As usual, the lyrics are excellent-- "nothing left his eye unmoved/he had the plan he had to use" that is great commentary about dictators or despots. Classic bowie....
....Obscure? Know no-one who's not acquainted with this song...<br />
....Obscure? Know no-one who's not acquainted with this song...<br />