submissions
| Steely Dan – Charlie Freak Lyrics
| 15 years ago
|
|
One of the most artfully crafted "pop" tunes I've ever heard. I believe this song is about the narrator being an angel of death, literally to the "charlie freak" (heroin addict). At first we cringe from the narrator's seemingly callous pride at taking advantage of the homeless guy's dire straits. The gold ring with no precious stone is probably the guy's own wedding ring - he was happy at least once, and now he has no wife for whatever reason. By the end they assault us with the reality that the narrator neither wanted nor needed the ring, nor was he being selfish by liberating it. He enabled the addict to buy just enough dope to O.D., thus ending his misery. The bells that begin at the moment of death sound to me like the "angel earing his wings" bells, especially as they peal, almost joyously, at the end. The music is especially hymn-like. Lots of possible double meanings: "without a bite", "takes him in", "lead you home". |
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.
