@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
I count the corpses on my left, I find I'm not so tidy
So I better get away, better make it today
I've cut twenty-three down since Friday
But I can't control it, my face is drawn
My instinct still emotes it
I slash them cold, I kill them dead
I broke the gooks, I cracked their heads
I'll bomb them out from under the beds
But now I've got the running gun blues
It seems the peacefuls stopped the war
Left generals squashed and stifled
But I'll slip out again tonight
'Cause they haven't taken back my rifle
For I promote oblivion
And I'll plug a few civilians
I'll slash them cold, I'll kill them dead
I'll break them gooks, I'll crack their heads
I'll slice them till they're running red
But now I've got the running gun blues
I'll slash them cold, I'll kill them dead
I'll break them gooks, I'll crack their heads
I'll slice them till they're running red
But now I've got the running gun blues
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
So I better get away, better make it today
I've cut twenty-three down since Friday
But I can't control it, my face is drawn
My instinct still emotes it
I slash them cold, I kill them dead
I broke the gooks, I cracked their heads
I'll bomb them out from under the beds
But now I've got the running gun blues
It seems the peacefuls stopped the war
Left generals squashed and stifled
But I'll slip out again tonight
'Cause they haven't taken back my rifle
For I promote oblivion
And I'll plug a few civilians
I'll slash them cold, I'll kill them dead
I'll break them gooks, I'll crack their heads
I'll slice them till they're running red
But now I've got the running gun blues
I'll slash them cold, I'll kill them dead
I'll break them gooks, I'll crack their heads
I'll slice them till they're running red
But now I've got the running gun blues
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Lyrics submitted by scottathon1
Running Gun Blues Lyrics as written by David Bowie
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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David Bowie rocks my everything.
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Oh Bowie, you're such a freak! This song makes me laugh every time. What is also odd is that this song comes after 'After All' on 'The Man Who Sold The World' - this song, 'Running Gun Blues', is about murdering people, yetb is somehow less creepy as 'After All'. Go figure. : )
how bout dat? I don't think people were going on killing sprees until the 90's. Quite the visionary.
His voice is os high-pitched and amusing on this song, to begin with anyway. Awesome stuff.
Perhaps the main character is someone suffering from shell shock. He keeps reliving the stuff he did and its giving him the blues. However the interpretation of someone who can't stop killing or enjoys killing after the war ends is valid too.
The main character definitely is suffering from shell-shock. He's obsessed with killing the Vietnamese and getting his fair share of kills for the day. Sounds like a trigger-happy person, to me.
I saw a documntary in the 80's on how the US Military sent special forces on brain-washing camps. The active exercises where that you were captured by Oriental looking serving US solders and put thru interrogation, torture and humiliation techniques. As one of the interviewed 'Vets' said 'you ended up hating anyone oriental looking and just wanted to kill them' - programmed for Nam. The documentary met up with a group of Vets of the Nam war who were living in a forest in the US who were afraid to integrate with the community as they were afraid of their anger - that may cause them to kill the civilians now they we back from the war. As they said - they were programmed by the Goverment and then just left with no rehab. The Rambo character was probably seeded from these sort of guys. Running Gun Blues was written in the time of that war and before Rambo. I wander how those guys are today - hopfully time heals.....
a vetran of a war can't stop killing when he comes back
i like the line i promote oblivian