She had an horror of rooms, she was tired, you can't hide beat
When I looked in her eyes, they were blue but nobody home
Well, she could've been a killer
If she didn't walk the way she do, and she do
She opened strange doors that we'd never close again
She began to wail jealousy's scream
Waiting at the lights, know what I mean
Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared
Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared
She asked me to stay and I stole her room
She asked for my love and I gave her a dangerous mind
Now she's stupid in the street and she can't socialize
Well, I love the little girl and I'll love her 'til the day she dies
She wails Jimmy's guitar sound, jealousy's scream
Waiting at the lights, know what I mean
Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared
Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared
Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared
Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared
When I looked in her eyes, they were blue but nobody home
Well, she could've been a killer
If she didn't walk the way she do, and she do
She opened strange doors that we'd never close again
She began to wail jealousy's scream
Waiting at the lights, know what I mean
Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared
Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared
She asked me to stay and I stole her room
She asked for my love and I gave her a dangerous mind
Now she's stupid in the street and she can't socialize
Well, I love the little girl and I'll love her 'til the day she dies
She wails Jimmy's guitar sound, jealousy's scream
Waiting at the lights, know what I mean
Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared
Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared
Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared
Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared
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I always thought this song was about Rock and Roll. The She is Rock and Roll itself. Picture all of the doors that Rock and Roll opened that were never closed again regarding fashion, culture etc...
She asked for my love and I gave her a dangerous mind. Well Bowie has left an impression on that culture of Rock and Roll, some felt he was dangerous and daring…
Now she's stupid in the street and she can't socialize... This is the one line that made it for me. I take it as a reflection of Punk Rock which was coming online in this time period. Picture Sid Vicious socializing with all those record execs.
Well I love the little girl and I'll love her till the day she dies... David will always love his Rock and Roll.
She wails Jimmy's guitar sound jealousies scream... Jimmy Page, Hendrix etc..
Waiting at the light know what I mean... at that time Rock was in transition. Waiting at the light trying to figure where to go next... was it going to be New Wave, was this the end?
I recall a boast that Johnny Rotten made once that Rock and Roll died when the Sex Pistols broke up. In some ways I thought that was true. After about 1977 or 1978 it all just sort of recycled itself...
Waiting at the light...
It makes too much sense, I agree.
@aztecdoug A long time now since you wrote this interpretation but I've always wondered what this song was about. Your interpretation fits. Adding to your rock and roll analogy, there is " You can't hide beat" and "Blue but nobody home" (as in blues but with no soul)
This song, (in my opinion) is how someone made a whole lot of strange decisions (she opened strange doors that we'd never close again) and the whole second verse is how they turned out to be bad quite bad.
Scary Monsters is a warning, if you will, advising against falling in love with mentally ill people. He sings of the slippery situation whereby he realizes the neccessity of escaping her potentially dangerous life all the while aknowledging that it was he that falled in love with her to begin with . Of course the girl could be drugs or it could be his ex-manager but I personally think it's another Angela song.
Having been in a relationship with mentally ill people in the past, I can certainly relate to it on that level. But I'm not so sure if that what's the song is getting at... I love the strange howling sounds heard throughout this song.
I think it's about a man who's in love with a drug-addicted woman
When I listen to this song I picture a man meeting a prostitute in a hotel room surrounded by crazy items thrown on the floor from past nights/weeks of partying. She introduced him to new fetishes and because the guy likes them so much he keeps her close by promising her bigger and better things. Her job is affected by this and she cannot pull the tricks because the man has convinced her that he is in love with her....He has this girl until the day she dies... He is going to use her for all his perversions and then throw her away to move onto the next one.
I absolutely love the live version he did with Nine Inch Nails. Very awesme. =D
The best version of this song is the one Bowie did with Frank Black at Bowie's 50 birthday celebration.
I heard it's about Andy Warhol. Like quite a bit of the album.
I think this song is about and reflects the life of groupies in the 70s, or at least alludes to it in certain parts of the song. It talks about how they “ask for love” from musicians at the time but they gave them a “dangerous mind” which refers to the damaging lifestyle these young girls didn’t quite know what they were getting themselves into. “Scary monsters and super creeps” referring to that rock and roll lifestyle of sex, drugs, partying, etc. “Now she’s stupid in the street and she can’t socialize” referring to as these “little girls” age they don’t know the difference from real life and this fantasy world they were so drawn to. I believe the line “she wails jimmys guitar sound” refers to Jimmy Page, a sought after musician to well, sleep with in the baby groupie scene. I could be way off in this interpretation however I think a lot of evidence i’d definitely there.
What I see in this song is following (obviously I found that interpretation when driving on a highway at almost 240km/h).
"She had an horror of rooms she was tired you can't hide beat" - Sporting car that hates the tigh rooms. Only wide racing streets.
"When I looked in her eyes they were blue but nobody home" - well, no actual car meaning but you could see light blue lights in a front of some sporting cars.
"She could've been a killer if she didn't walk the way she do, and she do" - Fast racing car could be a killer in a very easy way for all around. It(she) would not be if it(she) would be different.
"She opened strange doors that we'd never close again" - Did you ever experienced fast raceway? That is a Pandora's box with no escape.
"She began to wail jealousies scream" - Engine screaming at high RPM. "Waiting at the light know what I mean" - Waiting at the starting line.
"Scary monsters, super creeps" - Other slower cars are always a monsters on a road. "Keep me running, running scared" - High speed is keeping you running, even scared and with dozens of adrenaline in your veins.
"She asked me to stay and I stole her room" - The car begging to be driven. I chose to obey. "She asked for my love and I gave her a dangerous mind" - Car asking for your love and your mind running at high speed - a dangerous one then.
"Now she's stupid in the street and she can't socialise" - Sporting car among normal ones, stupid and unsocialized. Always will be the strange one.
"Well I love the little girl and I'll love her till the day she dies" - And I will love the car till the end of its(her) days.
This is of course counting with the fact that you interpret your car as a girl. As your very near lover. And that you have plenty of imagination. But I see that meaning in the track. :-)