Loving the Alien Lyrics
The templars and the saracens
They're traveling the holy land
Opening telegrams
Knights who'd give you anything
They bear the cross of coeuf de leon
Salvation for the mirror blind
Pray and the heathen lie will disappear
Prayers they hide the saddest view
(Believing the strangest things, loving the alien)
And your prayers they break the sky in two
(Believing the strangest things, loving the alien)
You pray til the break of dawn
(Believing the strangest things, loving the alien)
And you'll believe you're loving the alien
(Believing the strangest things, loving the alien)
Palestine a modern problem
Bounty and your wealth in land
Terror in a best laid plan
Tomorrows and the yesterdays
Christians and the unbelievers
Hanging by the cross and nail
i totally agree with what bonehead said. i first heard this song a while after 9/11, when the wars were starting, and it was like this song hit the sentiments spot on.
here's my interpretation. it deals with the problems in the middle east involving christians and muslims ("templars and sacacens"), but as bonehead said, can extend to all religions. people think that prayers will take away all sins. but blind devotion (not just faith, but blind, unthinking devotion) will hide the real problems ("hide the saddest view"), and it will clash and cause wars ("break the sky in two"). but ultimately, do you really know what you're worshipping and believing in ("loving the alien") or are you just excessively worshipping ("until the break of dawn") without question and without thought?
What a lovely song. It could mean many things
This is of of my faves from Bowie. Great vocal, great song, great arrangement. I think everyones comments are spot on. I'm a Christian and not in the least offended because this is pure art, this song could mean many things. It is thought provoking, like all great art should be. I'm not offended by art. I like to listen to hardcore metal, post-bop jazz, and gangsta rap. Then I watch TBN, and television evangelists. I'm not offended, I'm inspired by this song.
Everyone is so right. After all most true artists, and I believe Bowie is one of them, likes for people to take away what they will from any song. This song is brilliant. Just FYI the Templars where Christians Knights in the Middle Ages and Saracens are Islams of the same time period. Then Bowie ties it in to todays Holy War in Palestine. For me, this song brought to the forefront the old saying about those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it along with the comments that Bonehead and Hallospacegirl about war in the name of God and blind, unthinking devotion all go to prove that this song is an amazing statement as well as a wonderful piece of art. On top of ALL of that the arrangement and Bowie's vocals are just perfect. The brilliance of Bowie is at its best right here.
I completely agree that it's about religion causing more conflict than it resolves. I always thought that the line "Your prayers will break the sky in two" refers to how each side in a conflict prays to God for help, and both sides believe that they have God's favour. It could also mean how people pray for solutions to their problems, as if their personal worries are so important that God would crack the sky in two just to descend to Earth to help them.
Deals with religious problems all over the world, I think. I think it deals with whole people, like terrorist or the witch burnings for example, can justify doing terrible things in the name of religion. It's okay because God told me too.
this is so meaningful. we should all just love people despite of their religion and not kill them because of these differences.
Yeah know. What's amazing is I've been listening to, and loving, this song for over 20 years and I can't say I've spent more than 30 minutes trying to figure it out. Reading these lyrics now I cant help but see the dichotomy of the two major faiths. But, you can't back away from the idea that either God is the Alien. The unknown thing that we all must rationally and irrationally say exists. And our belief in that thing can move us to "rip the sky in two." I take that to mean that when we decide exactly what that unknown is we separate ourselves from others, come into conflict with them because of our distinction, and blow them up with a-bombs. His extension from the Templers/Saracins to the mid-east takes me from the "simple" conflicts of the past (arrows/swords) to our capacity for conflict now (nukes 80's, cyber/biological now).
But then I remember that this album was very romantic, very fun--it was the 80's. And I stop thinking about what it means. I enjoy the imagery, the passion in his voice, the swoonie rhythms and I imagine I'm in Brazil loving the beautiful alien that can dance in the streets, near naked, without self-doubt as if she's ripping the sky in two.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it Coeur de Lion? I don't know what "coeuf de leon" means.
It's Bowie just after turning into Masonry. The tales about Templars bearing Richard's ("coeur de leon") cross, riding the Santiago de Compostela path are one of Masons impassionating themes, as well as slightly cynical views about religion.