I slept with Sable when she was 13
Her parents were too rich to do anything
She rocked her way around L.A.
'Til a New York guy carried her away
Look away, look away
Now he was blond and she was dark
They called him thunder 'cause he had the spark
The dream he dreamed was straight and pure
But the confusion of life was gonna get him for sure
Look away look away
They shared their clothes and their cowboy boots
Left them all over the floor while they dyed their roots
They live the dream and they went non-stop
They did' ok 'til the band broke up
Look away look away look away look away
Unfortunately the needle broke
Their rock and roll love like a bicycle spoke
I found her in a back street with her looks half gone
She was selling something that I was on
Look away look away
Now thunder and me did not part friends
What we did once I wouldn't do again
So he stayed with the pure dream and followed the moon
'til the drugs in his body made his mind a cartoon
Look away look away
So a few years later thunder died broke
Sable had a baby back at her folks
Me I went straight and serious too
There wasn't much else that I could do
Look away look away
So now that I'm straight I'm settled too
I eat and I sleep and I work like you
I got lots of feelings but I hold them down
That's a way I cope with this shitty town
Look away look away
Look away look away
Her parents were too rich to do anything
She rocked her way around L.A.
'Til a New York guy carried her away
They called him thunder 'cause he had the spark
The dream he dreamed was straight and pure
But the confusion of life was gonna get him for sure
Left them all over the floor while they dyed their roots
They live the dream and they went non-stop
They did' ok 'til the band broke up
Their rock and roll love like a bicycle spoke
I found her in a back street with her looks half gone
She was selling something that I was on
What we did once I wouldn't do again
So he stayed with the pure dream and followed the moon
'til the drugs in his body made his mind a cartoon
Sable had a baby back at her folks
Me I went straight and serious too
There wasn't much else that I could do
I eat and I sleep and I work like you
I got lots of feelings but I hold them down
That's a way I cope with this shitty town
Look away look away
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This song is about Sable Starr (born Sable Hay Shields), an L.A. Groupie who was with Iggy while he was living with The Stooges in the Hollywood Hills, and Johnny Thunders (born John Anthony Genzale, Jr.), the guitarist for the New York Dolls at the time of his relationship with Sable.
These lyrics are missing, at least, the first lines that begin,
"I slept with Sable when she was thirteen"
which are apparently an accurate account of Iggy Pop's statutory rape of Sable Starr, who was still underage when she became attached to Johnny Thunders. Starr and other "baby groupies" describe sexual encounters with David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Jeff Beck, and other Seventies rock stars when the girls were still in middle school, according to some accounts as young as 12.
The authenticity of some claims have been questioned, and it's long past time when any legal liability exists, but these stories and this song's lyrics point to horrific sexual abuse of children by some of rock's most famous male performers.
@rikdad You’re not wrong, and this is not intended as an “excuse”, nor is it intended as an “ok” for rock stars to sleep with underaged girls (or boys), but it WAS a very, very different time, and it’s not like Jimmy Page (or Iggy or Johnny Thunders) was out “combing the high schools”, like described in KISS’ “Christine Sixteen”, lol, these girls were hanging out at Rodney’s English Disco because there were rock stars who partied there...
@rikdad You’re not wrong, and this is not intended as an “excuse”, nor is it intended as an “ok” for rock stars to sleep with underaged girls (or boys), but it WAS a very, very different time, and it’s not like Jimmy Page (or Iggy or Johnny Thunders) was out “combing the high schools”, like described in KISS’ “Christine Sixteen”, lol, these girls were hanging out at Rodney’s English Disco because there were rock stars who partied there...
A) They were underage, in a club, was carding kids not a “thing” back then? Lol B) Were they all...
A) They were underage, in a club, was carding kids not a “thing” back then? Lol B) Were they all street-waifs or orphans? Where were their parents?
i love the last four verses. we all end up like iggy (like our fathers) or like johnny. so sad and true. iggy is such a good and underrated songwriter
Is about the life of Johnny Thunders,Iggy's friend..great how he shows how to get out of this life.