1 Meaning
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
The Man Who Invented Himself Lyrics
He came bursting out of nowhere
Like a spear into the sky
And he cast his light on everything
It was like he'd never die
And he landed right on target
But the target rolled away
And it left him pointing nowhere
You could hear the children say
"He's the fella
The man who invented himself
He's the fella
The man who invented himself"
When you need her love so badly
But she's trying to relax
You can't work it with your fingers
So you try it with an axe
And he taps you on the shoulder
"Looking out for number one
Is like drilling for a rainbow
Or an iceberg in the sun"
He's the fella
The man who invented himself
He's the fella
The man who invented himself
Nobody knows where he's from
Nobody knows where he's gone and gone and gone
But he's not here
When you're waiting for your baby
To get back from the moon
And throw her arms around you
In a very quiet lagoon
Well, that loneliness is nothing
Just imagine how he feels
He's the only person in the world
Who still believes he's real
He's the fella
The man who invented himself
He's the fella
The man who invented himself
He's the fella
The man who invented himself
He's the fella
The man who invented himself
He's the fella
The man who invented himself
Yep
He's the fella
Like a spear into the sky
And he cast his light on everything
It was like he'd never die
But the target rolled away
And it left him pointing nowhere
You could hear the children say
The man who invented himself
He's the fella
The man who invented himself"
But she's trying to relax
You can't work it with your fingers
So you try it with an axe
"Looking out for number one
Is like drilling for a rainbow
Or an iceberg in the sun"
The man who invented himself
He's the fella
The man who invented himself
Nobody knows where he's gone and gone and gone
But he's not here
To get back from the moon
And throw her arms around you
In a very quiet lagoon
Just imagine how he feels
He's the only person in the world
Who still believes he's real
The man who invented himself
He's the fella
The man who invented himself
He's the fella
The man who invented himself
He's the fella
The man who invented himself
He's the fella
The man who invented himself
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I've heard that this song is supposed to be about Syd Barrett. I don't actually get it, myself. I'm a huge fan of him (Syd Barrett, that is), and I don't really see how much here pertains to him. Well, no...I suppose you could take the second verse to be talking about how his nervous breakdown was believed by some to be partly caused by his fame, which is ironic, seeing as he probably fully intended to make it big ("he landed right on target/But the target rolled away/And it left him pointing nowhere). And the last verse also makes sense, somewhat...in the sense that it's the sort of thing that would have been applicable in his situation but not in a specific way. Alright, I sort of get it. It probably makes total sense in Mr. Hitchcock's mind, which, as an artist, I can understand. (You know, saying all this has probably made me sound really weird somehow...)
Another possibility is: Bob Dylan. In a tweet RH referred to Dylan as the man who invented himself, which makes sense in terms of Dylan's self-dramatization, nicely portrayed in the film "I'm Not There."
Another possibility is: Bob Dylan. In a tweet RH referred to Dylan as the man who invented himself, which makes sense in terms of Dylan's self-dramatization, nicely portrayed in the film "I'm Not There."
@Pippin the Mercury On this recording: https://archive.org/details/robynhitchcock1987-07-17 just before starting it, he says ‘This is about Bob Dylan… and people like that.’
@Pippin the Mercury On this recording: https://archive.org/details/robynhitchcock1987-07-17 just before starting it, he says ‘This is about Bob Dylan… and people like that.’