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Ride With Me Lyrics
How ya gonna make it baby?
That's the question to be asked
Life goes on around you
In so many different ways
I know my share of history
How hard it is to be free
From wearing masks that turn to skin
Hiding what you could have been
And I, I, I'm so confused
Which way, which way to choose?
Ride with me baby 'til the end of the day
Mama's home philosophy
Makes everyone a freak but me
Though I'm starvin' in the streets
And can't predict the future
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who's the sanest of us all?
Is he with me or one of them?
How does he dress, who are his friends?
And I, I, I'm so confused
Which way, which way to choose?
Ride with me baby 'til the end of the day
Mama's home philosophy
Makes everyone a freak but me
Though I'm starvin' in the streets
And can't predict the future
Can I have my vision back?
I'll live outside your city walls
You don't have to be afraid
Until I come together
Ride with me Baby
'Til the end of the day
That's the question to be asked
Life goes on around you
In so many different ways
I know my share of history
How hard it is to be free
From wearing masks that turn to skin
Hiding what you could have been
Which way, which way to choose?
Ride with me baby 'til the end of the day
Makes everyone a freak but me
Though I'm starvin' in the streets
And can't predict the future
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who's the sanest of us all?
Is he with me or one of them?
How does he dress, who are his friends?
Which way, which way to choose?
Ride with me baby 'til the end of the day
Makes everyone a freak but me
Though I'm starvin' in the streets
And can't predict the future
Can I have my vision back?
I'll live outside your city walls
You don't have to be afraid
Until I come together
'Til the end of the day
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This song deserves a special place in geekdom. As I see it, the lyrics allude quite clearly Sophocles' Oedipus trilogy, specifically to the play "Oedipus at Colonus".
"Mama's home philosophy / Makes everyone a freak but me" refers to wife/mother Jocasta's repeated denials that her husband Oedipus is actually her son.
"Though I'm starving in the streets / And can't predict the future" refer to Oedipus' impoverished state as the action of "Oedipus at Colonus" unfolds, and provide a contrast to Tiresias, the blind prophet from the first play "Oedipus Rex". The following lines "Who's the sanest of us all / Is he with me or one of them" also refer to Tiresias: in "Oedipus Rex", Oedipus clashes with Tiresias, believing him to conspire with Creon to take away his throne, although Tiresias is really just trying to help Oedipus realize the truth.
"Can I have my vision back?" refers to Oedipus' having blinded himself when he realized the truth about killing his father and marrying his mother (and causing Jocasta's suicide).
"I'll live outside your city walls / You don't have to be afraid / Until I come together" refers to the principal conflict in "Oedipus at Colonus". In the play, Oedipus arrives at Colonus and is confronted by townspeople who first warn him he is trespassing on ground sacred to the Furies, and who then try to banish him from their city when they discover his identity. In a climactic scene, Oedipus curses his two sons and his uncle Creon. The play ends with Oedipus' death, which seals the curse.
"Ride with me, baby / Til the end of the day" refers to Antigone, Oedipus' faithful daughter, who leads the blind Oedipus throughout the action in "Oedipus at Colonus". Note that "til the end of the day" is an allusion to the Greek practice of fitting the action of a play into a single day. Also, the reference earlier in the song "wearing masks that turn to skin" is probably an allusion to the Greek practice of having actors wear masks.
All in all, a fabulous transcription of classic literature into modern form.
BBB
@bbbeard THIS is an interesting interpretation. At first blush it seems implausible, but then, it actual fits. Could be... the band's name also is a literary reference.
@bbbeard THIS is an interesting interpretation. At first blush it seems implausible, but then, it actual fits. Could be... the band's name also is a literary reference.
Not my favorite of theirs, but pretty damn good. Some nice guitar on it. And John Kay is probably my favorite vocalist.