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Dr. Bogenbroom Lyrics
I have one foot in the graveyard and the other on the bus,
and the passengers do trample each other in the rush.
And the chicken hearted lawman is throwing up his fill
to see the kindly doctor to pass the super pill.
Well, I'm going down, three cheers for Doctor Bogenbroom.
Well, I'm on my way, three cheers for Doctor Bogenbroom.
Well I've tried my best to love you all,
all you hypocrites and whores,
with your eyes on each other and the locks upon your doors.
Well you drowned me in the fountain of life and I hated you
for living while I was dying, we were all just passing through.
Well, I'm going down, three cheers for Doctor Bogenbroom.
Well, I'm on my way, three cheers for Doctor Bogenbroom
and the passengers do trample each other in the rush.
And the chicken hearted lawman is throwing up his fill
to see the kindly doctor to pass the super pill.
Well, I'm going down, three cheers for Doctor Bogenbroom.
Well, I'm on my way, three cheers for Doctor Bogenbroom.
Well I've tried my best to love you all,
all you hypocrites and whores,
with your eyes on each other and the locks upon your doors.
Well you drowned me in the fountain of life and I hated you
for living while I was dying, we were all just passing through.
Well, I'm going down, three cheers for Doctor Bogenbroom.
Well, I'm on my way, three cheers for Doctor Bogenbroom
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The song is about the transition from this life to the next, similar to "Two Fingers" and "Slipstream".
According to Nollen, Ian's father was critically ill at the time. Nollen, Scott Allen (2001). Jethro Tull: a history of the band, 1968–2001
A "bogen" or "bauchen" is is a type of domestic hobgoblin in Scottish folklore. It is often mischievous and sometimes dangerous, but is also very helpful when the need arises."https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauchan
"Broom" is paired with "Doctor" like "Nursie" is paired with "brushing away the pain". Maybe the medical professionals are being liken to a clean up crew at the end of life.
The "bus" is a vehicle for transitioning to the next life, like a boat crossing the River Styx. The other "passengers" being folks that are also making the transition.
@forwags When Ian's father was in the Hospital he also wrote Cheap Day Return about the ticket he needed to visit his Father and return on the same day it was cheaper if he bought a return ticket instead of a one way. He mentioned this at a show.
@forwags When Ian's father was in the Hospital he also wrote Cheap Day Return about the ticket he needed to visit his Father and return on the same day it was cheaper if he bought a return ticket instead of a one way. He mentioned this at a show.
An extremely sardonic song, conveying a deep sense of disillusionment. The line about having "one foot in the graveyard and the other on the bus" is a familiar kind of Ian Anderson styling. He always liked to use familiar sayings, but put new twists on them in a kind of unexpected way. In this case, he is saying right from the beginning what the entire song gets across, which is that modern life in an urban big city is ugly and sordid, and it brings out the worst in people. The second verse communicates that in an unmistakable way, depicting the lust and fear that people seem so full of, with their "eyes upon each other and the locks upon their doors". The upshot of it all is that, in a setting like that, he feels like he is dying just like we are all dying. We are all just passing through.