Hyacinth House

Jim was interested in Greek mythology, so he was probably familiar with Hyacinth. Even if this song had nothing to do with Hyacinth, I still see similarity between the myth of Hyacinth and Jim's death. The flower that sprang from the beautiful youth's blood could be compared to the legacy and mystery that is associated with Jim. Jim's mystique sprang from his blood, because his untimely death immortalized him. His death made him a legend, because it created an interest, even generations later, towards his life and his music. Had Hyacinth not died in the myth, no flower would have been produced from his blood. Had Jim not died, their would be no legend. I was drawn to the doors because of the mystery surrounding the life of Jim Morrison, and I stayed interested in the doors because of the music. In my personal experience, Jim's death not only preserved him, it preserved his music. Apollo would not allow Hyacinth to enter the after life. I don't think the world will allow Jim's legacy to die. However, it is most likely that the Hyacinth house Jim was speaking of was Ray Manzarek‘s home. Ray's house was surrounded by Hyacinth flowers, and Jim referred to it as the Hyacinth house. The part of the song that really convinced me was " What are they doing in the Hyacinth House? To please the lions in this day" I think that those two lines are one sentence, a question. "What are they doing in the Hyacinth House to please the lions in this day?" I think that the lions he is referring to would be their teenage fan base, who are like hungry lions that devour the hit songs he throws them, yet turn their nose up at the songs that showed Morrison's poetic depth. I have gathered information that has given me the impression that Jim felt that the Doors were becoming too commercial, and he felt that the other members of the band were trying to please the fans instead of create the kind of music that Jim wanted to create. So, when Jim asks "What are they doing in the Hyacinth House to please the lions in this day?", I picture Jim thinking of the other band members and possibly Paul Rothchild before he withdrew from producing LA woman, gathering in Ray's house and discussing the bands lyrics or direction in order to widen their fan base and bring in more earnings. In a poem written shortly before Morrison's death, he wrote the lines "money beats soul, last words, last words, out." The lines that speak of needing a new friend who doesn't bother, trouble, or need him are much more personal. To shed some light on this, you need to know about the people that Jim surrounded himself with. Jim knew that Pam had built her life around him and it would crumble without him. Pamela was extremely dependant on Jim, yet at the same time, acted as if she were his mother. She edited his poetry, blue-penciled his interviews, and nagged him about quitting the Doors and becoming a writer. Patricia Kenealy understandably nagged Jim about getting her pregnant and how he planned to resolve the situation. I read in "The Lizard King" that either Bill Siddons or Paul Rothchild hired someone to stay with Jim at all times and basically baby-sit him. Who knows what other personal relationships were plaguing him? I think that Jim felt like the people in his life were dragging him down. The eerie lines about the bathroom really speak to me. They give off this vibe that Jim felt very much alone and isolated in his life. Besides the fact the bathrooms are associated with privacy and solitude, I have a feeling that Jim saw the bathroom as a refuge from the train wreck his life had become. I've heard that he said that he wanted to die in a bathtub, which brings up the question of Morrison predicting his own early death. Although no one knows for sure the exact details of Morrison's death, it is fairly certain that he did die in a bathtub, because that's where his body was reported to have been found by Pam. There is also a story that states Jim ingested a large amount of Heroin in a bar bathroom the night of his death, which led to his overdose. Anyways, I think the bathroom was the only place Jim could be alone, away from the world that nagged and persecuted him. Jim is quoted as saying he would be the third member of the "27 club", referring to the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin (both dead at 27 from drugs, both had J names.) Therefore, I believe he knew death would come soon. Perhaps the person he thinks is following him is death, which finally caught up to him in a bathroom. The story of Jim's life was like a poem, and the lines about the bathroom show blatant foreshadowing. "Why did you throw the Jack of Hearts away?" is my favorite line. Whether Jim was aware of the significance of the Jack of Hearts or not, it still describes him perfectly. In cartomancy, the Jack of hearts can be an actor, artist, a writer of poetry, or just a student of the arts. He is also a man of any age who is at heart, a child. Jim wrote this song during the last stage of his life, in Paris. It was a time in his life when he felt that his poetic talents had left him or had been used up. According to his friends, he would stare at the blank pages of his journal with a pencil in his hand for hours. He even tried free writing in an attempt to produce more poetry. He also believed that the "shaman" that "possessed" him had left his body. He knew he could not get back what he once had. The most significant line, I think, in this song, is "The End." Once again, Jim is hinting that his death is on it's way. I believe that Jim had a part in his own death. I'm not saying it was straight suicide, but I believe it was at least passive suicide. The abuse that broke down his body was his own doing. He did nothing at all to prevent his own death, but instead he welcomed it by displaying dangerous and potentially deadly behavior. Anyways, the only person who knows what this song really means is dead, so we can only guess.

i don't really know what this song means, but i LOVE it.

I think KWizzy is right about the song being about all the demands put on Jim Morrison at the time. He was certainly hounded by a lot of people who wanted something from him.

On the other hand, he did record the vocals for the album in a bathroom because of the good acoustics. So the line might actually be literal.

wikipedia says they were at robbie's beach house, which has hyacinths everywhere, when they wrote the song. they thought they heard people in the bathroom while stoned. I agree with Rayman's thoughts, Jim didn't want to be Jim anymore, "I need a brand new friend, the end." But the hyacinth plant represents rebirth. So I do believe that Mr. Mojo Risin is still alive somewhere...a shaman in Africa.

nobody, you're right.

This song is about the greek tragedy involving the mortal man, Hyacinth and his best friend, Apollo, the god. One day, Hyacinth and Apollo were playing discus, and Apolo threw it so far, and so hard that he accidently struck Hyacintch in the forhead, causing severe damage to his head. Apollo held the dying Hyacinth in his arms, unable to fix him. But when he died, he turned into a beautiful flower, the Hyacinth.

The bathroom Jim speaks of is the bathroom in the studio he would frequently go into during rehearsals.

I think he's saying he needs new friends, because he is slowly dying with the band, his life is spiraling towards the end and he does not want to be Jim Morrison, the famous singer anymore.

My two cents, but the story of Hyacinth comes straight from John Densmores biography with the doors, and what I said is pretty much his thoughts on the song as well. He regrets not looking at these lyrics more closely because he feels Jim was trying to tell them something with his songs, because he couldn't in any other way.

I LOVE this song

For some reason I love the line:

I need someone and who doesn't need me

It's not about Robbies beach house, its an allusion to the story of Apollo and Hyacynth.

Wikipedia, while great, isn't gospel.

mplkid: Thanks for illuminating us with the Greek myth connection. There may indeed be something there because Jim was a very intelligent and well-read man. A good theme for his final album.

taiga: You don't think Morrison was a poet? You will when you grow up. (I'll bet you don't think Einstein was a physicist either!)

Is it supposed to be "I need someone *here who doesn't need me." ?