I always loved the eerie, Halloween vibe of this song..I could see it in American Werewolf in London, or something. But, when I really look into the lyrics, the tone seems like more of an internal struggle within a human being, rather than a supernatural haunt...the lyrics are paranoid, and intentionally contradictory. In the verses, he is proclaiming his fears and sorrows..from being scared, to scarred, to just plain tired of it all...Then, when he gets to the refrain, the lyrics suggest that he is telling somebody (possibly himself) that a somewhat tragic fate is inevitable, so why fight it?
Even though the surrounding lyrics and instrumentals are so dark and brooding, he sings "just dance to the music.." Maybe he is throwing in the towel, and choosing to approach the destructive forces of his life with pure, unadulterated denial, naivety, and/or submissiveness.
During the bridge, he seems to delve into even MORE personal matters..We all know that Lennon spoke out against the war in Vietnam, and his lyrics in the bridge refer to this fact: "Sing out about love and peace"..almost as if to say "Where the hell has this sh*t gotten me?" When he mentions "hatred and jealously"- not once, but twice ("red raw meat", and "green-eye" are the metaphors he uses to describe these feelings the 2nd time around)- is he speaking of those people who are envious of HIM, due to his unbelievable success and living legend status? Or is he confessing his OWN feelings of resentment towards others, and the fact that his own plagued thoughts and beliefs will ultimately lead to his own demise? This could definitely be interpreted both ways.
Gotta love lyrics that seem rather straightforward, but turn out to be ambiguous head-scratchers.
I always loved the eerie, Halloween vibe of this song..I could see it in American Werewolf in London, or something. But, when I really look into the lyrics, the tone seems like more of an internal struggle within a human being, rather than a supernatural haunt...the lyrics are paranoid, and intentionally contradictory. In the verses, he is proclaiming his fears and sorrows..from being scared, to scarred, to just plain tired of it all...Then, when he gets to the refrain, the lyrics suggest that he is telling somebody (possibly himself) that a somewhat tragic fate is inevitable, so why fight it?
Even though the surrounding lyrics and instrumentals are so dark and brooding, he sings "just dance to the music.." Maybe he is throwing in the towel, and choosing to approach the destructive forces of his life with pure, unadulterated denial, naivety, and/or submissiveness.
During the bridge, he seems to delve into even MORE personal matters..We all know that Lennon spoke out against the war in Vietnam, and his lyrics in the bridge refer to this fact: "Sing out about love and peace"..almost as if to say "Where the hell has this sh*t gotten me?" When he mentions "hatred and jealously"- not once, but twice ("red raw meat", and "green-eye" are the metaphors he uses to describe these feelings the 2nd time around)- is he speaking of those people who are envious of HIM, due to his unbelievable success and living legend status? Or is he confessing his OWN feelings of resentment towards others, and the fact that his own plagued thoughts and beliefs will ultimately lead to his own demise? This could definitely be interpreted both ways.
Gotta love lyrics that seem rather straightforward, but turn out to be ambiguous head-scratchers.