Comments on the cruelty of judgement in this post are delightfully interesting...
The woman presumably steals because she needs to in order to survive. The song makes it clear that this misdeed is against her nature and she is very uncomfortable with it. The chorus supports this. The last line of the chorus is not a comment on human nature. Rather, the alteration of the last line is a comment on definition of morality.
When the line changes to "Surely God won't look the other way", it refers to the "honest people" who are rushing to her side. She will soon be exposed publicly as a thief. It's a comment on morality, more specifically how morality is defined. Is an act judged by God, society, religion? Is there a difference? Despite repetitively invoking God, I think the song is actually challenging God's role in ultimate judgement.
Notthattartagain - I'd be careful in your celebration of Bowie's views of hypocrisy. He's criticizing the hypocrisy of the judgement on this woman. You seem very honest, rich, and clean to me.
Comments on the cruelty of judgement in this post are delightfully interesting...
The woman presumably steals because she needs to in order to survive. The song makes it clear that this misdeed is against her nature and she is very uncomfortable with it. The chorus supports this. The last line of the chorus is not a comment on human nature. Rather, the alteration of the last line is a comment on definition of morality.
When the line changes to "Surely God won't look the other way", it refers to the "honest people" who are rushing to her side. She will soon be exposed publicly as a thief. It's a comment on morality, more specifically how morality is defined. Is an act judged by God, society, religion? Is there a difference? Despite repetitively invoking God, I think the song is actually challenging God's role in ultimate judgement.
Notthattartagain - I'd be careful in your celebration of Bowie's views of hypocrisy. He's criticizing the hypocrisy of the judgement on this woman. You seem very honest, rich, and clean to me.