I think it's funny how literally some people take Rolling Stones' songs. They think Bitch is about an actual "bitch," or that Ventilator Blues is about a room lacking ventilation in Keith Richard's basement. Sure, that's what the books say, but you'll get much more out of the song if you don't go for the low-hanging fruit and really analyze what you're hearing.
The song is about growing old and dying. In this case, a ventilator means a breathing machine, not ventilation for a basement. Listen...
Lyrics:
"When your spine is cracking and your hands, they shake,
Heart is bursting and you butt's gonna break."
[--meaning: When your body is breaking down--]
Your woman's cussing, you can hear her scream,
You feel like murder in the first degree.
[--meaning: When love has grown old and spiteful--]
Ain't nobody slowing down no way,
Ev'rybody's stepping on their accelerator,
[--people are ignoring their age, living faster / harder--]
Don't matter where you are,
Ev'rybody's gonna need a ventilator.
[--but, eventually, everyone is going to grow old and die--]
When you're trapped and circled with no second chances,
Your code of living is your gun in hand.
[--When you're too old to change the past or yourself--]
We can't be browed by beating, we can't be cowed by words,
Messed by cheating, ain't gonna ever learn.
[--you're too old to be brow-beaten, intimidated, or suckered--]
Ev'rybody walking 'round,
Ev'rybody trying to step on their Creator.
[--Everyone disrespects their parents / elders--]
Don't matter where you are, ev'rybody, ev'rybody gonna
Need some kind of ventilator, some kind of ventilator.
[--but, eventually, you're also going to grow old and need a ventilator--]
What you gonna do about it, what you gonna do?
Gonna fight it, gonna fight it?"
[--Will you?--]
Then, the song doesn't really end, but transitions into "Just Wanna See His Face." That means these songs are linked.
"That's all right, that's all right, that's all right.
Sometimes you feel like trouble, sometimes you feel down.
Let this music relax you mind,
Let this music relax you mind.
Stand up and be counted, can't get a witness.
Sometimes you need somebody, if you have somebody to love.
Sometimes you ain't got nobody and you want somebody to love
Then you don't want to walk and talk about Jesus,
You just want to see his face.
You don't want to walk and talk about Jesus,
You just want to see his face."
[---To me, this implies that the character speaking in Ventilator Blues is either making or has made his final peace.---]
@TumblingRock Great breakdown, thanks, nailed it. And not to belittle what you wrote -- it's more incisive than I could have done -- but HOLY MOLEY, I forget when I go to this site how often the clearest, most foundational message in a song, cohesive and delivered with minimal artifice or ambiguity, doesn't even make it to the "discussion".
@TumblingRock Great breakdown, thanks, nailed it. And not to belittle what you wrote -- it's more incisive than I could have done -- but HOLY MOLEY, I forget when I go to this site how often the clearest, most foundational message in a song, cohesive and delivered with minimal artifice or ambiguity, doesn't even make it to the "discussion".
@TumblingRock Great breakdown, thanks, nailed it. And not to belittle what you wrote -- it's more incisive than I could have done -- but HOLY MOLEY, I forget when I go to this site how often the clearest, most foundational message in a song, cohesive and delivered with minimal artifice or ambiguity, doesn't even make it to the "discussion".
@TumblingRock Great breakdown, thanks, nailed it. And not to belittle what you wrote -- it's more incisive than I could have done -- but HOLY MOLEY, I forget when I go to this site how often the clearest, most foundational message in a song, cohesive and delivered with minimal artifice or ambiguity, doesn't even make it to the "discussion".
I think it's funny how literally some people take Rolling Stones' songs. They think Bitch is about an actual "bitch," or that Ventilator Blues is about a room lacking ventilation in Keith Richard's basement. Sure, that's what the books say, but you'll get much more out of the song if you don't go for the low-hanging fruit and really analyze what you're hearing.
The song is about growing old and dying. In this case, a ventilator means a breathing machine, not ventilation for a basement. Listen...
Lyrics:
"When your spine is cracking and your hands, they shake, Heart is bursting and you butt's gonna break." [--meaning: When your body is breaking down--]
Your woman's cussing, you can hear her scream, You feel like murder in the first degree. [--meaning: When love has grown old and spiteful--]
Ain't nobody slowing down no way, Ev'rybody's stepping on their accelerator, [--people are ignoring their age, living faster / harder--]
Don't matter where you are, Ev'rybody's gonna need a ventilator. [--but, eventually, everyone is going to grow old and die--]
When you're trapped and circled with no second chances, Your code of living is your gun in hand. [--When you're too old to change the past or yourself--]
We can't be browed by beating, we can't be cowed by words, Messed by cheating, ain't gonna ever learn. [--you're too old to be brow-beaten, intimidated, or suckered--]
Ev'rybody walking 'round, Ev'rybody trying to step on their Creator. [--Everyone disrespects their parents / elders--]
Don't matter where you are, ev'rybody, ev'rybody gonna Need some kind of ventilator, some kind of ventilator. [--but, eventually, you're also going to grow old and need a ventilator--]
What you gonna do about it, what you gonna do? Gonna fight it, gonna fight it?" [--Will you?--]
Then, the song doesn't really end, but transitions into "Just Wanna See His Face." That means these songs are linked.
"That's all right, that's all right, that's all right. Sometimes you feel like trouble, sometimes you feel down. Let this music relax you mind, Let this music relax you mind. Stand up and be counted, can't get a witness. Sometimes you need somebody, if you have somebody to love. Sometimes you ain't got nobody and you want somebody to love Then you don't want to walk and talk about Jesus, You just want to see his face. You don't want to walk and talk about Jesus, You just want to see his face."
[---To me, this implies that the character speaking in Ventilator Blues is either making or has made his final peace.---]
:)
@TumblingRock Great breakdown, thanks, nailed it. And not to belittle what you wrote -- it's more incisive than I could have done -- but HOLY MOLEY, I forget when I go to this site how often the clearest, most foundational message in a song, cohesive and delivered with minimal artifice or ambiguity, doesn't even make it to the "discussion".
@TumblingRock Great breakdown, thanks, nailed it. And not to belittle what you wrote -- it's more incisive than I could have done -- but HOLY MOLEY, I forget when I go to this site how often the clearest, most foundational message in a song, cohesive and delivered with minimal artifice or ambiguity, doesn't even make it to the "discussion".
@TumblingRock Great breakdown, thanks, nailed it. And not to belittle what you wrote -- it's more incisive than I could have done -- but HOLY MOLEY, I forget when I go to this site how often the clearest, most foundational message in a song, cohesive and delivered with minimal artifice or ambiguity, doesn't even make it to the "discussion".
@TumblingRock Great breakdown, thanks, nailed it. And not to belittle what you wrote -- it's more incisive than I could have done -- but HOLY MOLEY, I forget when I go to this site how often the clearest, most foundational message in a song, cohesive and delivered with minimal artifice or ambiguity, doesn't even make it to the "discussion".