The Next Day
David Bowie Lyrics

Look into my eyes he tells her
He wants her to see the truth about their situation

I'm gonna say goodbye he says yea
He is leaving, even though it is painful for both of them

Do not cry she begs of him goodbye yea
She is trying to be strong for him, despite her own sadness

All that day she thinks of his love yea
She remembers the good times they shared and mourns their loss

They whip him through the streets and alleys there
He is being punished and humiliated in public

The gormless and the baying crowd right there
The onlookers are insensitive and cruel, enjoying the spectacle of his suffering

They can't get enough of that doomsday song
The crowd is obsessed with negativity and destruction

Listen
He wants the audience to pay attention to his message

Listen to the whores he tells her
He is criticizing society's treatment of women, especially those in the sex industry

He fashions paper sculptures of them
He is creating art inspired by the plight of these women

Then drags them to the river's bank in the cart
He is making a statement about disregard for human life

Their soggy paper bodies wash ashore in the dark
He is pointing out the tragic consequences of exploitation and abuse

And the priest stiff in hate now demanding fun begin
He is criticizing religious leaders who use their power for personal gratification

Of his women dressed as men for the pleasure of that priest
He is highlighting the hypocrisy and corruption of the church

Ignoring the pain of their particular diseases
He is commenting on society's indifference to those who are suffering

They chase him through the alleys chase him down the steps
He is being pursued and persecuted by those in power

They haul him through the mud and they chant for his death
The mob is creating a hostile and inhumane environment

And drag him to the feet of the purple-headed priest
He is brought before his accusers and oppressors

First they give you everything that you want
He is criticizing the false promises of those in power

Then they take back everything that you have
He is pointing out the way that oppression and abuse work

They live upon their feet and they die upon their knees
He is commenting on how the powerful maintain their dominance

They can work with satan while they dress like the saints
He is portraying the corrupt and insincere nature of those in authority

They know god exists for the devil told them so
He is making a statement about the manipulative and evil nature of those in power

They scream my name aloud down into the well below
He is depicting himself as a victim of immorality and oppression

Here I am
He is describing his current state of being

Not quite dying
He is in pain and suffering, but still alive

My body left to rot in a hollow tree
He is symbolizing the way his life has been ignored and devalued

Its branches throwing shadows
He is commenting on the darkness and mystery that surrounds him

On the gallows for me
He is making a reference to his own death or self-destruction

And the next day
He is highlighting the cyclical and ongoing nature of his pain

And another day
He is expressing the sense of despair and hopelessness that pervades his life