All Along The Watchtower
Bear McCreary Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

There must be some way out of here
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief

Businessmen they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line
Know what any of it is worth

No reason to get excited
The thief he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now
The hour's getting late

All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too.
Outside in the distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
The wind began to howl, yeah!





All along the watchtower

Overall Meaning

seems to convey a sense of despair and disillusionment in the world. The first stanza starts off with a feeling of being trapped and overwhelmed with the world as it is, with no clear way out. It seems that there is a lot of confusion and chaos happening, and the joker is looking for a way to escape it. He feels that there is no relief for him from this madness. The second stanza seems to be about the different roles people play, such as businesspeople and laborers, and how they are all just looking to get by without realizing the value of what they are doing. It shows a lack of understanding and meaning in life.


Line by Line Meaning

There must be some way out of here
The joker expresses his frustration with life and wants a way to escape the hardships he is facing.


Said the joker to the thief
These two characters are discussing the state of the world and their roles within it.


There's too much confusion
The world is a complicated and confusing place, and it's hard to know what to do or where to go.


I can't get no relief
The joker cannot find any sense of peace or comfort in his life, no matter what he tries to do.


Businessmen they drink my wine
People with power and money take advantage of those without those things, even stealing from them.


Plowmen dig my earth
Even those at the bottom of society are being taken advantage of, and are doing the hard, dirty work to support the people at the top.


None of them along the line
Throughout society, no one truly understands the value or worth of their work or their lives.


Know what any of it is worth
Everyone is working blindly, without understanding why they are doing what they're doing or what it all means.


No reason to get excited
Things aren't going well, and there's no need to get overly emotional or hopeful about any particular outcome.


The thief he kindly spoke
Despite the chaos and hardships of the world, there are still people who are kind and helpful towards others.


There are many here among us
Lots of people are feeling lost and helpless at this point in time.


Who feel that life is but a joke
Many people don't take life very seriously, seeing it as a meaningless and absurd series of events.


But you and I, we've been through that
The joker and the thief have experienced this sense of hopelessness before, and are looking for a way to get through it again.


And this is not our fate
Despite the difficulties they are facing, the joker and the thief believe that there is still hope for them to make better lives for themselves.


So let us not talk falsely now
They need to be honest with each other, and not deceive themselves into believing things are better than they really are.


The hour's getting late
There isn't much time left to make changes or find a way out of their current situation.


All along the watchtower
This phrase invokes the sense of standing guard, and keeping watch over something important or valuable.


Princes kept the view
People in positions of power are keeping an eye on the world, but not necessarily doing anything to make it better.


While all the women came and went
Women are moving through the world, but not necessarily being paid attention to or respected for their contributions.


Barefoot servants, too.
Even those at the bottom of society who are doing the most important work are being disregarded and taken advantage of.


Outside in the distance
Something is happening far away that is difficult to see or understand.


A wildcat did growl
There is a sense of danger lurking nearby, and it could strike at any moment.


Two riders were approaching
Something or someone important is coming, and it's unclear whether they will be helpful or harmful.


The wind began to howl, yeah!
The world is growing more chaotic and difficult to navigate, making it even harder to find a way out.




Contributed by Keira I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@anthonyn.9228

Hard to believe that this series came out almost 20 years ago now.

@fazmuz86

👀😮🤦🏾‍♂️

@Donnirononon

Also crazy how "realistic" lots of its aspects are compared to Sci Fi today. It is closer to Expanse than it is to Stargate.

@aridianknight3576

@@Donnironononeh kinda. They still have artificial gravity and jump drives

@Rezinstance

@ARIDIAN KNIGHT The Expanse had artificial gravity and wonky faster-than-light/artificial wormhole tech, it was just rare alien stuff and not central.

@drx1xym154

late 2003 was the pilot ... "mini series" or about the first four eps.

is ChatGP-0x the new Chrome Toaster?

15 More Replies...

@MykillMetalGaming

When they started quoting the song and I finally realized what they were humming, I got massive chills...epic.

@JogInTheFog

That was truly an epic moment! One of the best in a fantastic series.

@JogInTheFog

***** Yeah, I loved that too -- just when you thought they'd done everything with that storyline, there turned out to be even more to it. Fantastic.

@HaganeNoGijutsushi

Mykill Metal Gaming True dat. Tigh went like "There must be some kind of place out of here" and I echoed "...said the joker to the thief". At first I thought it was a coincidence, then it hit me and I was like, "I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE MOTHERFRAKKERS".

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