Blue Öyster Cult have been described as heavy metal, light metal, psychedelic rock, occult rock, acid rock, and progressive rock. They have also been recognized for helping pioneer genres such as stoner metal and speed metal.
The band is influenced by artists such as Alice Cooper, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, MC5, The Blues Project, Jimi Hendrix, and Black Sabbath.
While Blue Öyster Cult has been noted for heavy rock, they would often add their own tongue-in-cheek style. Keeping with their image, the band would often include out-of-context fragments of Pearlman’s The Soft Doctrines of Imaginos into their lyrics, giving their songs cryptic meanings. Additionally, the band would keep a folder of Meltzer’s and Pearlman’s word associations to insert into their music.
Blue Öyster Cult's longest-lasting and most commercially successful lineup included Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (lead guitar, vocals), Eric Bloom (lead vocals, "stun guitar," keyboards, synthesizers), Allen Lanier (keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Joe Bouchard (bass, backing vocals), Albert Bouchard (drums, percussion, backing vocals). The band's current lineup includes Roeser and Bloom, as well as Danny Miranda (bass, backing vocals), Jules Radino (drums, percussion) and Richie Castellano (keyboard, rhythm guitar, backing vocals).
E.T.I.
Blue Öyster Cult Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Three men in black said, "Don't report this"
"Ascension," and that's all they said
Sickness now, the hour's dread
All praise
He's found the awful truth, Balthazar
He's found the saucer news
I'm in fairy rings and tower beds
"Don't report this," three men said
Books by the blameless and by the dead
King in yellow, queen in red
All praise
He's found the awful truth, Balthazar
He's found the saucer news
Dead leaves always give up motion
I no longer feel the motion
Where prophecy fails, the falling motion
"Don't report this, agents of fortune"
All praise
He's found the awful truth, Balthazar
He's found the saucer news
The lyrics of Blue Öyster Cult's song E.T.I. are highly cryptic and open to interpretation. They seem to speak to a UFO encounter or abduction. The opening lines mention a "daylight disc" - this could be a reference to a flying saucer. The three "men in black" who caution against reporting the incident could be government agents or those trying to silence those who have witnessed a UFO sighting. The phrase "ascension" suggests the possibility of beings from other worlds coming to Earth.
Later on, the lyrics mention a voice warning the singer not to report what he has seen. They also mention "fairy rings" and "tower beds" which could be a reference to ancient folklore and mythology. The "king in yellow, queen in red" may suggest some sort of regal power that is involved in the incident.
The final part of the song speaks to the aftermath of the experience, with the singer feeling "sickness" and no longer feeling any sense of motion. The "agents of fortune" mentioned could be those in power trying to control the narrative around the incident. The song seems to present a rather bleak outlook on what happens when humans encounter the unknown and the powerful forces that try to keep everything under wraps.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear the music, daylight disc
I can hear the sound of a UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) during day time.
Three men in black said, "Don't report this"
Three mysterious men dressed in black told him not to report what he saw.
"Ascension," and that's all they said
Sickness now, the hour's dread
The three men only spoke the word 'ascension' and he now feels sick and terrified.
He's found the awful truth, Balthazar
He's found the saucer news
Balthazar has discovered the shocking truth about the presence of alien spacecrafts.
I'm in fairy rings and tower beds
"Don't report this," three men said
Books by the blameless and by the dead
King in yellow, queen in red
He is in a magical place surrounded by fairy rings and towering beds. However, the three men asked him not to tell anyone. He also reads books that are both by innocent and dead authors and those with a king and queen in it.
Dead leaves always give up motion
I no longer feel the motion
Where prophecy fails, the falling motion
"Don't report this, agents of fortune"
The falling motion of dead leaves usually signifies the end of a cycle. But he no longer feels any motion. He suspects that there is something strange happening but the agents of fortune told him not to report it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DONALD ROESER, SAMUEL PEARLMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dannick82
Pst! Come here!
I hear the music, daylight disc
Three men in black said, "Don't report this"
"Ascension, " and that's all they said
Sickness now, the hour's dread
All praise
He's found the awful truth
Balthazar
He's found the saucer news
Wait, let's move
I'm in fairy rings and tower beds
"Don't report this, " three men said
Books by the blameless and by the dead
King in yellow, queen in red
All praise
He's found the awful truth
Balthazar
He's found the saucer news
Dead leaves always give up motion
I no longer feel the motion
Where prophecy fails, the fallin' motion
Don't report this, agents of fortune
All praise
He's found the awful truth
Balthazar
He's found the saucer news
@jonroth9656
I was 16 when this album came out. That had to be the highest time in my life. BOC provided the music, and my dealer provided the weed. Is it any wonder the past is so hard to let go of? The music, the girls, the movies, the sex, the weed, the wine - the perfect resistance against reality. Now I'm 57 and I still listen to BOC. Just about everything else is gone- except the memories.
@k.d.connlan125
I was right there. The weed was good. Cept no wine. Whiskey is a hellovathing.
@dean4559
Me too. My friend at that time sent into the record company requesting the lyrics. When he got them back...it was a trip. We had no idea. For me, this song and ' white punks on dope', went together.
@skiptowne5724
If you're still reminiscing about smoking weed in high school 40 or 50 years later, odds you never went very far in life.
@terrywalter1655
Jon, I am 63 and you nailed it hon🌹
@rebelwithoutaclue8164
You're not alone
@mikereiss4216
Far and away one of the most underrated rock songs I know of.
@elfman5176
As well as the most under rated band.
@waynes866
I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't think BOC was a great band. A very good band, yes, but not great. What they were, though, was eccentric. Delightfully eccentric. Not jut the lyrics, but the chord structure and the music itself. They flirted with greatness, I'd say.
@elfman5176
You are entitled to your opinion dude.