All The Madmen
David Bowie Lyrics

Day after day They send my friends away To mansions cold and grey To the far side of town Where the thin men stalk the streets While the sane stay underground
Every day, authorities take away the singer's friends and send them away to mental institutions, cold and grey places located in the far side of the city, where mentally ill people walk the streets, while the normal ones stay hidden from view.

Day after day They tell me I can go They tell me I can blow To the far side of town Where it's pointless to be high 'Cause it's such a long way down
Every day, the authorities tell the singer he can leave and go to the part of town where being high is not worth it, as the journey is too long and the destination too low.

So I tell them that I can fly, I will scream, I will break my arm I will do me harm Here I stand, foot in hand, talking to my wall I'm not quite right at all, am I?
The singer responds by saying that he would rather hurt himself than go where they're telling him to go. He feels unstable and not completely sane, while standing alone and talking to his wall.

Don't set me free, I'm as heavy as can be Just my librium and me And my E.S.T. makes three
The singer asks not to be set free because he feels very heavy and weighed down. He only has his medication and treatment to rely on.

'Cause I'd rather stay here With all the madmen Than perish with the sad men roaming free And I'd rather play here With all the madmen For I'm quite content they're all as sane As me
The singer would rather stay with the other mentally ill people, as he feels more comfortable with them than with those who are considered sane. He would rather stay with them, even if it means he won't survive, as they are all as sane as he is.

(Where can the horizon lie When a nation hides Its organic minds In a cellar, dark and grim They must be very dim)
The singer questions where the future is when a society hides people with mental illness in bleak and shady places. He implies that those who allow this must not be very intelligent.

Day after day They take some brain away Then turn my face around To the far side of town And tell me that it's real Then ask me how I feel
The authorities continue to take away pieces of the singer's mind and then send him to the same part of town. They then try to convince him that it is real and ask how he feels about it.

Here I stand, foot in hand, talking to my wall I'm not quite right at all
The singer, standing alone and holding his foot, admits he is not completely sane.

Don't set me free, I'm as helpless as can be My libido's split on me Gimme some good 'ole lobotomy
The singer asks not to be set free because he feels helpless and lost. He also says his libido is not functioning properly and he would rather have a lobotomy than continue living like this.

Zane, zane, zane Ouvre le chien Zane, zane, zane (ah ah ah) Ouvre le chien
This final stanza resembling a chant or mantra, is open to interpretation. 'Zane' and 'le chien' can be seen as a reference to insanity or liberty. It could also be a case of phonetic wordplay with no actual meaning behind it.