All The Young Dudes
David Bowie Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Billy rapped all night about his suicide
How he'd kick it in the head when he was twenty-five
Don't wanna stay alive when you're twenty-five

Wendy's stealing clothes from unlocked cars
Freddy's got spots from ripping off stars from his face
Funky little boat race
The television man is crazy
Saying we're juvenile delinquent wrecks
Man, I need a TV when I've got T. Rex
Hey brother, you guessed, I'm a dude

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

Now Jimmy looking sweet though he dresses like a queen
He can kick like a mule
It's a real mean team
We can love
We can love
And my brother's back at home
With his Beatles and his Stones
We never got if off on that revolution stuff
What a drag
Too many snags
Well I drunk a lot of wine
And I'm feeling fine
Gonna race some cat to bed
Is this concrete all around
Or is it in my head
Oh brother, you guessed, I'm a dude

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

All the young dudes
Carry the news




Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

Overall Meaning

David Bowie's song "All The Young Dudes" is a timeless anthem about youth culture and rebellion. The song was originally offered to Mott the Hoople, an English rock band at the time, to boost their career. The lyrics personify a generation of young adults, highlighting their struggles with existentialism and societal pressures.


The first verse opens with Billy contemplating his own suicide, intending to end his life at 25. The song exhibits a common trope of youth angst in the form of disillusionment with life. The theme of resistance against societal norms is further established as Wendy and Freddy steal clothes and rip stars off their face in defiance. The subsequent verses depict a group of misfit youths trying to navigate their way through a world they don't understand. The television man is crazy and calls them "juvenile delinquent wrecks," but Bowie mocks his opinion by stating that he doesn't need TV because he has T. Rex.


The chorus declares that all the young dudes carry the news, cementing their role as a counterculture force that acts as cultural ambassadors. The line "Boogaloo dudes" was an obscure reference that Bowie came up with while watching a documentary about a cult in New York.


The song concludes with Bowie highlighting Jimmy's cross-dressing identity as he kicks like a mule, and everyone's ability to love. However, Bowie admits that they never got it off with the "revolution stuff," which may mean that the members of the group were disillusioned with the idea of rebellion as a means of change.


Line by Line Meaning

Billy rapped all night about his suicide
Billy talked for hours about how he plans to kill himself


How he'd kick it in the head when he was twenty-five
He plans to end his life when he turns 25


Don't wanna stay alive when you're twenty-five
He doesn't see a future for himself beyond his 25th birthday


Wendy's stealing clothes from unlocked cars
Wendy is a thief, stealing from cars that are left unlocked


Freddy's got spots from ripping off stars from his face
Freddy has marks on his face from removing stars that he had glued on


Funky little boat race
A playful expression, emphasizing the unique and unusual things that make people interesting


The television man is crazy
The person on TV is behaving erratically or insanely


Saying we're juvenile delinquent wrecks
The TV man is accusing the youth of being troublemakers and failures


Man, I need a TV when I've got T. Rex
The artist is more interested in listening to T. Rex than watching TV


Hey brother, you guessed, I'm a dude
The artist is addressing someone and admitting that they are a 'dude', which can mean a cool or interesting person


All the young dudes
The youth or young people in general


Carry the news
Spread information or ideas to their peers


Boogaloo dudes
A term that originated in the African American community, often used to refer to young, energetic, and stylish people who are into dancing and music


Now Jimmy looking sweet though he dresses like a queen
Despite dressing in feminine clothing, Jimmy looks attractive


He can kick like a mule
Jimmy is tough or strong, despite his appearance


It's a real mean team
The group is tough and formidable


We can love
The group is capable of love and affection


And my brother's back at home
The singer's sibling is at home


With his Beatles and his Stones
The brother is into the popular bands The Beatles and The Rolling Stones


We never got if off on that revolution stuff
The group did not participate in or fully understand the cultural revolution of the time


What a drag
How boring or disappointing


Too many snags
Too many problems or obstacles


Well I drunk a lot of wine
The singer drank a lot of wine


And I'm feeling fine
The artist is feeling good after drinking the wine


Gonna race some cat to bed
The singer plans to hurry to bed, perhaps to sleep off their alcohol


Is this concrete all around
The singer is questioning if the things around them are real or if it's all in their head


Or is it in my head
The singer is questioning if what they're experiencing is real or imagined




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: David Bowie

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@izzy1633

The musicians of the 70s will live on in the marauders fans

@On_Dust

No one's actually here for Mott The Hoople right?

@spkanava

2004

@Julia-qo5dh

yupp

@memoryaccessviolation

@Angel Dust I am, dont you worry my friend

@blixkaters1157

@Angel Dust toch ook wel een beetje

5 More Replies...

@lfcforever1482

How can you dislike Bowie? Not only was he an amazing singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, but he was one of the coolest, yet nicest, people to exist!!

@mikewithers6891

yes he was

@Tom-ym7bm

It’s about love

@starwarsroo2448

No one dislikes him

More Comments

More Versions