David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally… Read Full Bio ↴David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft had a significant impact on popular music.

Bowie developed an interest in music from an early age. He studied art, music and design before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1963. "Space Oddity", released in 1969, was his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart. After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of Bowie's single "Starman" and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie's style shifted towards a sound he characterised as "plastic soul", initially alienating many of his UK fans but garnering him his first major US crossover success with the number-one single "Fame" and the album Young Americans. In 1976, Bowie starred in the cult film The Man Who Fell to Earth and released Station to Station. In 1977, he again changed direction with the electronic-inflected album Low, the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be known as the "Berlin Trilogy". "Heroes" (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received lasting critical praise.

After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had three number-one hits: the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes", its album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and "Under Pressure" (a 1981 collaboration with Queen). He achieved massive commercial success in the 1980s starting with Let's Dance (1983). Between 1988 and 1992, he fronted the hard rock band Tin Machine before resuming his solo career in 1993. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. He also continued acting; his roles included Major Jack Celliers in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth (1986), Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among other film and television appearances and cameos. He stopped touring after 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade-long recording hiatus with The Next Day. He remained musically active until his death from liver cancer at his home in New York City. He died two days after both his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar (2016).

During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at over 100 million records worldwide, made him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In the UK, he was awarded ten platinum, eleven gold and eight silver album certifications, and released 11 number-one albums. In the US, he received five platinum and nine gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest artists in history. As of 2022, Bowie was the best-selling vinyl artist of the 21st century.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie

Studio albums
David Bowie (1967)
David Bowie/Space Oddity (1969)
The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
Hunky Dory (1971)
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
Aladdin Sane (1973)
Pin Ups (1973)
Diamond Dogs (1974)
Young Americans (1975)
Station to Station (1976)
Low (1977)
"Heroes" (1977)
Lodger (1979)
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980)
Let's Dance (1983)
Tonight (1984)
Never Let Me Down (1987)
Black Tie White Noise (1993)
The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)
Outside (1995)
Earthling (1997)
Hours (1999)
Heathen (2002)
Reality (2003)
The Next Day (2013)
Blackstar (2016)

Glass Spider
David Bowie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Up until one century ago there lived,
In the Zi Duang provence of eastern country
A glass-like spider.
Having devoured its prey it would drape the skeletons over its web,
In weeks creating a macabre

Shrine of remains
Its web was also unique in that it had many layers,

Like floors in a building

At the top of this palace-like place, assembled with almost apparent
Care, were tiny, shining objects, glass, beads, dew-drops.
One could almost call it an altar.
When the breeze blew through this construction,
It produced sounds of wailing, crying.
Tiny wails, tiny cries.

The baby spiders would get scared and search frantically
For their mother.
But the Glass Spider would have long gone, having known that the babies
Would survive someone on their own.
Oh-The Glass Spider had blue eyes almost like-a human's.
They shed tears at the wintered turn of the centuries.

Don't you hear this wasted cry, Life is over you
(Mummy come back 'cause the water's all gone)
But you've seen who's in heaven. Is there anyone in hell
(Mummy come back 'cause it's dark now)
Take care, take care.
(Mummy come back 'cause the water's all gone)
Somewhere she glows divine. Somewhere she wakes alone.
But you, you've promise in your lovin' eye. God it's dark now.

Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah
Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah

Gone, Gone the water's all gone
Mummy come back 'cause the water's all gone
Stay low on the ground, fire can drive you, savage and afraid
Spitting the dawn, come come come along before the animals awake
Run, run, we've been moving all night, rivers to the left.
If your mother don't love you then the riverbed might
Gone, gone, the water's all gone
Mummy come back 'cause the water's all gone

Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah
Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah

Gone gone the water's all gone
Mummy come back 'cause the water's all gone

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to David Bowie's song Glass Spider talk about a unique spider from the Zi Duang province of Eastern country in the 19th century. This spider was known for its glass-like appearance and its ability to build a multi-layered web. After devouring its prey, the spider would drape the remains over its web, creating a macabre shrine of skeletons. At the top of the web, the spider would assemble tiny, shining objects, almost like an altar. When the wind would blow through the web, it would create sounds of wailing and crying. The baby spiders would search frantically for their mother, but the Glass Spider would have already gone, knowing that the babies would survive on their own. The glass spider had blue eyes almost like humans, and shed tears at the turn of wintered centuries.

The chorus of the song talks about someone crying for help, as their life has ended, and they call out to their mother to return. There is mention of heaven and hell, and the promise of love in someone's eye. The song talks about running through the night, with fire and fear spitting at dawn, and the need to stay low on the ground before animals awake. The water has all gone, and there is a longing for the mother to return.

Overall, the song seems to be about death, loss, and the cycle of life. The glass spider and its ability to build a unique web serves as a metaphor for the complexities of life, while the chorus expresses the universal desire for comfort from a mother figure.

Line by Line Meaning

Up until one century ago there lived,
In the province of eastern country called Zi Duang, there was a glass-like spider who was known for creating a shrine of remains by draping the skeletons over its web after devouring its prey.

Its web was also unique in that it had many layers,
The spider created a web with multiple layers, similar to floors in a building.

At the top of this palace-like place, assembled with almost apparent Care, were tiny, shining objects, glass, beads, dew-drops.
The spider's web was unique in that it had many layers, and at the top was a collection of shining objects and beads, giving the appearance of an altar.

When the breeze blew through this construction, It produced sounds of wailing, crying.
When the wind blew through the spider's web, it produced a haunting sound resembling tiny wails and cries.

The baby spiders would get scared and search frantically For their mother.
The spider's babies would become frightened when they heard the haunting sounds from the web and search for their mother.

Oh-The Glass Spider had blue eyes almost like-a human's.
The Glass Spider had blue eyes that were similar to those of a human's.

They shed tears at the wintered turn of the centuries.
The Glass Spider would shed tears during the winter, signifying a turn of a new century.

Don't you hear this wasted cry, Life is over you
The lyrics express a sense of hopelessness and despair, asking if anyone hears the wasted cry of a life that is now over.

Mummy come back 'cause the water's all gone
The phrase 'Mummy come back' appears repeatedly throughout the song, signifying a search for comfort and safety, specifically for water which has gone dry.

But you've seen who's in heaven. Is there anyone in hell
The lyrics ask if anyone knows who is in heaven, and if there is anyone in hell.

Take care, take care.
The repetition of 'take care' is a reminder to be cautious in one's actions and dealings.

Somewhere she glows divine. Somewhere she wakes alone.
These lyrics suggest that someone, perhaps the titular Glass Spider or someone else, is both divine and deeply isolated.

But you, you've promise in your lovin' eye. God it's dark now.
Despite the darkness and hopelessness in the world, there is still love, suggested in the phrase 'you've promise in your lovin' eye,' but it is also clear that the world is in a difficult, dark place.

Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah
This repeated phrase is likely a reference to Rastafarianism and the divine.

Stay low on the ground, fire can drive you, savage and afraid Spitting the dawn, come come come along before the animals awake Run, run, we've been moving all night, rivers to the left. If your mother don't love you then the riverbed might Gone, gone, the water's all gone Mummy come back 'cause the water's all gone
These lyrics contain vivid imagery warning to stay low to avoid danger, and to continue moving before the animals wake up. The line 'If your mother don't love you then the riverbed might' suggests that nature can offer protection even when one's own mother cannot. The repeated phrase 'Mummy come back' ties back into the overarching theme of searching for safety and comfort, in this case, water.

Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah
The refrain is repeated again to bring the focus back onto the divine and spirituality.

Gone gone the water's all gone Mummy come back 'cause the water's all gone
The song ends with a final repetition of the phrase 'Mummy come back' as the search for safety and comfort continues amidst the looming sense of hopelessness.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVID BOWIE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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