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)

Law
David Bowie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I don't want knowledge
I want certainty
I don't want knowledge
I want certainty
I don't want knowledge
I want certainty

In the street a man shouts out loud

A wallet drops and money flies
Into the midday sun
With the sound, with the sound
With the sound of the ground
With the sound, with the sound
With the sound of the ground
With the sound, with the sound
With the sound of the ground

Oh I get a little bit
Afraid sometimes
Earthlings on fire
Earthlings on fire

With the sound, with the sound
With the sound of the ground
With the sound, with the sound
With the sound of the ground
With the sound, with the sound
With the sound of the ground

Sure I get a little bit
Afraid sometimes

Earthlings on fire
Earthlings on fire
Earthlings on fire
Earthlings on fire

I don't want knowledge
I want certainty
I don't want knowledge
I want certainty

In a house a man drops dead
As he hits the floor he sighs
What a morning

With the sound, with the sound
With the sound of the ground
With the sound, with the sound
With the sound of the ground
With the sound, with the sound
With the sound of the ground

With the sound, with the sound
With the sound of the ground
With the sound, with the sound
With the sound of the ground
With the sound, with the sound
With the sound of the ground

Sometimes earthlings on fire
I don't want knowledge
I want certainty
Oh I get a little bit
Afraid sometimes
I don't want knowledge
I want certainty
I don't want knowledge
I want certainty

Oh I get a little bit
Afraid sometimes

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of David Bowie's "Law" explore the theme of uncertainty and fear among humans. The repetition of "I don't want knowledge, I want certainty" emphasizes the desire for assurance in a world that can seem unpredictable and overwhelming. The use of the wallet dropping and money flying into the midday sun as an example of chaos in the street further emphasizes the chaos and unpredictability of life. The repeated lines "with the sound of the ground" that punctuate the verses give a sense of urgency and instability to the song.

The repetition of "earthlings on fire" towards the end of the song speaks to a kind of catastrophic event, a destruction that is happening to humans collectively as a species. The sudden mention of a man dropping dead in a house also speaks to the unpredictability of human life and the inevitability of mortality. The repetition of "sometimes earthlings on fire" gives a sense that this destruction is not always happening, but at other times things are more stable. Overall, the lyrics of "Law" convey a sense of uncertainty and fear but also suggest that amidst chaos, there are moments of stability and even beauty.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't want knowledge
The singer is disinterested in acquiring information.

I want certainty
The singer desires absolute assurance and confidence.

In the street a man shouts out loud
A person is shouting loudly in a public thoroughfare.

A wallet drops and money flies
A wallet falls and its contents scatter.

Into the midday sun
The objects are thrown into the bright, blazing light of the sun.

Oh I get a little bit Afraid sometimes
The singer experiences fear on occasion.

Earthlings on fire
The inhabitants of Earth are burning.

With the sound of the ground
The sounds are produced by the Earth beneath the objects and the people.

In a house a man drops dead
A male individual ceases to live within a building.

As he hits the floor he sighs
The person exhales as they make contact with the ground.

What a morning
The morning is noteworthy for some reason.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID BOWIE, REEVES C. GABRELS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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