The final song of Low, "Subterraneans" was meant to invoke the misery of those in East Berlin during the Cold War.
"Subterraneans" was ultimately the most heavily edited song on Low, with the reversed instrument sounds, saxophone, and multilayered synthesizers from Brian Eno which float underneath a moaned vocal that is worldless until about the final ninety seconds. The synthesiser melody is identical to a motif from Edward Elgar's "Nimrod", the 9th Enigma Variation.
The piece was rumoured to be originally intended for use in the soundtrack to the film The Man Who Fell to Earth, in which Bowie played the lead role. Though this rumour was false, the reversed track used as the bassline in this piece was actually the only remaining intact part of the film soundtrack that Bowie used on the Low album.
The lyrics are amongst Bowie's most inaccessible, and—superficially at least—seem to make no sense. Bowie reports that during the recording of Low he was "intolerably bored" with conventional narrative rock and roll lyrics. The lyrics of "Subterraneans" seem to resemble the "cut-up" technique popularized by William S. Burroughs, which Bowie had previously used and expressed admiration for.
Subterraneans
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Care-line
Care-line
Care-line
Care-line
Riding these shelly, shelly, shelly umm
David Bowie's song "Subterraneans" is the haunting closer to his 1977 album "Low." The lyrics seem to portray a wistful and melancholic transformation of the human spirit, drowning in their own despair as they wander aimlessly through a dystopian world. The first verse begins with an invitation for the listener to immerse themselves into this world, "Share bright failing star," followed by the recurring "Care-line" that repeats throughout the song. The word "shelly" is not easily traced to any meaning or interpretation, but it is repeated three times along with the word "umm," creating an incoherent series of sounds, perhaps representing a lost language. The recurring chorus merges with the sound of rumbling trains, ghostly music, and Bowie's voice fading away into echoes, creating a surreal atmosphere of loss and disorientation.
Line by Line Meaning
Share bright failing star
Let's share the light of our fading hopes and dreams in these dark times.
Care-line
We all need someone to care for us, to hold us and tell us that everything will be okay.
Riding these shelly, shelly, shelly umm
Navigating through this world on rocky, uncertain terrain, not knowing where our journey will lead us.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVID BOWIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fabrisart8843
The whole album, as the title suggests, is about Bowie's depression consequent from cocaine withdrawal. I see "Subterraneans" as the statement of the lowest of Low, the rock bottom. A point from where one hardly comes back, and, if at all, completely changed. Total despair throughout, with the sax crying for help. I imagine him wandering at night in a dark and cold 1977 East Berlin. The end sequence has a strongly hopeful hint, nonetheless. One of the most emotionally and imaginatively striking pieces of music i've ever heard.
@danyukhin
great comment, thank you
@deriklong8398
I close my eyes when listening to this and it puts me in a mediation trance like mood.....
Love this music piece of art 🎨.......and the sax out if nowhere.......
@keithmiller113
Partly on point , except coke withdrawal is more to do with lethargy and sleep , wandering at night is drug induced behavior.
@nibbletouch7566
@@keithmiller113 cocaine withdrawal, depression linked to it, cocaine induced paranoia, suffering with mental health related side effects can indeed lead one to wander the streets alone in a grip of contemplation, despair, regret and indecision.
@nibbletouch7566
Great comment.
@pythonbyte
bowie's most underrated piece and the highlight of Low.
@Gen_Warlock
agreed
@slashcomic
pythonbyte i though "some are" is underrated
@petermanzi9363
I agree, Philip Glass made it part of his Low Symphony. This will be the song they play at my funeral Mass.