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)
Time Will Crawl
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would not challenge a giant
I could not take on the church
Time will crawl
'Til the 21st century lose
I know a government man
He was as blind as the moon
He took a top-gun pilot
He made him fly through a hole
'Til he grew real old
And he never came down
He just flew 'til he burst
Time will crawl 'til our mouths run dry
Time will crawl 'til our feet grow small
Time will crawl 'til our tails fall off
Time will crawl 'til the 21st century lose
I saw a black black stream
Full of white eyed fish
And a drowning man
With no eyes at all
I felt a warm warm breeze
That melted metal and steel
I got a bad migraine
That lasted three long years
And the pills that I took
Made my fingers disappear
Time will crawl, time will crawl
Time will crawl
'Til the 21st century lose
You were a talented child
You came to live in our town
We never bothered to scream
When your mask came off
We only smelt the gas
As we lay down to sleep
Time will crawl and our heads bowed down
Time will crawl and our eyes fall out
Time will crawl and the streets run red
Time will crawl 'til the 21st century lose
Time will crawl and our mouths run dry
Time will crawl and our feet grow small
Time will crawl and our tails fall off
Time will crawl 'til the 21st century lose
Time will crawl and our heads bowed down
Time will crawl and our eyes fall out
Time will crawl and the streets run red
Time will crawl 'til the 21st century lose
For the crazy child
We'll give every life
For the crackpot notion
taken from science fiction tales
For the labyrinthine and immediate fulfillment
We'll thrive on discontentment
Or search for scapegoats
Until the years have showed
David Bowie's song "Time Will Crawl" speaks about the passing of time and its effects on society, politics, and the human psyche. The song describes how time moves slowly until certain moments, such as when a century ends, when time seems to take a sudden leap forward. Bowie talks about various events that he has seen, such as a man who never came down after flying through a hole, a black stream full of white eyed fish and a warm breeze that melted steel. The lyrics also talk about how people will find ways to survive or distract themselves in the face of grim realities.
The first verse speaks about the power of time, where even a giant would have to face it eventually, and how it affects the institutions of the church and government. The second verse tells a story of a government man who took a top-gun pilot and made him fly until he grew old and never came down. The third verse is made up of various disconnected images, such as a bad migraine and disappearing fingers caused by pills. Bowie also speaks about a talented child who came to live in their town, but when their mask came off, the people only smelled the gas and lay down to sleep.
Line by Line Meaning
I've never sailed on a sea
I've never ventured into the unknown
I would not challenge a giant
I won't back down from a challenge, no matter how great or scary
I could not take on the church
I won't take on the religious institution's power and control
Time will crawl
Time feels slow and drawn-out
'Til the 21st century lose
Until the world as we know it ends or changes
I know a government man
I know a person in a position of power
He was as blind as the moon
He was blind to the reality of things
He saw the sun in the night
He believes things that aren't true
He took a top-gun pilot
He chose someone with great skill for a mission
He made him fly through a hole
He pushed the pilot to do the impossible
'Til he grew real old
Until the pilot became too old to perform
And he never came down
The pilot couldn't return to his former life
He just flew 'til he burst
He pushed himself so hard that he eventually broke down
I saw a black black stream
I witnessed something dark and ominous
Full of white eyed fish
This ominous thing is home to life that doesn't make sense
And a drowning man
Someone is struggling to survive
With no eyes at all
This individual is helpless and alone
I felt a warm warm breeze
I experienced something unnatural
That melted metal and steel
This thing that shouldn't exist can defy our understanding of nature and science
I got a bad migraine
I experienced great pain and discomfort
That lasted three long years
This pain persisted for an extended period of time
And the pills that I took
The medicine I took wasn't enough to relieve the pain
Made my fingers disappear
The medication's side effects were severe and unexpected
You were a talented child
You showed great promise and potential
You came to live in our town
You became a part of our community
We never bothered to scream
We didn't raise any alarms or objections
When your mask came off
When your true self was revealed
We only smelt the gas
We had been exposed to something toxic without realizing it
As we lay down to sleep
As we became vulnerable and unaware
For the crazy child
For those who are seen as different or abnormal
We'll give every life
We'll sacrifice everything
For the crackpot notion
For a seemingly ridiculous idea with no basis in reality
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVID BOWIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
qwipperty
Those lyrics are coming true.
You were a talented child
You came to live in our town
We never bothered to scream
When your mask went on
We only smelt the gas
As we lay down to sleep
Definitely true to what industry is doing to our cities and towns today. From Nestle stealing water out form under us, to industry creating places so toxic, no one can live in many places these days.
crono23
According to Wikipedia, Bowie was partially inspired to write this song after hearing of the Chernobyl disaster while in Switzerland shortly after the initial incident. Can't say I hear much of the resemblance outside the 2nd verse, but it's an interesting tidbit nonetheless.
"I felt a warm warm breeze
That melted metal and steel
I got a bad migraine
That lasted three long years
And the pills that I took
Made my fingers disappear"
Donny Posey
I was there in Tampa and I remember when Peter Frampton broke in and sang, "Baby, I'll never let you go
All I see is all I know
Let's take another way down (sons of sound and sons of sound)
Baby, baby, I'll never let you down
I can't stand another sound
Let's fin another way in (sons of sound and sons of sound)"
I was wondering if Bowie was going to hit those notes.
I don't think he could at the time. It was a fantastic concert!!!
Luke Bradford
OK, so even Bowie's less popular songs are really good. OK, nice to know. This and the album it's from don't deserve the hate. Really, really good.
Peregrine C
I really loved this one. I still do.
裕美子 明田
この曲は、予言だよ！
Danny Costello
It was one of DB's favourites. His choice of playlist was Nothing Has Changed in 2014 before he passed. And it was included.
extantia
Cool vid too!
Brett Michael Wolfe
Nah only overshadowed by it’s time period; nobody disliked, just wasn’t everybody’s favorite at the time, time goes on and your viewpoint expands
Beta Omega
This was always one of my favorite songs and video. I loved these clever lyrics and he was physically so demonstrative. Some of these moves in the choreography were breath taking. He really trusted his dancers. But, the BEST part of all is that incredibly sexy hair and smile.
Cornelius Washington
....the incomparable TONI BASIL....did the choreography....DANCE MAGAZINE did an article on this video and her work in it....of course they LOVED the video....BOWIE worked with her for years....
Rambomate
Unreal mate ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Eloy MN
There'll never be another one like him and I swear I get tears every time I remember he's gone. His music was something extraordinary. Even the most popy songs had this sensitivity no one else could imitate