Son of Sam
Elliot Smith Lyrics
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I told the boss off and made my move, got nowhere to go
Son of Sam, son of a shining path, the clouded mind (ah ha)
The couple killer each and every time (ah ha)
I'm not uncomfortable, feeling weird
Lonely, leered, options disappeared but I know what to do
Son of Sam, son of a doctor's touch, a nurse's love (ah ha)
King for a day
Son of Sam, son of a shining path, the clouded mind
The couple killer running out of time
Shiva opens her arms now
To make sure I don't get too far
I may talk in my sleep tonight 'cause I don't know what I am
I'm a little like you, more like Son of Sam
In Elliott Smith's song "Son of Sam," he captures the persona and psyche of the infamous serial killer, David Berkowitz, who terrorized New York City in the late 1970s. The song starts with a sense of foreboding, as if something terrible is about to happen, and Smith hints at the inner turmoil that the killer must have been experiencing before he committed his murders. The chorus, "Son of Sam, son of a shining path, the clouded mind," emphasizes the killer's confusion and delusions that may have fueled his heinous acts.
In the second verse, Smith carries on with the theme of the killer being controlled by a higher power. The reference to a doctor's touch and a nurse's love could allude to Berkowitz's troubled childhood or upbringing. The phrase "acting under orders from above" suggests that something or someone else-- perhaps even a supernatural force--was directing the killer's actions.
The most poignant and eerie part of the song comes towards the end. The killer admits to being a little like the listener, "more like Son of Sam." It's as if he is implicating everyone in his crimes, that there is a little bit of evil in all of us. This leaves the listener with a sense of unease and raises the question of whether anyone is truly immune to the darker side of human nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Something's happening, don't speak too soon
Something significant is happening, but it's too early to predict the outcome
I told the boss off and made my move, got nowhere to go
I challenged my superiors and took action, but now I'm left with no direction
Son of Sam, son of a shining path, the clouded mind (ah ha)
Referencing notorious serial killer David Berkowitz, suggesting a similar mental instability and violent path
The couple killer each and every time (ah ha)
The pattern of murder committed by the Son of Sam, targeting young couples
I'm not uncomfortable, feeling weird
I'm not exactly uncomfortable, but definitely feeling strange
Lonely, leered, options disappeared but I know what to do
Feeling isolated and scrutinized, with dwindling choices, but still determined to take action
Son of Sam, son of a doctor's touch, a nurse's love (ah ha)
Drawing on Berkowitz's past as an adopted child and potential psychological abuse, possibly from those in the medical profession
Acting under orders from above (ah ha)
Feeling compelled to carry out violent acts, potentially due to delusions and paranoia
King for a day
Feeling empowered, but acknowledging the fleeting nature of this feeling
The couple killer running out of time
The Son of Sam's murder spree is coming to an end
Shiva opens her arms now
Referencing the Hindu goddess of destruction and transformation, symbolizing a major shift or change
To make sure I don't get too far
Suggesting a warning or potential consequence if the character were to stray too far from their current path
I may talk in my sleep tonight 'cause I don't know what I am
Feeling lost and confused about one's identity, potentially to the point of subconscious rumination
I'm a little like you, more like Son of Sam
Drawing a comparison between the listener and the subject of the song, suggesting a shared sense of inner turmoil
Contributed by Lincoln S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@writersherlock
Something's happening
Don't speak too soon
I told the boss off, made my move
Got nowhere to go
Son of Sam
Son of the shining path, the clouded mind
The couple killer each and every time
I'm not uncomfortable feeling weird
Lonely leered, options disappeared
But I know what to do
Son of Sam, son of a doctor's touch, a nurse's love
Acting under orders from above
King for a day
Son of Sam
Son of the shining path, the clouded mind
The couple killer running out of time
Shiva opens her arms now
To make sure I don't get too far
I may talk in my sleep tonight
Cos I don't know what I am
I'm a little like you
More like Son of Sam
Songwriters: Beato, Rick / Smith, Brent
@regzzuse280
Im not sure if term Son of Sam existed before David Berkowitz. But this song had something to do with that case, even though Elliott said otherwise.
I might be wrong, but I see it like this.
The beginning of the song, you can see Elliot writing on a piece of paper, hes writing lyrics of the song, but they are not really in order, more like in a way that Berkowitz used to write his letters to police. And notice how it starts and what he wrote:
-Son of Sam 2X,
-Clouded mind
-Something's happening.
And the talking in the background sounds like hallucinations, what appareantly Berkowitz had throughout his life.
"I told the boss off and made my move
Got nowhere to go"
After Berkowitz got discharged form the army, he began his reign of terror.
"The couple killer each and every time"
Berkowitz always targeted couples.
"The clouded mind",
"I'm not uncomfortable, feeling weird
Lonely leered, options disappeared
But I know what to do" - Pretty much explains the nature of a killer, in this case a loner Berkowitz.
"Acting under orders from above" This is interesting and important part of the song. Berkowitz claimed that he could hear voice from demons whom ordered him what to do, kill.
I might be wrong, but this makes some sense.
@petercastillo2752
This is the most intense powerpoint presentation I've ever seen.
@humorgenerico
Lmaoooo
@giangarciamusic
This will forever be appreciated haha.
@tammyh4677
lol i was sad before i read this comment lmfao hahahaha
@a_little.less.than.a.human1090
You made my stomach hurt out of laughter XDDD
@nen7736
The ZOOMS and special effects hahaha
@travisminneapolis
That chord progression in the beginning is so amazing.
@Missjunebugfreak
I love it too. He knew how to use great interesting chord progressions. It's one of my favourite aspects of his music.
@jamiefugazi6974
His chord progressions are just on a different level and the way he worked with what he had available is insane early on. Genius songwriter and prolific as hell check out "Dancing on the highway''.
@jacobsims8307
Possibly the most underrated musician ever.