Born on 9th March 1942 in Garnant, Wales, Cale spoke only Welsh until the age of seven, when he began to learn English at school. He went on to study viola at Goldsmiths College, University of London, where he became involved in avant garde music. He traveled to the U.S. to continue his studies, thanks to the help and influence of Aaron Copland, and met and worked with various avant-garde composers, including John Cage, while becoming fascinated with the new Anglo-American art movements.
In 1965, he co-founded the Velvet Underground with Lou Reed. Though best known for his work with the band, Cale has produced a massive body of work that ranges from tastefully arranged strings and piano over Dylan Thomas poetry to barely-suppressed, nigh-psychotic aggression set to high-energy avant-garde rock. Cale's style is almost impossible to pin down, as almost every album contains new experiments and influences. He is also well known as the producer of such works as the debuts of The Stooges, The Modern Lovers, and Patti Smith (the critically acclaimed 'Horses'). He also played a major role in Nico's 'The Marble Index'.
He's released some compilation works such as 'Seducing Down the Door: A Collection 1970-1990' that attempt to show the range and depth of his music. Cale was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as member of the Velvet Underground in 1996, and he was also appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2010. As the years have gone by, he's had a wide variety of tours, additionally dealing with his own personal demons.
Set Me Free
John Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She pulls a rabbit out of the hat
And sets it free, she sets it free
There's a pigeon in my chimney and it's powdering up the air,
Powdering up the air and making it hard to breathe
Gonna set it free, it's free or fried
Free again, and again
The lady wants you to dance to the sound of the castanets,
You're trying hard to forget
What she'd mean to you, if she should set you free.
When you walk in the rain up to your ankles in water
Fixated on the vision of the hangman's daughter
And what she'd mean to you, when she'd set you free
Free again, and again
Together again, and again
You hear a noise in the distance and you see the sun go down
The streets are full of junkies, there's a lot of them about
You feel them getting closer, they're breathing down your neck,
You're the only one left, you're the only one left
Who doesn't wanna be free, you don't wanna be free
You never asked to be free again.
The lyrics to John Cale's "Set Me Free" are mysterious and thought-provoking. At its core, the song is about the desire for freedom - whether it's freedom from a stifling relationship, the freedom to dance, or simply the freedom to live without fear. The carnival lady mentioned in the first verse is a symbol of liberation, and her ability to set a rabbit free from a hat represents the kind of salvation many of us seek in our everyday lives.
The pigeon in the chimney is a tangible reminder of the ways in which we can feel trapped, constricted by our surroundings and unable to breathe. The desire to set it free is a metaphor for breaking free from confinement, whether it's physical or emotional. The repetition of the phrase "free again, and again" reinforces this idea of escaping limitations and embracing the feeling of liberation.
The third verse is perhaps the most cryptic, with a reference to "the hangman's daughter". This could be interpreted in several ways - perhaps it's a reference to the idea of being trapped by one's own mortality, or the fear of punishment for past misdeeds. Regardless, the sense of longing for freedom is palpable throughout the song, and the repetition of the phrase "together again, and again" hints at a desire for connection and unity beyond individual freedom.
Overall, "Set Me Free" seems to be a deeply personal song, with lyrics that are open to interpretation but ultimately reflect a universal human desire for liberation and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a carnival lady in a ten gallon hat
There is a woman at a carnival wearing a large hat.
She pulls a rabbit out of the hat
The woman performs a magic trick and produces a rabbit from the hat.
And sets it free, she sets it free
The woman lets the rabbit go free.
There's a pigeon in my chimney and it's powdering up the air,
There is a bird in my chimney that is causing dust to fill the air.
Powdering up the air and making it hard to breathe
The dust is making it difficult to breathe.
Gonna set it free, it's free or fried
I am going to release the bird, otherwise it may become harmed.
Together again, and again
The act of being together is continuous.
Free again, and again
The state of being free reoccurs.
The lady wants you to dance to the sound of the castanets,
The woman at the carnival requests that you dance along with the music.
You're trying hard to forget
You are attempting to put something out of your mind.
What she'd mean to you, if she should set you free.
You are considering the implications of being freed by the woman.
When you walk in the rain up to your ankles in water
You are walking in the rain and your feet are getting wet.
Fixated on the vision of the hangman's daughter
You are focused on a mental image of a hangman's child.
And what she'd mean to you, when she'd set you free
You are considering the implications of being freed by the hangman's daughter.
You hear a noise in the distance and you see the sun go down
You notice a sound from afar and that the sun is setting.
The streets are full of junkies, there's a lot of them about
There are many drug addicts on the street.
You feel them getting closer, they're breathing down your neck,
You sense that the addicts are approaching and are in close proximity to you.
You're the only one left, you're the only one left
You are the last remaining person in this situation.
Who doesn't wanna be free, you don't wanna be free
Despite the circumstances, you do not desire to be free.
You never asked to be free again.
You are not seeking freedom again.
Contributed by Jack J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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@davidfried1148
I love John Cale .
Over so many years I have listened to his music
@biegebythesea6775
he looked really good in 96
@hazard3020
Star Light
Star Bright
x
@horizon5912
Beautiful song!
@NicoDraak74
Please never take this offline
@pierremoors895
Echt mooi ... bedankt!
@biegebythesea6775
HE IS MAHOGANY
@kylebookowsky9014
Oh, this is a great record. I remember when I bought it with the Fragments of a Rainy Season... Apart from the music, I really liked John Cale's hair from the photo shoot on the CD cover. Grabbing the cover, I rushed, being very inspired, to the hairdresser. "Can you make me the same hairstyle?" - I asked the woman hairdresser. "Your hair is not thick enough," the hairdresser chuckled contemptuously in response. Yeltsin's Russia was not the friendliest place in the world. And it’s clear, John Cale is not Mikhail Krug...
@polycentric6726
John ziet er vervreemd uit.