"The song isn't about David Bowie. I wrote it about the instrument, not the… Read Full Bio ↴"The song isn't about David Bowie. I wrote it about the instrument, not the player, at a time when I really loved the sound of the saxophone - I still do. No, I don't know him personally, though I went to his "Farewell to Ziggy Stardust" concert and cried, and so did he." (Kate Bush Club newsletter, November 1979)

The Saxophone Song
Kate Bush Lyrics

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You'll find me in a Berlin bar
In a corner brooding
You know that I go very quiet
When I'm listening to you

There's something special indeed
There's something special indeed
In all the places where I've seen you shine, boy

Something very real in how I feel, honey

It's in me
It's in me
And you know it's for real
Tuning in on your saxophone

Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo woo

The candle burning over your shoulder is throwing
Shadows from your saxophone, a surly lady in tremor
The stars that climb from her bowels
Those stars make towers on vowels

You'll never see that you had all of me
You'll never see the poetry you've stirred in me
Of all the stars I've seen that shine so brightly
I've never known or felt in myself so rightly

It's in me
It's in me
And you know it's for real
Tuning in on your saxophone

Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo woo

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Kate Bush's song The Saxophone Song depict a scene in a Berlin bar where the singer is brooding in a corner while listening to a saxophonist perform. The singer is captivated by the saxophonist's skills and feels a deep connection to the music. The candle burning over the saxophonist's shoulder throws shadows, creating a sense of mystery and sensuality in the setting. The singer sees stars climbing from the saxophonist's bowels, which create towers on vowels, adding to the sense of mystery and intrigue.

The singer feels deeply moved by the saxophonist's music and sees something very special in how he shines. There is a sense that the singer is in love with the saxophonist, but this love may never be realized. The singer sees the saxophonist as a muse, one who has stirred poetry within her, but he may never realize the depth of her feelings for him. The chorus expresses the singer's deep emotional connection to the saxophonist's music, and how it resonates within her.

Line by Line Meaning

You'll find me in a Berlin bar
I am in a bar in Berlin

In a corner brooding
I am sitting in a corner and deep in thought

You know that I go very quiet
I become very quiet

When I'm listening to you
When I listen to you

There's something special indeed
There is something truly unique

In all the places where I've seen you shine, boy
Everywhere I've seen you excel

Something very real in how I feel, honey
There's something authentic in my emotions towards you

It's in me
I feel it inside me

And you know it's for real
And you know that it's not fake

Tuning in on your saxophone
I am listening to you play the saxophone

The candle burning over your shoulder is throwing
The candle behind you illuminates