The Ballad of Charles Whitman
Kinky Friedman gelesen von Wiglaf Droste Lyrics
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Way up there on the Texas Tower
Shooting from the twenty-seventh floor, yahoo
He didn? t choke or slash or slit them
Not our Charles Joseph Whitman
He won? t be an architect no more
He picked up his guns and walked to school
All the while he smiled so sweetly
And it blew their minds completely
They? d never seen an Eagle Scout so cruel
Now won? t you think for the shame and degradation
For the school? s administration?
He put on such a bold and brassy show
The Chancellor cried, "It? s adolescent
And of course it? s most unpleasant
But I got to admit it was a lovely way to go"
There was a rumor about a tumor
Nestled at the base of his brain
He was sitting up there with his .36 Magnum
Laughing wildly as he bagged? em
Who are we to say the boy? s insane?
Now Charlie was awful disappointed
Else he thought he was anointed
To do a deed so lowdown and so mean
The students looked up from their classes
Had to stop and rub their glasses
Who? d believe he? d once been a Marine
Now Charlie made the honor roll with ease
Most all of his grades was A? s and B? s
A real rip snorting, trigger squeezer
Charlie proved a big crowd pleaser
Though he had been known to make a couple C? s
Some were dying, some were weeping
Some were studying, some were sleeping
Some were shouting,? Texas number one?
Some were running, some were falling
Some were screaming, some were bawling
Some thought the revolution had begun
The doctors tore his poor brain down
But not a snitch of illness could be found
Most folks couldn? t figure just-a why he did it
And them that could would not admit it
There? s still a lot of Eagle Scouts around
There was a rumor about a tumor
Nestled at the base of his brain
He was sitting up there with his .36 Magnum
Laughing wildly as he bagged? em
Who are we to say the boy? s in?
Who are we to say the boy? s in?
Who are we to say the boy? s insane?
The Ballad of Charles Whitman tells the story of the infamous University of Texas Tower shooting in 1966, when former Marine and student Charles Whitman climbed to the top of the tower and began shooting at people on the street below. The lyrics describe Whitman's calm demeanor and calculated actions, juxtaposed with the chaos and confusion of the situation. The song questions the motives and sanity of Whitman, with mentions of a rumored brain tumor and his past accomplishments as an Eagle Scout and honor student. The lyrics also critique the school administration's handling of the situation and the media's coverage of the tragedy.
Line by Line Meaning
He was sitting up there for more than an hour
Charles Whitman was perched up on the Texas Tower for over an hour.
Way up there on the Texas Tower
The tower Charles was on was extremely tall.
Shooting from the twenty-seventh floor, yahoo
He was shooting from the twenty-seventh floor while screaming "Yahoo!"
He didn't choke or slash or slit them
Charles didn't kill his victims by choking, slashing or slitting their throats.
Not our Charles Joseph Whitman
The perpetrator was Charles Joseph Whitman.
He won't be an architect no more
Charles had aspirations of becoming an architect, but after the shooting, he won't have the chance.
Got up that morning calm and cool
Charles woke up that morning feeling relaxed and collected.
He picked up his guns and walked to school
Charles collected his guns and started heading towards the university.
All the while he smiled so sweetly
As he was walking to the university, Charles kept a sweet smile on his face.
And it blew their minds completely
His demeanor took his victims by surprise.
They'd never seen an Eagle Scout so cruel
Charles was an Eagle Scout, so nobody expected him to be capable of such cruelty.
Now won't you think for the shame and degradation
The university administration should feel ashamed and guilty for not preventing the shooting.
For the school's administration?
The school should have done more to prevent the shooting from happening.
He put on such a bold and brassy show
Charles had a lot of confidence, and he wasn't afraid to show it.
The Chancellor cried, 'It's adolescent
The Chancellor thought Charles' actions were immature and childish.
And of course it's most unpleasant
The Chancellor acknowledges the severity and unpleasantness of the situation.
But I got to admit it was a lovely way to go'
Despite the unpleasantness of the situation, the Chancellor admitted that it was a bold way to go out.
There was a rumor about a tumor
There was speculation that Charles may have had a brain tumor.
Nestled at the base of his brain
If the rumor was true, the tumor was located at the base of his brain.
He was sitting up there with his .36 Magnum
Charles was holding a .36 Magnum while on the tower.
Laughing wildly as he bagged'em
Charles seemed to enjoy what he was doing while shooting his victims.
Who are we to say the boy's insane?
It's difficult to say if Charles was sane or not. Nobody knows what he was truly thinking when he committed the shooting.
Now Charlie was awful disappointed
Charles was filled with disappointment.
Else he thought he was anointed
Charles believed that he had been given the task of carrying out the shooting.
To do a deed so lowdown and so mean
Charles felt that he had to commit the shooting for some reason.
The students looked up from their classes
The students were interrupted from their studies as a result of the shooting.
Had to stop and rub their glasses
The students were so shocked that they had to rub their eyes to make sure they were seeing things correctly.
Who'd believe he'd once been a Marine
People were surprised that Charles used to be a Marine, given what he had done.
Now Charlie made the honor roll with ease
Charles was an intelligent student who had no problem making the honor roll.
Most all of his grades was A's and B's
Charles consistently received high marks in his classes.
A real rip snorting, trigger squeezer
Charles was an excellent marksman with a real talent for firing a gun.
Charlie proved a big crowd pleaser
Charles' shooting attracted a lot of attention from people nearby.
Though he had been known to make a couple C's
Despite his high marks in school, Charles still got a few C's.
Some were dying, some were weeping
People were dying and others were crying as a result of the shooting.
Some were studying, some were sleeping
The event disrupted the day-to-day activities of the victims.
Some were shouting, 'Texas number one'
Despite the chaos, some people were still trying to stick to their Texan pride.
Some were running, some were falling
People were trying to escape but some fell from being shot.
Some were screaming, some were bawling
Those who were hurt or traumatized had a variety of reactions.
Some thought the revolution had begun
Some people may have thought the shooting signaled the start of a revolution.
The doctors tore his poor brain down
Doctors performed an autopsy on Charles' brain.
But not a snitch of illness could be found
Despite the rumors, doctors could not find any evidence of a brain tumor.
Most folks couldn't figure just-a why he did it
People were struggling to understand why Charles committed the shooting.
And them that could would not admit it
Those who had an idea of why Charles did what he did wouldn't say anything because it was uncomfortable.
There's still a lot of Eagle Scouts around
Even though Charles was an Eagle Scout, there are still many others who uphold the values that the organization promotes.
Contributed by Bentley L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.