The Bewlay Brothers
Replicants Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

And so the story goes
They wore the clothes
They said the things
To make it seem improbable
The whale of a lie
Like they hope it was
And the Goodmen of Tomorrow
Had their feet in the wallow
And their heads of shorn
And how they bought their positions
With saccharin and trust
And the world was asleep
To our latent fuss
The Bewlay Brothers
In our Wings that Bark
Flashing teeth of Brass
Standing tall in the dark
Oh
And we were gone
Hanging out with your Dwarf Men
We were so turned on
By your lack of conclusions
I was Stone and he was Wax
So he could scream
And still relax
Unbelievable
And we frightened the small children away
And our talk was old
And dust would flow
through our veins and Low it was midnight
Back at the kitchen door
Like the grim face on the Cathedral floor
And the solid book we wrote
Cannot be found today
The Bewlay Brothers
With our backs on the arch
In the Devil-may-be-here
But He can't sing about that
Oh
And we were Gone
Real Cool Traders
We were so Turned On
You thought we were Fakers
Now the dress is hung
The ticket pawned
The Factor Max
That proved the fact
Is melted down
And woven on the edges of my pillow
And my Brother lays upon the Rocks
He could be dead
He could be not
He could be You
He's Chameleon, Comedian, Corinthian and
Caricature
Shooting-up Pie-in-the-Sky
The Bewlay Brothers
In the Blessed and the Cold
In the Crutch-hungry Dark
Was where we flayed our Mark
Oh
And we were Gone
Kings of Oblivion
We were so Turned On
In the Mind-Warp Pavilion
Lay me place and bake me Pie
I'm starving for me Gravy
Leave my shoes and door unlocked
I might just slip away
Hey
Just for the Day
Hey
Please come Away
Hey
Just for the Day




Hey
Please come Away

Overall Meaning

The Bewlay Brothers is a song by David Bowie under his persona as the band Replicants. It is a cryptic song, and Bowie himself rejected explanations of the lyrics, saying it was open to interpretation. Nevertheless, the song is said to be about two brothers who are outsiders, wild and eccentric, and perhaps insane. The lyrics often reference strange events, like "hanging out with your Dwarf Men" and "shooting-up Pie-in-the-Sky," which make the song intriguing and enigmatic. The song has a haunting, eerie feel to it and is one of the more atmospheric songs in Bowie's discography.


The first verse of the song establishes the theme of deceit and fabrication as a means of becoming successful. The Goodmen of Tomorrow bought their positions through saccharin and trust, while the world was asleep to their latent fuss. The Bewlay Brothers, the outsiders, who wore the clothes, said the things to make it seem improbable. The second verse talks about the strangeness of the brothers and how they frightened small children away. Their talk was old, and dust would flow through their veins as if they were ancient relics. The solid book they wrote cannot be found today, indicating that their legacy is lost. The third verse talks about the demise of the brothers. The dress is hung, the ticket pawned, the factor max is melted down and woven on the edges of the singer's pillow. The singer's brother, who is a chameleon, comedian, Corinthian, and caricature, lies on the rocks and could be dead or alive.


Line by Line Meaning

And so the story goes
This is the beginning of a tale that will be told.


They wore the clothes
They dressed the part and presented themselves in a certain manner.


They said the things
They spoke specific words to convey a specific message.


To make it seem improbable
The words they said were unlikely to be true, but it was their intention to make it seem believable.


The whale of a lie
The lie was so big and bold that it could not be ignored.


Like they hope it was
They wished that the lie could be considered reality.


And the Goodmen of Tomorrow
The people who held power and influence in the future society.


Had their feet in the wallow
They were complacent or comfortable in their position of authority and weren't making an effort to move forward.


And their heads of shorn
They gave up on their aspirations or cut off their own potential.


And how they bought their positions
They used underhanded methods to gain their authority.


With saccharin and trust
They used flattery and blind faith to deceive those around them.


And the world was asleep
The general population was ignorant of the situation and did not realize the extent of the deception happening around them.


To our latent fuss
They did not pay attention or care about our underlying protests.


The Bewlay Brothers
The group responsible for the rebellion against the status quo.


In our Wings that Bark
We are feeling protective or territorial of our means of transportation or escape.


Flashing teeth of Brass
We were armed and ready to fight against our oppressors if necessary.


Standing tall in the dark
Even in the shadows and unknown, we were confident and strong-willed.


Oh
This exclamation represents a moment of realization or understanding.


And we were gone
We made a hasty escape before the authorities arrived.


Hanging out with your Dwarf Men
Interacting with people whom you consider less significant or inferior.


We were so turned on
We were excited and passionate about our rebellion against the status quo.


By your lack of conclusions
We were intrigued by the mysteries and uncertainties that surrounded our mission.


I was Stone and he was Wax
I was unfeeling and stubborn, while he was more flexible and easily influenced.


So he could scream
He was able to express his emotions more easily than I could.


And still relax
Despite his passionate nature, he was still able to remain calm and composed.


Unbelievable
This statement represents disbelief at the situation at hand.


And we frightened the small children away
Our actions had consequences for those who were not responsible for the situation.


And our talk was old
Our conversations were repetitive or rehashed old ideas.


And dust would flow through our veins
We felt stagnant and motionless, as if we were slowly disintegrating or wasting away.


And Low it was midnight
This line signifies the occurrence of an important event or realization, taking place late at night.


Back at the kitchen door
Returning to the place where one understands the most, a familiar location.


Like the grim face on the Cathedral floor
The appearance of the flooring in the building suggests impending doom or a foreboding presence, indicating that something dark is going to happen.


And the solid book we wrote
The book we wrote was sturdy and had many layers of meaning embedded in it.


Cannot be found today
It’s not possible to find the exact words written and planned out as they went missing.


The Bewlay Brothers
The group who remained steadfast in their resolve for change.


With our backs on the arch
Our vulnerability and exposure in the situation.


In the Devil-may-be-here
The uncertainty of the future and the fear associated with that uncertainty.


But He can't sing about that
The current power structure cannot write or talk about the change that is needed.


Oh
This exclamation once again represents a moment of realization or understanding.


And we were Gone
We vanished or disappeared into the night, continuing our rebellion against the status quo.


Real Cool Traders
Those who traded in a way that disregarded established rules, systems, and conventions.


We were so Turned On
We were energized, enthusiastic, and passionate about our mission of change.


You thought we were Fakers
People who held authority or power did not believe in our mission, dismissing us as frauds or fakes.


Now the dress is hung
An event has passed and its impact is felt through tangible objects left behind.


The ticket pawned
The price or value of what we did is not realized or appreciated, resulting in us putting it aside for value.


The Factor Max
The factor that held the most significance or importance at the time.


That proved the fact
One salient point or factor that confirms what we had said or proved.


Is melted down
The impact or meaning of this significant factor is lost or diminished over time.


And woven on the edges of my pillow
Memories, ideas and images created and are remindful and comforting.


And my Brother lays upon the Rocks
Family or the inner core that supports and uplifts is in a dire or dangerous situation.


He could be dead
The situation of family or people close to you is uncertain and you do not know whether they have survived or not.


He could be not
The situation can have either outcome, and it’s hard to tell right now.


He could be You
The idea that your loved one is in such a difficult and dangerous place, that it can indeed be you in their position.


He's Chameleon, Comedian, Corinthian and Caricature
The very nature of an individual or loved one is hard to understand or pin down to one thing.


Shooting-up Pie-in-the-Sky
Heightened anticipation, hopes or dreams of what is to come.


The Bewlay Brothers
The group that serves as a metaphor for the struggle against oppressive forces.


In the Blessed and the Cold
The manifestation of hope in forbidding or unfavorable conditions.


In the crutch-hungry dark was where we flayed our mark
In adverse conditions, we made our mark in the world through sheer force of will, determination, and desire.


Oh
A moment of realization or understanding.


And we were Gone
When the moment ended, we vanished. We moved on to the next battle or fight for our freedom.


Kings of Oblivion
Those in power in a world where the normal lives are hidden and where the truth does not always come to light.


We were so Turned On
We were motivated and charged up, fully committed to our work and able to energize those around us.


In the Mind-Warp Pavilion
In a state of mental distortion or disorientation caused by the situation or a reaction to it.


Lay me place and bake me Pie
A plea to be given room to work and express oneself.


I'm starving for me Gravy
To crave recognition and reward for one's work or sacrifice.


Leave my shoes and door unlocked
A request for trust in oneself and one's mission, requesting freedom and no manipulation.


I might just slip away
The uncertainty of the outcome of the situation, where leaving might be the best option.


Hey
A colloquial call that suggests a casual, friendly interaction.


Just for the Day
An invitation to take a break or step back from the situation wholeheartedly for the day.


Please come Away
An invitation to move to a different location or to take a mental break from the situation.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: David Bowie

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Jackie Anderson

I am shocked to be more moved by a cover band than by Bowie...this cover is by far more theatrical than the original. this is epic to me and the original is sad...but that is art.

Lars Hall

in case you don't know, this whole album is great.

Maddocious

I have a hard time deciding which version I like better! The original had a great folksy kinda feel about it, and David Bowie's voice is amazing and always a plus, but I love how dark and creepy this version is. I really like how they slowed it down a bit, and then emphasized certain parts of the song that I think are genius.

kooks Miles

a fabulous version!

PDO

This is one of the most criminally underrated cover albums of all time, and my absolute favorite cover of all time. Need this in higher fidelity though for sure. It really shines on a hi-fi system

The Ghost of Mr Anderson

This is close to what I would have imagined Bowie would have done if he made a reworked version for the album Outside.

Cristopher Earnest

Wow.......blown away! Bravo!!!

sainthubbins1982

The fact that i cannot stream this cd (which i purchased twice back in the day) drives me crazy, "Are Friends Electric?" is another mindblower along with their version of "Just what i needed".

71shartman

Awesome CD!

DJ Erickson

I miss having this in my library

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