Roller Coaster
The 13th Floor Elevators Lyrics
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His eyes were clear to see,
He put his thoughts into my mind,
And gave my self to be
He stopped me from living so unsane,
I could be just what I want to be
And things appear as they really are,
I can see just what I want to see
Oh come on, and let it happen to you,
I say, I say come on, and let it happen to you
You gotta open up your mind
And let everything come through
Come on yeah!
Well it starts like a Roller coaster ride,
So real it takes your breath away
It slides you through your point of view,
You look back to where you thought you'd stayed
Your ride changes outside view,
While it glides you like a neon ray,
And you find you don't have to search for words,
'Cause there's nothing you need to say
Well come on, you gotta let it happen to you,
Come on, and let it happen to you,
You gotta open up your mind
And let everything come through
After your trip life opens up,
You start doing what you want to do
And you find out that the world that you once feared,
Gets what it has from you
No one can ever hurt you
'Cause you know more than you thought you knew
And you're looking at the world
From brand new eyes,
And no one can ever spoil the view
Come on, and let it happen to you,
Hey, hey, hey come on, and let it happen to you,
You gotta open up your mind
And let everything come through
Open up your mind,
And let everything come through
The 13th Floor Elevators' "Roller Coaster" is a song that highlights the transformative power of psychedelic experiences. The lyrics suggest that, at some point in the past, the singer had a profound psychedelic experience, during which they were able to see clearly and think freely. This experience changed their life, freeing them from whatever constraints had previously held them back. The singer encourages the listener to follow in their footsteps, to "open up your mind and let everything come through." The song suggests that, through psychedelic experiences, one can achieve a new sense of freedom, creativity, and clarity.
The lyrics of "Roller Coaster" are full of vivid imagery, particularly in the extended metaphor of the roller coaster ride. The experience of psychedelic drugs is likened to a wild, exhilarating ride that takes the listener to new heights and perspectives. The song suggests that, through this ride, one can see the world in a new light, and be empowered to live life on their own terms.
Interestingly, "Roller Coaster" was one of the earliest rock songs to reference psychedelic drugs. The term "psychedelic" had only been coined a year earlier, in 1965, but by the time "Roller Coaster" was released in 1966, it was already becoming a cultural buzzword. The song helped establish the 13th Floor Elevators as one of the key early psychedelic bands, and its influence can be heard in countless later rock and roll songs.
Line by Line Meaning
Well once , somewhere, sometime ago
At some point in the past, at an unknown time and place
His eyes were clear to see,
He was transparent and honest in his actions
He put his thoughts into my mind,
He influenced my way of thinking
And gave my self to be
And allowed me to be myself
He stopped me from living so unsane,
He prevented me from living a crazy and chaotic life
I could be just what I want to be
I have the freedom to be whoever I want to be
And things appear as they really are,
I see things for what they truly are
I can see just what I want to see
I have the power to perceive things the way I want to
Oh come on, and let it happen to you,
Be open to experiencing the same thing I did
I say, I say come on, and let it happen to you
I urge you to be open to the experience
You gotta open up your mind
You need to be receptive to new ideas
And let everything come through
And allow yourself to experience all that life offers
Well it starts like a Roller coaster ride,
The experience begins like a thrilling roller coaster ride
So real it takes your breath away
The experience is so vivid, it leaves you in awe
It slides you through your point of view,
It changes your perspective in a subtle way
You look back to where you thought you'd stayed
You reflect on where you thought you were before the experience
Your ride changes outside view,
The way you perceive the world around you changes
While it glides you like a neon ray,
The experience takes you on a dazzling journey
And you find you don't have to search for words,
You don't need to explain what you've experienced to others
'Cause there's nothing you need to say
Because the experience speaks for itself
After your trip life opens up,
After the experience, life becomes full of opportunities
You start doing what you want to do
You start living the life you truly desire
And you find out that the world that you once feared,
You realize that the world that used to scare you
Gets what it has from you
Now feeds off of your newfound confidence and strength
No one can ever hurt you
You become immune to criticism or negativity from others
'Cause you know more than you thought you knew
Because you have the confidence and insight to overcome obstacles
And you're looking at the world
Your view of the world shifts
From brand new eyes,
To a fresh and unique perspective
And no one can ever spoil the view
And nobody can ruin that perspective for you
Hey, hey, hey come on, and let it happen to you,
An urging to be open to the experience
Open up your mind,
Be receptive to new ideas and experiences
And let everything come through
And allow yourself to fully experience all aspects of life
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ROGER KYN ERIKSON, JAMES HALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
slint69
Well once , somewhere, sometime ago
His eyes were clear to see,
He put his thoughts into my mind,
And gave my self to be
He stopped me from living so unsane,
I could be just what I want to be
And things appear as they really are,
I can see just what I want to see
Oh come on, and let it happen to you,
I say, I say come on, and let it happen to you
You gotta open up your mind
And let everything come through
Come on yeah!
Well it starts like a Roller coaster ride,
So real it takes your breath away
It slides you through your point of view,
You look back to where you thought you'd stayed
Your ride changes outside view,
While it glides you like a neon ray,
And you find you don't have to search for words,
'Cause there's nothing you need to say
Well come on, you gotta let it happen to you,
Come on, and let it happen to you,
You gotta open up your mind
And let everything come through
After your trip life opens up,
You start doing what you want to do
And you find out that the world that you once feared,
Gets what it has from you
No one can ever hurt you
'Cause you know more than you thought you knew
And you're looking at the world
From brand new eyes,
And no one can ever spoil the view
Come on, and let it happen to you,
Hey, hey, hey come on, and let it happen to you,
You gotta open up your mind
And let everything come through
Open up your mind,
And let everything come through
I.N.FRAP
ME SUBO A LA MONTAÑA RUSA
DE LOS ASCENSORES DEL PISO TRECE
LUCIFER SAM ME ACOMPAÑA
ME DESPOJO DE TODA EXCUSA
MIENTRAS LOS JARDINES FLORECEN
Y ASÍ CONTINUO CON ESTA HAZAÑA
ROKY ERICKSON Y SYD BARRET
POR MAS QUE YA NO LADREN
SUS OBRAS DE ARTE
AUN LATEN
EN MIS ENTRAÑAS
Jello Records
Well once , somewhere, sometime ago
His eyes were clear to see,
He put his thoughts into my mind,
And gave my self to be
He stopped me from living so unsane,
I could be just what I want to be
And things appear as they really are,
I can see just what I want to see
Oh come on, and let it happen to you,
I say, I say come on, and let it happen to you
You gotta open up your mind
And let everything come through
Come on yeah!
Well it starts like a Roller coaster ride,
So real it takes your breath away
It slides you through your point of view,
You look back to where you thought you'd stayed
Your ride changes outside view,
While it glides you like a neon ray,
And you find you don't have to search for words,
'Cause there's nothing you need to say
Well come on, you gotta let it happen to you,
Come on, and let it happen to you,
You gotta open up your mind
And let everything come through
After your trip life opens up,
You start doing what you want to do
And you find out that the world that you once feared,
Gets what it has from you
No one can ever hurt you
'Cause you know more than you thought you knew
And you're looking at the world
From brand new eyes,
And no one can ever spoil the view
Come on, and let it happen to you,
Hey, hey, hey come on, and let it happen to you,
You gotta open up your mind
And let everything come through
Open up your mind,
And let everything come through
Dan Amgine
As if this song wasn't already mind blowing enough with eyes closed, goes mega well with this video! Thumbs up!
Richard Ortiz
2021
G BR
How could this masterpiece go so overlooked? the rythm changings are awesome...
J. Scott Hardman
Wonderful piece! I heart contortionists, and this as the visuals with the 13th Floor Elevators is oddly kind of perfect! Thank you, and for the info on the dancers as well!
estaban 32
The words "Old Grey Whistle Test" spring to mind. Great memories, always in awe of the skill to marry the music and image together and this is a perfect example on how to do it. I absolutely love this content 👍🙌👏
Simon Folkard
Discovering these guys at 45 years old! Damn good stuff.
Arthur Fonseca
I have been a fan of the 13th Floor Elevators since the 80"s (I got turned on to them by a comment that a member of the 70's punk band Television made about their greatest influences.) Easter Everywhere is one of the great albums of all time, not just one of the great forgotten albums. If you want to listen to another great album try Marquee Moon by Television.
At first I thought the dance sequence by Janik and Arnaut was something modern done to Roller Coaster, but upon closer examination I found that it is actually from 1954.
Well a couple of great artist to do some more research on! Thanks so much for posting this!
Mitch Harrelson
The 13th Floor Elevators were criminally underestimated and overlooked!!!
Susan R Jecker
Mitch Harrelson not by me!
John Johnson
@Jack Woods they did indeed,where was the difference between the psychiatric abuse roky took and the treatment of soviet dissidents,both appalling.jpj