Gary Gilmore's Eyes
The Adverts Lyrics
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I'm pinned against the bed.
A stethoscope upon my heart,
A hand against my head.
They're peeling off the bandages.
I'm wincing in the light.
The nurse is looking anxious,
And she's quivering in fright
I'm looking through Gary Gilmore's eyes.
The doctors are avoiding me.
My vision is confused.
I listen to my earphones,
And I catch the evening news.
A murderer's been killed,
And he donates his sight to science.
I'm locked into a private ward.
I realise that I must be
Looking through Gary Gilmore's eyes.
Looking through Gary Gilmore's eyes.
I smash the light in anger.
Push my bed against the door.
I close my lids across my eyes,
And wish to see no more.
The eye receives the messages,
And sends them to the brain.
No guarantee the stimuli must be perceived the same
When looking through Gary Gilmore's eyes.
Gary don't need his eyes to see.
Gary and his eyes have parted company.
The Adverts’ classic song Gary Gilmore’s Eyes narrates the story of a man lying in a hospital, who received an eye transplant from the notorious murderer Gary Gilmore. The lyrics describe the singer’s confusion, frustration, and anger as he comes to terms with his new vision. He bristles at the implications of the operation, slamming his bed against the door and smashing the light in anger. He can’t help but feel that he is now seeing the world through the eyes of a murderer, and that this makes him complicit in Gilmore’s crimes. The song ends on a somber note, suggesting that the man and his donor have “parted company,” and that his identity has been fundamentally changed by the transplant.
The lyrics of Gary Gilmore’s Eyes are potent and haunting, capturing the anxieties and moral quandaries that surround organ transplantation. The song was a hit when it was first released in 1977, and has since been covered by numerous artists. The Adverts’ use of punk rock instrumentation and snarling vocals only add to the song’s sense of menace and tension. The ballad continues to be praised for its evocative portrayal of a man coming to terms with a difficult and turbid transplant, and for its raw and emotional honesty.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm lying in a hospital,
I am hospitalized,
I'm pinned against the bed.
I am lying down on the bed, unable to move.
A stethoscope upon my heart,
A medical device is placed on my chest to check my heartbeat.
A hand against my head.
Someone is placing their hand on my head for comfort or to check my temperature.
They're peeling off the bandages.
The medical staff is removing my bandages.
I'm wincing in the light.
I'm in pain because of the bright light.
The nurse is looking anxious,
The nurse appears to be worried or apprehensive.
And she's quivering in fright
The nurse is trembling with fear.
I'm looking through Gary Gilmore's eyes.
I am seeing things from the point of view of a dead murderer named Gary Gilmore.
The doctors are avoiding me.
The medical staff is keeping their distance from me.
My vision is confused.
My eyesight is blurry or distorted.
I listen to my earphones,
I am listening to music through headphones.
And I catch the evening news.
I am watching the news on TV.
A murderer's been killed,
Someone who committed a murder has been put to death.
And he donates his sight to science.
The murderer has given permission for his eyes to be used for research.
I'm locked into a private ward.
I am isolated in my own room away from others.
I realise that I must be
I come to realize.
Looking through Gary Gilmore's eyes.
I am still seeing things from the point of view of Gary Gilmore.
Looking through Gary Gilmore's eyes.
I continue to see things through Gary Gilmore's eyes.
I smash the light in anger.
I break the light in frustration or rage.
Push my bed against the door.
I move the bed to block the door.
I close my lids across my eyes,
I shut my eyes tightly.
And wish to see no more.
I hope to stop seeing things from Gary Gilmore's perspective.
The eye receives the messages,
The eye collects information from the environment.
And sends them to the brain.
The eye transmits information to the brain.
No guarantee the stimuli must be perceived the same
There is no certainty that what the eye sees will be interpreted the same way by everyone's brain.
When looking through Gary Gilmore's eyes.
This is especially true when seeing things from Gary Gilmore's perspective.
Gary don't need his eyes to see.
Gary doesn't need his physical eyes to be able to see.
Gary and his eyes have parted company.
Gary is dead and his body has been donated to science, so his eyes are no longer in his possession.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Timothy Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind