Strange Days
The Doors Lyrics
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Strange days have tracked us down
They're going to destroy
Our casual joys
We shall go on playing or find a new town
Yeah!
Strange eyes fill strange rooms
The hostess is grinning
Her guests sleep from sinning
Hear me talk of sin
And you know this is it
Yeah!
Strange days have found us
And through their strange hours
We linger alone
Bodies confused
Memories misused
As we run from the day
To a strange night of stone
The Doors' "Strange Days" is a haunting commentary on the tumultuous time of the late 1960s. The song opens with Jim Morrison's ominous warning of the strange days that have surrounded us, and how they will soon destroy our sense of normalcy and joy. As the song progresses, Morrison develops the idea of strange rooms and voices signaling the end of an era. The hostess and her guests are unable to escape the looming sense of decline, as they have participated in the sin that brought about these strange days. Morrison urges his listeners to understand that this is it, the end of an era, and to fully feel the weight of this moment.
Through the chorus, Morrison returns to the image of strange days that have found us. The hours are strange, and we are left alone to confront the confusion of our own bodies and the ways our memories have been misused. We run from the day, with its crushing reality, to the strange night of stone, where we are alone with our thoughts and fears. The song seems to suggest that there is no escape from the strange days that have come, and we must confront the decay and decline head-on.
Line by Line Meaning
Strange days have found us
We are currently living in a time that is unusual and difficult
Strange days have tracked us down
These hard times have found us and will not let us escape
They're going to destroy
These strange days will ruin everything we enjoy
Our casual joys
The simple pleasures in life that we take for granted are at risk
We shall go on playing or find a new town
We have to decide whether to keep going as we are or start over somewhere else
Yeah!
An exclamation of agreement or determination
Strange eyes fill strange rooms
Unfamiliar and eerie people are all around us
Voices will signal their tired end
We can hear the weariness in people's voices as they reach the end of their rope
The hostess is grinning
Even those in charge are finding something sinisterly amusing in these strange days
Her guests sleep from sinning
The people at the party have worn themselves out by indulging in sinful behavior
Hear me talk of sin
Listen to the truth about the immoral behavior happening around us
And you know this is it
You can't deny that this is the reality of our situation
Yeah!
An exclamation of agreement or determination
Strange days have found us
Again, emphasizing the unusual and difficult time we are living in
And through their strange hours
We are living through the strange hours of these difficult times
We linger alone
Despite being surrounded by people, we are emotionally isolated and on our own
Bodies confused
Our physical being is affected by the confusion and disarray around us
Memories misused
Our past experiences are being distorted and misunderstood because of the strange days we are in
As we run from the day
Trying to escape the difficult reality of our situation
To a strange night of stone
Our attempts to escape lead us to another strange and cold reality
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jim Morrison, John Paul Densmore, Raymond D Manzarek, Robert A Krieger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shivakumarpatil7855
Strange days have found us
Strange days have tracked us down
They're going to destroy
Our casual joys
We shall go on playing
Or find a new town
Yeah!
Strange eyes fill strange rooms
Voices will signal their tired end
The hostess is grinning
Her guests sleep from sinning
Hear me talk of sin
And you know this is it
Yeah!
Strange days have found us
And through their strange hours
We linger alone
Bodies confused
Memories misused
As we run from the day
To a strange night of stone
@Styxblaze
This is by far my favorite Doors song. It gives the feeling of being perpetually trapped in a dystopian rock 'n' roll cabaret.
@pulsarstargrave256
AGREED! A Danse Macabre.
@thebee3909
This is my favorite doors song as well.
@jamese4498
Impressive words of wisdom
@EstebanSanbora
Well said👽👽
@theheadphonea-hole4133
Biden's America
@markco61
The ultimate psychedelic song hands down. So haunting and other worldly, indeed.
@danielhamby9448
It is… right along with Tales of Brave Ulysses and Astronomy Domine
@Valientlink
@@danielhamby9448 Yeah I think quite a few songs of piper could contend as the "ultimate" psychedelic song. To me, that's Flaming, that song and psychedelics get along real well :p I think When the Music's Over is more psychedelic than Strange Days
@srujan00
I disagree. It's pretty simplistic, and not even the best of its era.
Sunshine of Your Love, Incense and Peppermints, White Rabbit, a handful of Jimi Hendrix songs, and even The Doors' own Light My Fire is a better psychedelic song.