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The End
The Doors Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

This is the end, beautiful friend
This is the end, my only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes, again

Can you picture what will be, so limitless and free
Desperately in need, of some, stranger's hand
In a desperate land

Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah
There's danger on the edge of town
Ride the king's highway, baby
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway west, baby
Ride the snake, ride the snake
To the lake, the ancient lake, baby
The snake, he's long, seven miles

Ride the snake, he's old, and his skin is cold
The west is the best, the west is the best
Get here, and we'll do the rest
The blue bus is callin' us, the blue bus is callin' us
Driver, where you takin' us?

The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on
He took a face from the ancient gallery
And he walked on down the hall

He went into the room where his sister lived, and, then he
Paid a visit to his brother, and then he
He walked on down the hall, and
And he came to a door, and he looked inside
Father, yes son, I want to kill you
Mother, I want to fuck you

Come on, baby
Come on, baby, take a chance with us
Come on, baby, take a chance with us
Come on, baby, take a chance with us

And meet me at the back of the blue bus
Doin' a blue rock, on a blue bus
Doin' a blue rock, come on, yeah

Fuck, fuck, ah, yeah
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, yeah
Come on, baby, come on
Fuck me, baby, fuck, yeah
Fuck, fuck, fuck, yeah
Fuck, yeah, come on, baby
Fuck me, baby, fuck, fuck
Yeah, fuck me, do, yeah
Come on, yeah, yeah, alright

Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill

This is the end, beautiful friend
This is the end, my only friend, the end
It hurts to set you free
But you'll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die
This is the end

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Doors’ “The End” are full of deeply emotional language and vivid imagery. The song speaks of the end of something significant – perhaps a relationship, a life, a dream, or even the world itself. The first stanza sets the tone with the repeated phrase “this is the end.” The end in question is of “our elaborate plans” and “everything that stands,” leaving nothing behind. There is “no safety or surprise,” only the crushing finality of an ending. The singer mourns the loss of the person he is singing to, saying, “I’ll never look into your eyes again.” The sense of finality and loss lingers throughout the song.


The second stanza paints a picture of desperation and chaos. The singer imagines a world that is “limitless and free,” yet “desperately in need” of help from “some stranger’s hand” in a “desperate land.” The phrase “lost in a Roman wilderness of pain” suggests a kind of ancient, mythic suffering that is almost too much to bear. The image of “all the children” being “insane” in this world adds to the sense of confusion and strife. There is “danger on the edge of town,” but the singer encourages his friend to take a risk and “ride the king’s highway” and “ride the snake” to a mysterious “ancient lake.”


The final stanza takes a turn towards the macabre. A killer is awake, putting on his boots and wandering through a gallery of ancient faces. He visits his sister and brother, then comes to a door and looks inside. The language becomes graphic and shocking as he tells his father, “I want to kill you” and his mother, “I want to fuck you.” The song ends with a repetition of the phrase “This is the end,” but now with a slightly different twist. It “hurts to set you free,” as the singer must relinquish a loved one, but “you’ll never follow me” into the strange, chaotic world he has described. The final lines mourn the end of something that was once full of laughter and love, even if they attempted to “die” together in those nights.


Line by Line Meaning

This is the end, beautiful friend
The end of something beautiful and significant


This is the end, my only friend, the end
The only friend due to the imminent end of something which they hold dear


Of our elaborate plans, the end
The end of well-planned actions which may have taken a long time to put in motion


Of everything that stands, the end
The end of everything that existed until this point


No safety or surprise, the end
The end will be without safety or solace, no surprises to lighten it


I'll never look into your eyes, again
There will be no more moments or opportunities to connect at the same level as before


Can you picture what will be, so limitless and free
There is a finality to what is to come, but room to imagine beyond


Desperately in need, of some, stranger's hand
The desire for a savior, despite it being unknown


In a desperate land
The environment one finds themselves in when they feel helpless and powerless


Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain
Being trapped in immense, foreign and treacherous pain as if threatened with mortality like the Sicarii, a Jewish sect who committed suicide on Masada in 73ce.


And all the children are insane
A reference to the youth of the time being crazy, rebellious and unmanageable, often causing trouble.


Waiting for the summer rain, yeah
Awaiting the season that will bring relief or meaningful change


There's danger on the edge of town
A reference to the dangers and illicit activities at the outskirts of the city


Ride the king's highway, baby
Using the highways (roads) to escape, make progress or otherwise pass through


Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Strange events or people involved in making the rich more rich


Ride the highway west, baby
Head west to find freedom, enlightenment, or make it big in the entertainment industry


Ride the snake, ride the snake
Arguably a reference to a car with snakelike exhaust pipes, but can also be interpreted as someone trying to ride the Thin White Duke, a slang term for a heroin needle.


To the lake, the ancient lake, baby
Head towards the oldest body of water in order to gain knowledge, insight or other experiences


The snake, he's long, seven miles
A warning that things ahead are long and hard


Ride the snake, he's old, and his skin is cold
Time has passed, but the situation has not improved, the driver is old and experienced but the situation is unchanging and dead


The west is the best, the west is the best
The West represents the idea that one can break free and become something more, become their best selves, which was not possible back east


Get here, and we'll do the rest
Get to a position of power or fame and the rest will fall into place


The blue bus is callin' us, the blue bus is callin' us
A call to action to hop on the Blue Bus of mystery and enlightenment


Driver, where you takin' us?
A concern about an unknown driver or activity


The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on
Anecdotal story about a supposed killer getting ready for his work


He took a face from the ancient gallery
The killer selected someone to kill, similar to picking someone from a gallery to be painted or sculpted


And he walked on down the hall
The killer moved towards his target


He went into the room where his sister lived, and, then he
The target was his family member instead of a stranger, even more tragic


Paid a visit to his brother, and then he
He also sought to find and kill his brother


He walked on down the hall, and
Continues separating the killer's experience


And he came to a door, and he looked inside
The killer is now closer to his objective


Father, yes son, I want to kill you
The killer confronts his father, which he wants to kill, expressing his hatred of his family and life in general


Mother, I want to fuck you
The killer has perverse and incestuous desires to have sexual relations with his mother


Come on, baby
The attempt to seduce his mother - this is a disturbing passage.


Come on, baby, take a chance with us
Trying to convince someone to join in with their vile plan


Come on, baby, take a chance with us
Repeating the enthusiasm to someone on the cusp of taking a leap into something potentially dangerous or illegal


Come on, baby, take a chance with us
Continuing to coax someone towards into something that should be avoided at all costs, repeat to convince


And meet me at the back of the blue bus
Agree to rendezvous, secretly or with a sense of danger


Doin' a blue rock, on a blue bus
Dealing/using drugs under the guise of innocently riding the bus


Doin' a blue rock, come on, yeah
Inviting others in on the drug use


Fuck, fuck, ah, yeah
Expression of sexual frustration and aggression


Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, yeah
Screaming out their frustration and sense of pleasure, the excess here is likely related to the drugs they had been using.


Come on, baby, come on
Continued attempt at seduction with some violence and aggression implied with this baiting approach


Fuck me, baby, fuck, yeah
Expressing a desire for intercourse or perhaps to get someone else in the mood for the drug use


Fuck, fuck, fuck, yeah
Another expression of sexual desire or pleasure


Fuck, yeah, come on, baby
Pushing someone towards giving in with intensity


Fuck me, baby, fuck, fuck
Repeated demand for sexual activity


Yeah, fuck me, do, yeah
Demanding fulfillment of their desire


Come on, yeah, yeah, alright
Getting others enthusiastic about the experience they are immersed in


Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill
Potential chants towards hurting someone or something


It hurts to set you free
Acknowledging the pain of having to leave something behind


But you'll never follow me
Knowing that what lies ahead is not something that others will or should endure


The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of pretending or hiding how things truly are


The end of nights we tried to die
The end of escapism and suicide attempts


This is the end
The end of all things, the finality of a path one has embarked on




Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Jim Morrison, John Paul Densmore, Raymond D. Manzarek, Robert A. Krieger

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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