Oh! You Pretty Things
The Spiders from Mars Lyrics


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Wake up you sleepy head
Put on some clothes, shake up your bed
Put another log on the fire for me
I've made some breakfast and coffee
Look out my window and what do I see
A crack in the sky and a hand reaching down to me
All the nightmares came today
And it looks as though they're here to stay

What are we coming to
No room for me, no fun for you
I think about a world to come
Where the books were found by the golden ones
Written in pain, written in awe
By a puzzled man who questioned
What we were here for
All the strangers came today
And it looks as though they're here to stay

Oh you Pretty Things
Don't you know you're driving your
Mamas and Papas insane
Oh you Pretty Things
Don't you know you're driving your
Mamas and Papas insane
Let me make it plain
You gotta make way for the Homo Superior

Look at your children
See their faces in golden rays
Don't kid yourself they belong to you
They're the start of a coming race
The earth is a bitch
We've finished our news
Homo Sapiens have outgrown their use
All the strangers came today
And it looks as though they're here to stay

Oh you Pretty Things
Don't you know you're driving your
Mamas and Papas insane
Oh you Pretty Things
Don't you know you're driving your
Mamas and Papas insane




Let me make it plain
You gotta make way for the Homo Superior

Overall Meaning

The Spiders from Mars's song "Oh! You Pretty Things" begins with a call to wake up and face reality. The lyrics "Put on some clothes, shake up your bed / Put another log on the fire for me / I've made some breakfast and coffee" suggest the everyday routine of getting up and starting the day. However, this normalcy is disrupted by the next lines "Look out my window and what do I see / A crack in the sky and a hand reaching down to me / All the nightmares came today / And it looks as though they're here to stay," which hint at a more ominous and apocalyptic world. The lyrics then shift to a prophetic tone, imagining a future where a new race emerges as the dominant species. "Homo Superior" is depicted as the successor to "Homo Sapiens," and the song's final lines "You gotta make way for the Homo Superior" implies that humans must make space for this future evolution.


The song's chorus "Oh you Pretty Things / Don't you know you're driving your Mamas and Papas insane" is a nod to the popular folk-rock band The Mamas and The Papas. The reference to this group's "insanity" could be seen as a commentary on the limitations of a previous generation's values and ways of thinking.


Overall, "Oh! You Pretty Things" is a provocative and thought-provoking song that offers a vision of a possible future while also questioning the present.


Line by Line Meaning

Wake up you sleepy head
Get out of bed, stop being lazy


Put on some clothes, shake up your bed
Get dressed and make your bed


Put another log on the fire for me
Add more fuel to the fire


I've made some breakfast and coffee
I prepared breakfast and coffee for you


Look out my window and what do I see
Observing outside the window


A crack in the sky and a hand reaching down to me
A surreal scene of a crack in the sky and a hand reaching down


All the nightmares came today
The worst possible scenarios are happening now


And it looks as though they're here to stay
These situations seem like they will never end


What are we coming to
What is the world coming to


No room for me, no fun for you
There is no space for me and nothing enjoyable for you


I think about a world to come
Contemplating a future world


Where the books were found by the golden ones
A future in which the wise and knowledgeable prevail


Written in pain, written in awe
The books were written with great emotion


By a puzzled man who questioned
Authored by an inquisitive person


What we were here for
Asking the purpose of our existence


All the strangers came today
Unexpected people appeared


And it looks as though they're here to stay
They seem like they will stick around


Oh you Pretty Things
Direct address to charming, attractive individuals


Don't you know you're driving your
You are causing stress and frustration for


Mamas and Papas insane
Parents are going crazy


Let me make it plain
Let me be clear and direct


You gotta make way for the Homo Superior
Prepare for the arrival of a new, superior species


Look at your children
Observe your offspring


See their faces in golden rays
Notice the warmth and radiance in their faces


Don't kid yourself they belong to you
Don't deceive yourself that your children are solely yours


They're the start of a coming race
They are the beginning of an impending evolution


The earth is a bitch
The planet is harsh and unforgiving


We've finished our news
The current state of the world is the result of our actions


Homo Sapiens have outgrown their use
The current human species has become obsolete




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, TINTORETTO MUSIC
Written by: DAVID BOWIE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Calum McKenzie

Why can't we have music like this these days. Why does everything have to be so polished and digitally alerted? This is raw and honest. This bloke shits on most music artists of today.

Hayat Kazemi

back in my day...

Derek Laidlaw

Two right real music

J.C

He was a one-off genius, a gift to humanity. No one can really compete with Bowie

Jamie Harper

Shits on every single so called music artist today

1 More Replies...

kickstar1

Hard to believe this was live. It's so damn clean and tight. His voice was spot on.

TJ

Guys this is a closed studio room. This is why it sounds so good. Not just cause it’s Bowie and the band

Fear Of Music

@cattycorner Coolest instrument ever. Hammond makes every song better

cattycorner

@Fear Of Music Of course! That was the keyboard of choice then.

Fear Of Music

@cattycorner Is it strings? It sounds like a Hammond organ to me.

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