(Not to be confused with the 60's American rock band The Turtles. If you're here due to the 60's American rock band, do last.fm and yourself a favor, Fix your artist tags.)
Frontman Im Seong Hoon (Turtleman) was found dead in his apartment on April 2, 2008. He died of a heart attack in his sleep due to the same myocardial infaraction that had put him in the hospital in 2005. He was advised to remain hospitalized, and stated in his final interview, "I don't know when I will collapse but I want to sing. Although it might be strange, I make each album hoping it won't be my last."
"If I followed all that the hospital asked me to do, I would be laying down not moving, but even if this is more dangerous than spending my life waiting for a meaningless disease to pass, I want to go out and do music."
He also revealed that he thought of "Airplane (비행기)," from their 4th album, while in bed atfter his initla surgery. He thought of the melody there and wrote it down as soon as he returned home after his release. Post-operation, he contined to make happy music in spite of his circumstances. "Sing La La La" from Turtles' final album creates the feel of a life lived happily, and the group's music will be loved for years to come.
Remaining members Geumbi and JiAh announced the official dissolution of the group on September 4.
"The name Turtles started out with oppa’s name ‘Turtleman‘. Now with oppa gone, there is no more meaning to Turtles anymore. [...] Our previous songs are composed by oppa. Even if we are to sing new songs in the future as Turtles, there will no longer be the Turtles’s feel anyway. [...] We hope that everyone will not forget the smiles that Turtles‘ music brought to them. We will work hard and live well in the future. We cannot be together with Im Seong Hoon (Turtleman) but we will be together with him in our hearts”.
Like A Rolling Stone
Turtles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you ?
People'd call, say : 'Beware doll, you're bound to fall'
You thought they were all kiddin' you.
You used to laugh about
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.
How does it feel ?
How does it feel ?
To be without a home ?
Like a complete unknown ?
Like a rolling stone ?
Ah, you've gone to the finest school, all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
Nobody has ever taught you how to live out on the street
And now you are gonna have to get used to it.
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp but know you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say : 'Do you want to make a deal ?'
How does it feel ?
How does it feel ?
To be on your own ?
With no direction home ?
A complete unknown ?
Like a rolling stone ?
Ah,you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you.
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that ?
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.
How does it feel ?
How does it feel ?
To be on your own ?
With no direction home ?
Like a complete unknown ?
Like a rolling stone ?
Ah, princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They are drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all precious gifts
But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it, babe.
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel ?
Oh, how does it feel ?
To be on your own ?
With no direction home ?
Like a complete unknown ?
Like a rolling stone ?
The lyrics to Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" tell the story of a formerly pampered young woman who has lost everything and is now living as a "complete unknown," like a rolling stone. She used to be wealthy and popular, but now she is homeless and scorned by society. The verses are a series of questions directed at this woman, accusing her of being out of touch with reality and asking how it feels to be in her current situation. The chorus repeats the title line and emphasizes the woman's isolation and lack of direction.
The first verse sets up the contrast between the woman's previous life of luxury and her current state of destitution. It hints that the woman was naive and didn't listen to those who warned her that her privileged lifestyle would lead to her downfall. The second verse addresses the woman's education, suggesting that she was only interested in the pleasures of the university rather than learning useful skills for life. The third verse criticizes the woman for letting others control her life and deriving pleasure from their entertainment rather than pursuing her own passions. Finally, the song ends on a note of resignation and acceptance of the fact that when you have nothing, you have nothing to lose.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you ?
People'd call, say : 'Beware doll, you're bound to fall'
You thought they were all kiddin' you.
You used to be wealthy and generous, throwing money around to homeless people. But now, others are warning you that you are destined to fail, and you're underestimating their concern.
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.
You used to mock people struggling to survive, but now that you're the one who's struggling, you're not so boastful about it anymore.
How does it feel ?
How does it feel ?
To be without a home ?
Like a complete unknown ?
Like a rolling stone ?
How does it feel to be homeless and unknown, without a sense of direction or purpose, just drifting aimlessly like a rolling stone?
Ah, you've gone to the finest school, all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
Nobody has ever taught you how to live out on the street
And now you are gonna have to get used to it.
You've had a privileged upbringing and education, but it never prepared you for life on the streets, and now it's a harsh reality you must learn to navigate on your own.
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp but know you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say : 'Do you want to make a deal ?'
You once refused to make deals with sketchy people, but now that you're desperate, you find yourself attempting to do so with a stranger who has nothing to offer you but an empty stare.
How does it feel ?
How does it feel ?
To be on your own ?
With no direction home ?
A complete unknown ?
Like a rolling stone ?
Once again emphasizing the feeling of being lost and alone, with nowhere to go and no sense of identity, drifting aimlessly like a rolling stone.
Ah,you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you.
You enjoyed watching performances but never once considered that performers might be unhappy about performing for an unappreciative audience. You never realized that letting other people dictate your enjoyment is not healthy.
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that ?
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.
You used to associate with the wealthy elite, including your diplomat friend with a fancy cat, but now you realize that none of those people were your true friends, and in fact, took everything from you until you had nothing left.
Ah, princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They are drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all precious gifts
But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it, babe.
The upper class, including the wealthy women on the churches' rooftops, are all smug in their privilege, but they don't realize it's a false sense of security. It's time to sell your jewelry and face the harsh realities of life.
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
You once laughed at someone who was down on his luck, Napoleon, but now that you're in the same position, you must reach out to him for help. When you have nothing left, you might as well put everything on the line and let it all hang out; there is no hidden shame or secret that you can keep when everything is already out in the open.
Contributed by Alexandra G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.