He is generally allied with the Beats, and while he was close friends with the true Beats like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, his writing never fit with the Beatnik style. His first couple of novels, Junkie (or Junky) and Queer, were written in a style reminiscent of hard-boiled detective novels. As he became more comfortable with expressing himself through writing, his "routines" were assembled into his most famous work, Naked Lunch , published in 1959. His "cut-up" technique, developed subsequently with fellow inventor-poet Brion Gysin, took over his literary style to produce a number of lesser-known works. With the publication in 1981 of the trilogy starting with Cities of the Red Night he embarked on a further development of style aimed at achieving his expressed intent to "write the great American novel".
Such a vast amount could be written about Burroughs' life and legacy; perhaps "lives and legacies" would be more appropriate. His influences are uncountably and immeasurably wide-reaching; it has been argued that without his tape cut-ups, we'd not have thought of sampling and therefore we'd never have had techno. Equally, without his transgressive, libertarian, shocking subject matter, we may never have had punk or industrial. In his later life he was championed and courted by these fringe elements of society and art.
Love Your Enemies
William S. Burroughs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can't dream your dream
Your fingerprints on file
Left clumsily at the scene
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Baby you slept in peace
You closed your eyes and saw her
You knew who you were
And your own worst enemy has come to town
Your own worst enemy has come
Your world keeps turning round and round
But everything is upside down
Your own worst enemy has come to town
There's a face you know
Staring back from the shop window
The condition you're in
Now you just can't get out of this skin
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Hooo...
The times they got too clear
So you removed all the mirrors
Once the family felt secure
Now no one's very sure
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Your own worst enemy's come
Everything is falling down
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Your own worst enemy has come
Everything is falling down
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Your flag it flew so high
It drifted into the sky
In William S. Burroughs's song Love Your Enemies, the lyrics describe the feeling of being trapped and haunted by one's own actions and thoughts. The first stanza talks about the inability to sleep or dream, highlighting the lingering guilt of having left one's fingerprints at the scene of a crime or a mistake. The refrain of the song, "Your own worst enemy has come to town," emphasizes the self-destructive nature of the singer's behavior. The second stanza refers to a time when the singer was at peace and knew themselves, but now they are plagued by a shadow of their own making.
The third stanza heightens the feelings of entrapment, with the image of a face staring back from a shop window, representing the self being trapped in one's own skin. The following "Ah ah ah" section could be interpreted as a cry of agony, trapped within oneself. The fourth stanza portrays a family that was once secure but is now uncertain due to the singer's downward spiral. Finally, the repetition of "Your own worst enemy has come to town" signifies that one's inner demons will always be with them, and the image of a drifting flag may represent the loss of identity or purpose.
Overall, the lyrics of the song Love Your Enemies depict the conflicted and complex nature of the human psyche, and how one can be their own worst enemy if they do not confront their feelings and actions.
Line by Line Meaning
You can't sleep at night
You are plagued by worries that keep you awake at night.
You can't dream your dream
You are so preoccupied with your worries that you cannot even escape them in your dreams.
Your fingerprints on file
Your actions have been recorded by some authority, and they will be used against you if necessary.
Left clumsily at the scene
You have made careless mistakes that could be easily traced back to you.
Your own worst enemy has come to town
You are your own biggest obstacle, and your negative thoughts and behaviors have caught up with you.
Yesterday the people were at ease
Things used to be calm and stable, and people were not as worried.
Baby you slept in peace
You were once able to rest without worries, but that time has passed.
You closed your eyes and saw her
You used to be able to imagine a better life or a loved one, but now you cannot.
You knew who you were
You used to have a strong sense of self, but now you feel lost and uncertain.
And your own worst enemy has come to town
Your inner struggles have become unavoidable and are causing chaos in your life.
Your world keeps turning round and round
Time and events keep moving forward, but you feel trapped and stuck in your problems.
But everything is upside down
Your perspective on life has been skewed by your negative experiences.
There's a face you know
You see a familiar face, perhaps reflecting yourself, in a shop window.
Staring back from the shop window
The reflection you see is a harsh reminder of the current state you are in.
The condition you're in
Your mental and emotional state has deteriorated.
Now you just can't get out of this skin
You feel trapped in your own body and mind, unable to escape the negative cycle you are in.
The times they got too clear
Things used to be easier to understand or deal with, but now they are overwhelming.
So you removed all the mirrors
You have tried to avoid looking at yourself and your problems by removing the mirrors.
Once the family felt secure
Your family used to feel protected and supported, but that is no longer the case.
Now no one's very sure
Everyone is uncertain about the future and their own abilities to cope with the situation.
Your flag it flew so high
You used to have high ambitions and goals.
It drifted into the sky
Now those ambitions feel unattainable and far away.
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheOhioan4truth
This is a most sartorial satire of sarcasm as I've ever heard.
drmodestoesq
If I had to chose, I'd say he sounded and looked most like John Kenneth Galbraith.
Minds Forge
I lol'd so beautiful :D
Jean-Bernard Lucas
New Word!2019!
loosenut23
They both use that AM radio type filter.
Yella Byrd
โค๐๐
Kell
Sweet dreams
ใใใช
ใใฎๆฒใฏๆใใชใใ๐
Harold Hivart
The guy was schizophrenic... ๐๐๐
Terry Conley
Fine line between schizoid personality and true genius.