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.
The Last Words of Dutch Schultz
William S. Burroughs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you do this, you can go on and jump right here in the lake
I know who they are. They are French people. All right. Look out, look out. Oh, my memory is gone
Oh, this is insane... Oh, this is insane...
He changed for the worse. Please look out; my fortunes have changed and come back and went back since that. It was desperate. I am wobbly. You ain′t got nothing on him but you got it on his helper
(Control yourself.)
Oh, this is insane... Oh, this is insane...
Then pull me out. I am half crazy. They won't let me get up. They dyed my shoes. Open those shoes. Give me something. I am so sick. Give me some water, the only thing that I want
But I am dying
(No you′re not)
Oh, this is insane... Oh, this is insane...
But I am dying
(No you're not)
But I am dying
(No you're not)
But I am dying
(No you′re not)
The lyrics to William S. Burroughs's song "The Last Words Of Dutch Schultz" are a fragmentary and surreal representation of the last moments of the notorious gangster Dutch Schultz. The song opens with Schultz's dying words, as he pleads with his associates to let him up and warns them of impending danger. He seems confused and disoriented, as his memory fails him and he struggles to express himself.
As the song progresses, Schultz's words become increasingly fragmented and nonsensical. He speaks of French people and changing fortunes, and repeats over and over the phrase "Oh, this is insane." He pleads for help and water, and insists that he is dying, only to be told over and over again by his associates that he is not.
The lyrics evoke a sense of confusion, disorientation, and impending doom, capturing the chaotic and tragic nature of Schultz's final moments. Through this fragmented and surreal depiction, Burroughs captures not only the specific experience of Dutch Schultz but the broader themes of power, violence, and mortality that are often associated with organized crime.
Line by Line Meaning
That is what caused the trouble. Look out. Please let me up
If you do this, you can go on and jump right here in the lake. I am in trouble, so be careful. Please help me get up.
I know who they are. They are French people. All right. Look out, look out. Oh, my memory is gone
I recognize them as French people. It's okay. Watch out, be careful. Oh, I can't remember.
He changed for the worse. Please look out; my fortunes have changed and come back and went back since that. It was desperate. I am wobbly. You ain′t got nothing on him but you got it on his helper
He became worse. Be careful; my life has been up and down since then. It was a desperate situation. I am weak. You have no evidence against him, but you have it against his assistant.
(Control yourself.)
Oh, this is insane... Oh, this is insane...
Please calm down. I am losing my mind.
Then pull me out. I am half crazy. They won't let me get up. They dyed my shoes. Open those shoes. Give me something. I am so sick. Give me some water, the only thing that I want
Please get me out of here. I am losing my mind. They won't let me stand up. They stained my shoes. Please take them off. Give me anything. I am very sick. I need some water.
But I am dying
(No you′re not)
Oh, this is insane... Oh, this is insane...
I feel like I am dying.
(You are not actually dying)
I am losing my mind.
But I am dying
(No you're not)
But I am dying
(No you're not)
But I am dying
(No you′re not)
I feel like I am dying.
(You are not actually dying)
I feel like I am dying.
(You are not actually dying)
I feel like I am dying.
(You are not actually dying)
Writer(s): William S. Burroughs, Ronald Tse, Hal Willner, Michael Franti
Contributed by Amelia E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.