Hang On to Yourself by David Bowie Lyrics Meaning – The Audacious Encounter of Glam and Self-Preservation
Lyrics
Praying to the light machine
She wants my honey not my money she’s a funky-thigh collector
Layin’ on ‘lectric dreams
Come on, come on, we’ve really got a good thing going
Well come on, well come on, if you think we’re gonna make it
You better hang on to yourself
We can’t dance, we don’t talk much, we just ball and play
But then we move like tigers on Vaseline
Well the bitter comes out better on a stolen guitar
You’re the blessed, we’re the spiders from Mars
Come on, come on, we’ve really got a good thing going
Well come on, well come on, if you think we’re gonna make it
You better hang on to yourself
Come on
Come on, come on, we’ve really got a good thing going
Well come on, well come on, if you think we’re gonna make it
You better hang on to yourself
Come on, come on, we’ve really got a good thing going
Well come on, well come on, if you think we’re gonna make it
You better hang on to yourself
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on
Amidst the pantheon of David Bowie’s storied discography lies a pulsating hymn to hedonism and identity, ‘Hang On to Yourself’. Laced with Bowie’s trademark vocabulary of the surreal and the exquisite, the song serves as both a glam rock manifesto and a nuanced self-portrait.
Released on the seminal album ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’, the track cradles the raw energy of Bowie’s alter ego and the sexually ambiguous zeitgeist of the early ’70s. It calls upon listeners to decipher its layered meanings, all while propelling them into a state of kinetic nirvana.
The Hypnotic Allure of the ‘Tongue Twisting Storm’
Bowie paints a vivid image of an alluring woman, ‘a tongue twisting storm’, indicating a wild and perhaps untamable free spirit. There’s an electric quality to this description, with her payoff being ‘funky-thigh collector’ rather than any material wealth. She’s a person living on the edge, much like Bowie’s personas.
The ‘light machine’ she prays to could be a reference to the spotlight, indicating a yearning for fame, or perhaps the strobe lights of a dance floor, tying back to the importance of music and rhythm in finding oneself and establishing connection, despite the foreboding nature of the industry.
Glam Rock’s Manifesto and the Invitation to Dance
On the surface, ‘Hang On to Yourself’ may read like a straightforward invocation to let loose and enjoy the thrilling, inexorable pace of the glam rock lifestyle. But as the lines ‘we can’t dance, we don’t talk much, we just ball and play’ unfold, they reveal a deeper connection: the unity found in music and primal movement.
The phrase ‘move like tigers on Vaseline’ sparks a vivacious, slick image, Bowie’s eloquent description of fluid, powerful motions – possibly hinting at his dynamic stage presence and the ecstatic nature of his live performances.
The Chorus Chant: A Beckoning to Tenacity
The repeated chant, ‘Come on, come on, we’ve really got a good thing going,’ is more than a simple hook. It’s a call to resistance, a plea to hang on to whatever ‘good thing’ one has amid the shifting sands of fame and personal turmoil.
Bowie’s insistence that one ‘better hang on to yourself’ serves as a potent reminder that within the tumultuous sphere that is stardom (and perhaps life at large), self-preservation should remain paramount.
Unveiling the Hidden Meaning: From Mars to Mere Mortals
Bowie’s mention of ‘spiders from Mars’ layers ‘Hang On to Yourself’ with an otherworldly subtext. It’s an early breadcrumb in the concept album leading to the full reveal of Ziggy Stardust, the alien rock star. But more abstractly, it speaks to the feelings of otherness and displacement – analogous to the Bowie experience in the rock scene.
The juxtaposition of being ‘the blessed’ with being ‘spiders’ illustrates a dynamic of reverence and revulsion. Fame can be deifying, yet isolating, a paradox Bowie was no stranger to.
Dissecting the Song’s Most Memorable Lines
One cannot evade the sharpness of the imagery in ‘the bitter comes out better on a stolen guitar.’ It’s a nod at the purity and authentic expression that often emerges from strife and rebellion – echoed through the very foundations of rock music.
Similarly, ‘layin’ on ‘lectric dreams’ might allude to the promise and hazard of buying into one’s own fantasy or mythos – an electric dream being both bright and perilous, much like Bowie’s ever-evolving narrative.
