Shaman’s Blues by The Doors Lyrics Meaning – Deciphering the Alchemy of Morrison’s Sorcery
- Music Video
- Lyrics
-
Song Meaning
- The Irreplaceable Persona – Interpretation of Individuality
- Journey Through the Night – The Search for Meaning
- An Inescapable Predicament – The Song’s Hidden Meaning
- Echoes of a Troubled Soul – The Pain and the Poetry
- Memorable Lines That Haunt – ‘Optical promise You’ll be dead and in hell Before I’m born’
Lyrics
Another one like you
There will never be
Another one who can
Do the things you do, oh
Will you give another chance?
Will you try, little try?
Please stop and you remember
We were together
Anyway
All right
And if you have a certain evenin’
You could lend to me
I’d give it all right back to you
A how it has to be with you
I know your moves
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
Oh will you stop and think and wonder?
Just what you’ll see
Out on the train yard
Nursin’ penitentiary
It’s gone
I cry
Out long
Go head, brother
Did you stop it to consider?
How it will feel
Cold, grinded grizzly bear jaws
Hot on your heels
Do you often stop and whisper?
It’s Saturday’s shore
The whole world’s a savior
Who could ever, ever, ever
Ever, ever, ever
Ask for more?
Do you remember?
Will you stop?
Will you stop?
The pain
And there will never be another one like you
There will never be another one who can
Do the things you do, oh
Will you give another chance?
Will you try, little try?
Please stop and you remember
We were together
Anyway
All right
How you must’ve think and wondered
How I must feel
Out on the meadows
While you run the field
I’m alone
For you
And I cry
The sweat, look at it
Optical promise
You’ll be dead and in hell
Before I’m born
Sure thing
Bridesmaid
The only solution, isn’t it amazing?
The Doors’ ‘Shaman’s Blues’ is a deep, resonating dive into the psychedelic and mysterious enigma that is Jim Morrison’s lyrical prowess. The song, a track from the 1969 album ‘The Soft Parade’, stands out as a stark reflection of Morrison’s inner world, his views on life, love, and the irreversibility of change.
Morrison, a self-proclaimed shaman himself, weaves words into a tapestry displaying the constant flux between transformation and the immutable, between the spiritual quest for meaning and the mundane acknowledgment of life’s day-to-day battles.
The Irreplaceable Persona – Interpretation of Individuality
There’s a potent recognition of uniqueness as Morrison croons ‘There will never be another one like you.’ It’s an ode to individuality, cherishing the sheer impossibility of replicating a soul. In these lines, he implores the unconventionality that each of us brings into the world, a plea to acknowledge our personal legends.
In a broader sense, the repetition of these lines is an invitation to self-reflection, asking whether we see the rarity not only in others but in ourselves, and urging us to give second chances to let our distinctiveness shine through amid life’s often conformist paths.
Journey Through the Night – The Search for Meaning
The mystic night has long been a friend to those on a quest for understanding, and Morrison is no exception. ‘Will you stop and think and wonder? Just what you’ll see out on the train yard Nursin’ penitentiary’ – this imagery is rich with Morrison’s wrestling with confinement and freedom. Is the ‘nursin’ penitentiary’ a metaphor for his own limitations, or is it society’s constraints?
The shamanic journey is one of deep reflection. Morrison’s use of night and its silent, brooding character is a metaphor for the introspection needed to transcend one’s perceived reality. The imageries he presents are almost initiatory, guiding the listener through the darkness towards enlightenment.
An Inescapable Predicament – The Song’s Hidden Meaning
If Morrison is the shaman, then ‘Shaman’s Blues’ is his spell to unveil the truth that binds us. The ‘cold, grinded grizzly bear jaws hot on your heels’ evokes a harsh reality that’s nearly impossible to escape, a reminder of the ever-present chase between predator and prey – the stark dance of survival and demise.
The predator could symbolize many things: time, death, or even the darker aspects of human nature. Morrison urges the listener to consider the severity of the hunt and how close one skirts the edges of danger in the pursuit of their desires.
Echoes of a Troubled Soul – The Pain and the Poetry
‘Do you remember? Will you stop? Will you stop? The pain.’ Herein lies Morrison’s dual nature: a man torn between the material world and the spiritual plane, where memory and regret intertwine. These lines convey his ultimate vulnerability, a shaman who feels deeply the weight of memory and its impact.
The plea to stop the pain suggests a universal longing for peace, perhaps Morrison’s own desire for respite from the inner turmoil that fueled his creativity while simultaneously threatening his existence.
Memorable Lines That Haunt – ‘Optical promise You’ll be dead and in hell Before I’m born’
This cryptic proclamation is vintage Morrison. An ‘optical promise’ may be an illusion, a trick of the light that leads us to believe in a reality that’s not ours. These words resonate with the futility of reaching for what does not belong to us, and perhaps a commentary on the generational disconnect – the elders doomed before the youth have a chance to take the reins.
Morrison adeptly captures the cycle of life, death, and the pursuit of legacy, leaving us to ponder our place in the grand scheme of things. Are we too, blinded by optical promises, just racing towards an inevitable demise, or is there a deeper meaning we’re missing?
