The Soft Parade by The Doors Lyrics Meaning – An Odyssey of Rebellion and Existence
Lyrics
There was a person there
Who put forth the proposition
That you can petition the Lord with prayer
Petition the lord with prayer
Petition the lord with prayer
You cannot petition the lord with prayer
Can you give me sanctuary
I must find a place to hide
A place for me to hide
Can you find me soft asylum
I can’t make it anymore
The Man is at the door
Peppermint, miniskirts, chocolate candy
Champion sax and a girl named Sandy
There’s only four ways to get unraveled
One is to sleep and the other is travel, da da
One is a bandit up in the hills
One is to love your neighbor ’till
His wife gets home
Catacombs
Nursery bones
Winter women
Growing stones
Carrying babies
To the river
Streets and shoes
Avenues
Leather riders
Selling news
The monk bought lunch
Ha ha, he bought a little
Yes, he did
Woo
This is the best part of the trip
This is the trip, the best part
I really like
What’d he say
Yeah
Yeah, right
Pretty good, huh
Huh
Yeah, I’m proud to be a part of this number
Successful hills are here to stay
Everything must be this way
Gentle streets where people play
Welcome to the Soft Parade
All our lives we sweat and save
Building for a shallow grave
Must be something else we say
Somehow to defend this place
Everything must be this way
Everything must be this way, yeah
The Soft Parade has now begun
Listen to the engines hum
People out to have some fun
A cobra on my left
Leopard on my right, yeah
The deer woman in a silk dress
Girls with beads around their necks
Kiss the hunter of the green vest
Who has wrestled before
With lions in the night
Out of sight
The lights are getting brighter
The radio is moaning
Calling to the dogs
There are still a few animals
Left out in the yard
But it’s getting harder
To describe sailors
To the underfed
Tropic corridor
Tropic treasure
What got us this far
To this mild equator
We need someone or something new
Something else to get us through, yeah, c’mon
Callin’ on the dogs
Callin’ on the dogs
Oh, it’s gettin’ harder
Callin’ on the dogs
Callin’ in the dogs
Callin’ all the dogs
Callin’ on the gods
You gotta meet me (too late, baby)
Slay a few animals
At the crossroads (too late)
All in the yard
But it’s gettin’ harder
By the crossroads (you gotta meet me)
Oh, we’re goin’, we’re goin’ great
At the edge of town (tropic corridor, tropic treasure)
Havin’ a good time (got to come along)
Outskirts of the city
(What got us this far to this mild equator)
You and I
We need someone new
Better bring your gun
Better bring your gun
We’re gonna ride and have some fun
When all else fails
We can whip the horse’s eyes
And make them sleep
And cry
The kaleidoscope of 1960s counterculture is often colored by the prophetic lyricism of The Doors, a band whose poetic tenderness was matched only by their proclivity for the dark and the unhinged. Among their enigmatic canon stands ‘The Soft Parade,’ a track cloaked in allegory and piercing social commentary.
Nestled within their 1969 album of the same name, ‘The Soft Parade’ weaves a tapestry of liberation and disillusionment—a testament to the era’s fervor as much as an intimate foray into the human soul. What follows is an exploration of this seminal track, stripping back its layers to reveal a core shimmering with insight.
Seminary Undercurrents: The Theological Revolt of the Opening Verse
To the untrained ear, The Doors’ invocation of a seminary school in the song’s opening may come off as a mere whimsical reference. But for those versed in the convergence of rock and theology, it’s a stark, rebellious jab. Frontman Jim Morrison paints a picture of youthful insurgence against the institutional expectation of prayer as a vehicle to divine conversation.
Morrison, reticent to conform to a formulated spiritual petition, rejects the idea that supplication can command the attention of the divine. The bold declaration that ‘you cannot petition the lord with prayer’ speaks to a generation dismantling the structures of enforced piety.
Beyond Sanctuary – Seeking Asylum from Societal Collapse
‘Can you give me sanctuary? I must find a place to hide’—a plea for refuge not from a higher power, but from society itself. Morrison’s quest for a ‘soft asylum’ is a dual-edged sword. It is a sanctuary for rest and a testament to a man crumbling beneath the pressures of the outside world.
In this request, we hear echoes of a generation’s cry, a desire to escape an America ravaged by war, unrest, and the sharp teeth of consumerism. It’s through these heart-torn pleas that Morrison casts himself as a harbinger of The Doors’ audience’s anguished spirit.
A Psychedelic Snapshot: Decoding the Surreal Imagery
‘Peppermint, miniskirts, chocolate candy’—the song’s middle segments burst with vibrant, surreal images that seem to border on non-sequitur. These verses encapsulate the paradox of the era’s material abundance amid societal strife, a discordant soundscape mirroring the chaos of the cultural milieu.
The seemingly disparate elements form a coded language, a satire of the American Dream turned gaudy parade—rich with delight yet hinting at an undercurrent of unrest and dispossession.
The Hidden Meaning – Traversing the ‘Tropic Corridor’
At the heart of ‘The Soft Parade’ is a revelatory ‘tropic corridor,’ a term suggesting both a lush passage to unknown realms and the treacherous journey through the human condition. The band invites listeners to survey the existential terrain, seeking new saviors or saviors to navigate the wilderness of reality.
Morrison’s call ‘to describe sailors to the underfed’ underpins The Doors’ acute awareness of the art’s power and responsibility. In this emblematic voyage, they address the alienation felt by those disenfranchised from the country’s opulence—delivering verse not merely as entertainment but as a vital cultural critique.
Memorable Lines: ‘The Soft Parade Has Now Begun’
The titular phrase ‘The Soft Parade’ itself is a siren call, conjuring scenes of a languid yet grand procession through the vicissitudes of life. It offers a paradox, with Morrison’s delivery both soothing and acerbic—a seductive invite to the band’s theatre of confrontation.
The lyrics encapsulate the track’s essence, oscillating between the promise of utopian streets ‘where people play’ and the grim acknowledgment of ‘building for a shallow grave.’ It’s these lines that render ‘The Soft Parade’ a masterpiece in The Doors’ oeuvre, a beacon for the endless pursuit of meaning amid the spectacle of existence.
