Cygnet Committee
David Bowie
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I bless you madly, Sadly as I tie my shoes I love you badly, Just in time, at times, I guess Because of you I need to rest Because it's you That sets the test So much has gone And little is new And as the sparrow sings Dawn chorus for Someone else to hear The Thinker sits alone growing older And so bitter "I gave Them life I gave Them all They drained my very soul ...Dry I crushed my heart To ease their pains No thought for me remains there Nothing can they spare What of me? Who praised their efforts To be free? Words of strength and care And sympathy I opened doors That would have blocked their way I braved their cause to guide, For little pay I ravaged at my finance just for those Those whose claims were steeped in peace, tranquility Those who said a new world, new ways ever free Those whose promises stretched in hope and grace for me" I bless you madly, Sadly as I tie my shoes I love you badly, just in time, At times, I guess Because of you I need to rest, oh yes Because it's you That sets the test So much has gone And little is new And as the sunrise stream Flickers on me, My friends talk Of glory, untold dream, where all is God and God is just a word "We had a friend, a talking man Who spoke of many powers that he had Not of the best of men, but ours We used him We let him use his powers We let him fill our needs Now we are strong And the road is coming to its end Now the damned have no time to make amends No purse of token fortune stands in our way The silent guns of love Will blast the sky We broke the ruptured structure built of age Our weapons were the tongues of crying rage Where money stood We planted seeds of rebirth And stabbed the backs of fathers Sons of dirt Infiltrated business cesspools Hating through our sleeves Yea, and we slit the Catholic throat Stoned the poor On slogans such as 'Wish You Could Hear' 'Love Is All We Need' 'Kick Out The Jams' 'Kick Out Your Mother' 'Cut Up Your Friend' 'Screw Up Your Brother or He'll Get You In the End' And we know the flag of love is from above And we can force you to be free And we can force you to believe" And I close my eyes and tighten up my brain For I once read a book in which the lovers were slain For they knew not the words of the Free States' refrain It said: "I believe in the power of good I believe in the state of love I will fight for the right to be right I will kill for the good of the fight for the right to be right" And I open my eyes to look around And I see a child laid slain On the ground As a love machine lumbers through desolation rows Plowing down man, woman, listening to its command But not hearing anymore Not hearing anymore Just the shrieks from the old rich And I want to believe In the madness that calls 'Now' And I want to believe That a light's shining through Somehow And I want to believe And you want to believe And we want to believe And we want to live Oh, we want to live We want to live We want to live We want to live We want to live We want to live I want to live I want to live I want to live I want to live I want to live I want to live Live Live Live
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Written by: DAVID BOWIE
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, TINTORETTO MUSIC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Background"Cygnet Committee" is a track from David Bowie's second self-titled studio album, released in November 1969 (later re-titled "Space Oddity" for its 1972 re-release).
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Song LengthThe song is the longest on the album, clocking in at a substantial 9 minutes and 35 seconds.
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InspirationIt has been reported that Bowie was inspired to write "Cygnet Committee" after experiencing disillusionment with the peace and love sentiments of the 1960s hippie culture.
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LyricsThe lyrics are packed with references to various personal experiences and figures from Bowie's life at the time, including the London Arts Lab - a collective responsible for organizing arts events, which Bowie had been involved with.
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Co-WorkerThe song features the contribution of Tony Visconti, a frequent collaborator and producer of Bowie's - he served as the bass player in this piece.
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PerformanceDespite its striking and memorable lyrics, the song was not regularly performed live by Bowie.
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Song DevelopmentIn its earliest forms, "Cygnet Committee" was titled "Lover to the Dawn," and it carried a different theme – more of a straightforward love song.
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Lyrics RewriteDavid Bowie recounted that he rewrote the lyrics after a betrayal by partners in the experimental ‘Beckenham Arts Lab.’
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Critical ReceptionSome critics noted the Dylan Thomas-esque poetic nature of the lyrics. It was described as a "sermon," with Bowie feeling "let down" by the counterculture he ostensibly was part of.
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LegacyAlthough not one of Bowie’s popular hits, "Cygnet Committee" is often considered an underappreciated gem, presenting a glimpse into Bowie's lyrical growth and thematic transition.
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"Cygnet Committee Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/4074344/David+Bowie/Cygnet+Committee>.
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