Motif Worksheet of Lyrics by Jim Morrison

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Tobias Holmes
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1 Motif Worksheet of Lyrics by Jim Morrison Aims: to practice close reading and gain understanding of motifs. For all of the questions below, keep in mind the social context and backdrop for the Doors' lyrics: social upheaval, dissatisfaction with the Vietnam War, widespread use of mind altering drugs, resurgence of interest in surrealism, and new interest in Eastern philosophy. 1) Jim Morrison's lyrics are usually intensely metaphoric and symbolic. That is, they not only include frequent figurative language, but their settings themselves are often figurative. (The settings aren't always literal places, but rather states of mind or being.) Sometimes he uses a relatively obvious, simple metaphor such as "neon groves" (for city streets at night). But many of his constructions aren't so easily reduced to some tidy correlative. Select any 2 of the quoted lyrics below, and write up a paragraph response to each. Read the full lyrics they are quoted from (see your printout of Doors lyrics), then explain what feelings and ideas the language evokes in you. I.e, how does each passage make you feel and what does it make you think of? Also paraphrase the quoted passages, which means that you should re state them in your own way. (In other words, provide another, more literal way to say what the speaker of each passage is saying. No paraphrase is as interesting or good as the original item, but give it a shot.) 2) Much of Morrison's work is full of motifs, which are images, symbols, events, themes, or ideas that tend to recur obsessively over and over. Make a list the primary motifs you notice in our selection of Doors' lyrics. You should be able to find at least 3. 3) Select one of the motifs you listed above, and discuss it in a well developed paragraph or two. What seems to be the importance of that image, symbol, event, or idea in Morrison's work? Why do you suppose it occurs so often in his songs? How does it fit with what you believe to be his overall vision of life, love, culture, etc.? 1

2 Lyric Excerpts Paraphrase from "The End": "Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain And all the children are insane." from "The End": "Ride the snake, ride the snake To the lake, the ancient lake." from "The Unknown Soldier": "Breakfast where the news is read, Television children fed, Unborn living, living dead, Bullet strikes the helmet's head." 2

3 from "Soul Kitchen": "The cars crawl past all stuffed with eyes. Street lights share their hollow glow. Your brain seems bruised with numb surprise. Still one place to go." from "The Soft Parade": "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." from "The Soft Parade": " it's getting harder To describe sailors To the underfed." from "The Soft Parade": "When all else fails We can whip the horse's eyes And make them sleep And cry." 3

4 "The End" Beautiful friend My only friend, the end Of our elaborate plans, the end Of everything that stands, the end No safety or surprise, the end I'll never look into your eyes...again Can you picture what will be So limitless and free Desperately in need...of some...stranger's hand In a...desperate land Lost in a Roman...wilderness of pain And all the children are insane All the children are insane Waiting for the summer rain, yeah There's danger on the edge of town Ride the King's highway, baby Weird scenes inside the gold mine Ride the highway west, baby Ride the snake, ride the snake To the lake, the ancient lake, baby The snake is long, seven miles Ride the snake...he's old, and his skin is cold The west is the best The west is the best Get here, and we'll do the rest The blue bus is callin' us The blue bus is callin' us Driver, where you taken' us The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on He took a face from the ancient gallery And he walked on down the hall He went into the room where his sister lived, and...then he Paid a visit to his brother, and then he He walked on down the hall, and And he came to a door...and he looked inside Father, yes son, I want to kill you Mother...I want to...fuck you C'mon baby, take a chance with us C'mon baby, take a chance with us C'mon baby, take a chance with us 4

5 And meet me at the back of the blue bus Doin' a blue rock On a blue bus Doin' a blue rock C'mon, yeah Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill Beautiful friend My only friend, the end It hurts to set you free But you'll never follow me The end of laughter and soft lies The end of nights we tried to die "The Unknown Soldier" Wait until the war is over And we're both a little older The unknown soldier Breakfast where the news is read Television children fed Unborn living, living, dead Bullet strikes the helmet's head And it's all over For the unknown soldier It's all over For the unknown soldier ho hee up ho hee up ho hee up Comp'nee Halt Preeee zent! Arms! Make a grave for the unknown soldier Nestled in your hollow shoulder 5

6 The unknown soldier Breakfast where the news is read Television children fed Bullet strikes the helmet's head And, it's all over The war is over It's all over The war is over Well, all over, baby All over, baby Oh, over, yeah All over, baby Wooooo, hah hah All over All over, baby Oh, woa yeah All over All over Heeeeyyyy "Soul Kitchen Well, the clock says it's time to close now I guess I'd better go now I'd really like to stay here all night The cars crawl past all stuffed with eyes Street lights share their hollow glow Your brain seems bruised with numb surprise Still one place to go Still one place to go Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen Warm my mind near your gentle stove Turn me out and I'll wander baby Stumblin' in the neon groves Well, your fingers weave quick minarets Speak in secret alphabets I light another cigarette Learn to forget, learn to forget Learn to forget, learn to forget Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen Warm my mind near your gentle stove Turn me out and I'll wander baby Stumblin' in the neon groves Well the clock says it's time to close now I know I have to go now 6

7 I really want to stay here All night, all night, all night "The Soft Parade" When I was back there in seminary school 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 7

8 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 8

9 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 What got us this far To this mild equator? Outskirts of the city You and I We need someone new Somethin' new Somethin' else to get us through Better bring your gun Better bring your gun Tropic corridor Tropic treasure 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 9

Jim Morrison & Arthur Rimbaud

Jim Morrison & Arthur Rimbaud I am Rimbaud with a leather jacket. GEPŠ Piran, Izola, 25. 2. 2014 Martin Mittendorfer, 3.A 15 leten pobegnil k Verlainu, 21 l. končal z aktivnim pisanjem, pri 37 l. je umrl