David Bowie

Released: March 8, 2013

Songwriter: Tony Visconti David Bowie

Producer: David Bowie Tony Visconti

[Verse 1]
Nabokov is sun-licked now
Upon the beach at Grunewald
Brilliant and naked just
The way that authors look
Clare and Lady Manners drink
Until the other cows go home
Gossip till their lips are bleeding
Politics and all

[Chorus]
I’d rather be high
I’d rather be flying
I’d rather be dead
Or out of my head
Than training these guns on those men in the sand
I’d rather be high

[Verse 2]
The Thames was black, the tower dark
I flew to Cairo, find my regiment
City’s full of generals
And generals full of shit
I stumble to the graveyard and I
Lay down by my parents, whisper
Just remember duckies
Everybody gets got

[Chorus]
I’d rather be high
I’d rather be flying
I’d rather be dead
Or out of my head
Than training these guns on those men in the sand
I’d rather be high

[Bridge]
I’m seventeen my looks can prove it
I’m so afraid that I will lose it
I’d rather smoke and phone my ex
Be pleading for some teenage sex
Yeah

[Chorus]
I’d rather be high
I’d rather be flying
I’d rather be dead
Or out of my head
Than training these guns on the men in the sand
I’d rather be high

David Bowie (1947 – 2016) was a British musician, and one of the most iconic rock stars with a widely diverse career where he frequently changed his appearance and musical style, resulting in an acclaimed discography comparable to other stalwarts such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Born David Robert Jones, Bowie quickly renamed himself to prevent confusion with The Monkees singer Davy Jones. Enduring many early missteps, he rose to prominence when his most famous song, “Space Oddity,” was played during the coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Despite this early breakthrough, Bowie remained a cult figure for several years. Even the release of Hunky Dory, his first great album, went largely unnoticed. Bowie only lodged himself firmly in the public consciousness when he announced his bisexuality and created Ziggy Stardust in early 1972. A Martian who combined the debauchery of Iggy Pop with the artistry of Lou Reed, Ziggy was the main character in Bowie’s breakthrough album, and his public persona for eighteen months.

Bowie used his new-found popularity to move to America, and dabble with new musical directions and cocaine. Diamond Dogs and Young Americans continue to divide critics, but Station To Station found Bowie at a new creative peak, despite escalating drug use and related health issues.

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