It’s theatre. Rock theatre. I think Jim was into world history. He mentions the word “ancient” multiple times in the song. Also talks about being lost in a “Roman wilderness of pain.” But he talks about riding the snake to the “ancient lake.” Also talks about how the killer took a face from the “ancient gallery.” And of course oedipus. Ancient Greek mythology.
Morrison read a lot of heavy stuff like Nietzche,Plato, the band name was inspired by a book The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley. There’s a good book written by one of the members (Ray i think) called No One Here Gets Out Alive
The "killer awoke before dawn" reference is to the Oedipus story. See my note on the "Soft Parade" reaction for the whole story. These big sprawling show-stoppers like "The End," "When the Music's Over," and "Celebration of the Lizard," even "The Soft Parade," are full of personal allusions. I don't pretend to know the full depth of their personal meaning to Jim Morrison, but they reward repeated listening. Thumbs up. Subscribed.
I was 16 when this album came out and I have been listening to, reading, and contemplating the Doors music and Morrison's poetry since then. I am still waiting to Grok both in fullness.
Bizarre sums it up - easy to be quasi-speechless after that track! The song itself is an experience, but the atmosphere seems simultaneously soothing yet at certain points, possesses a pervasive tangible tension. Anyways, glad you are enjoying The Doors, unique band to say the least. Thanks for the video!
if you haven't by now check the live versions sometimes.. Morrison was well known to freestyle and add things in like And we were in this house and there was a sound like Silverware being dropped on linoleum, and then Somebody ran into the room and they said "Have you seen the accident outside?" And everybody said: "Hey man, have you seen the accident outside?" Have you seen the accident outside Seven people took a ride Six bachelors and their bride Seven people took a ride Seven people died Don't let me die in an automobile I wanna lie in an open field Want the snakes to suck my skin Want the worms to be my friends Want the birds to eat my eyes As here I lie The clouds fly by Ode to a grasshopper... I think I'll open a little shop, A little place where they sell things And I think I'll call it "Grasshopper"... I have a big green grasshopper out there Have you seen my grasshopper, mama? Looking real good... (Oh, I blew it, it's a moth) That's alright, he ain't got long to go, so we'll forgive him. Ensenada The dog crucifix The dead seal Ghosts of the dead car sun Stop the car I'm getting out, I can't take it Hey, look out, there's somebody coming And there's nothing you can do about it... The killer awoke before dawn He put his boots on
The listener needs to understand the significance of the Father I Want to Kill You reference and the Mother line, and that it is the Oedipus complex story.
So glad you went back and watched the album version. So many Doors songs for you to react to. They are amazing and each album has it's own sound whilst still sounding like The Doors. When The Music's Over you will love and Roadhouse Blues, Love Her Madly and anything by them 👍.
The key to exploring and gaining some insight into Jim Morrison's poetry, which all of the Doors extended epics are, is to read it and hear it through the psychological and philosophical filter. Morrison was intrigued with controlling and manipulating large numbers of people gathered for an event, such as a concert. And his poetry, thoughts, essays, and such are a serious exploration of the human psyche. His lyrics and other writing contain very little triviality. Morrison was a huge influence on my personal interest and subsequent study of psychology.
ayyy i love long songs too, makes it feel like an entire experience. it’s nice seeing that you actually listened and took it all in with no pauses, glad u enjoyed it. also, nice poster. wish you were here is phenomenal
The End might also be about literal death, but it's also about his finally reconciling that it's the end of his relationship with his first love Mary Werbelow.
Jim himself said that the meaning of the song changed throughout his life as he got older. In the the end he thought it to be about the end of youth, adolescence and the beginning of adulthood. But it can be whatever you want it to be..
Interesting to me at any rate, how many of these reaction sites try to project themselves into something they know nothing about. Listening to The End in 2021 for the first time can in no way be compared to listening to it in 1967, when it came out. Too much has happened. This guy can be amazed but what he would have felt long ago would have been a hundred times more intense. The background of the time included 'kids' still mostly being kids...no internet or even access to most underground media of the day...we lived in relative isolation, life centered around family, school, and friends. Other popular music of the day? Given that this album came out in January 1967, not even a Sgt. Pepper or Hendrix or Joplin yet on the scene as far as an album was concerned...there was a Dylan but that was an entirely different scene; the Beatles and 'Baby you can drive my car'...the Young Rascals and the Lovin' Spoonful...Beach Boys...and then The End comes along...a link to an alternate universe. Can't duplicate that today, listening to records 50 years old...
@@remi_newhouse I spent a lot of time in northern California, and I spent some time in the Denver area, beautiful state Colorado however I would say North Carolina yet is the carolina has got you by a point or 2, we have 2 oceans we can get 2 within 6 hours drive, we can get to the Atlantic or we can go down South and go to the Gulf of Mexico answers I love scuba diving It's hard to scuba dive in Colorado lol
Official audio? I might question this. Official according to Francis Ford Coppola? This version is butchered. It adds the helicopter sounds without context. I just feel like you need to hear about "The Killer" and his relationship with his lovely family and what he extracts from "The Ancient Gallery".
@@jemxs Correct, thanks Jemxs. And please note Remi, I did the same thing, complaining about the volume level on the earlier recording. But IT'S level was fine, while THIS one is too low, by about 20dB. Good on you for reacting to both! And that explains why you weren't as slammed by this, it was your second listen. But it _is_ a masterpiece, albeit truly dangerous to hear by someone in mental distress.
This is a great song that I don’t like watching the reactions to it and I will not, BECAUSE of all that hooting and hollering Jim does at the end of the song--that WAS NOT on released recordings for, like 40 years....yes, it happened in real time, and was recorded that way, but the band and producers edited it out, it was an artistic decision made by both parties--Jim was drunk as hell, and it’s just the way it went down--my point is that I’m a purist, I guess u could say, lol....and they released this new version with the hooting and whooping and hollering in 2007, I think, and the point was to give long time fans a little glimpse into Jim’s drunken craziness--but it just runs me wrong, especially that this new version is all u can find nowadays, IMO, the first version that was issued and remained issued for 40 years is vastly superior in every way, where Jim is quiet during the guitar vamp/ramp up/climax at the end--I hope u hear the original mix one day--the song is great rock tho, poetry+hard rocking +jazz+madness
