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AstronomyClock strikes twelve and moondrops burst
Out at you from their hiding place
Like acid and oil on a madman's face
His reason tends to fly away
Like lesser birds on the four winds
Like silver scrapes in May
And now the sand's become a crust
Most of you have gone away
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Four winds at the Four Winds Bar
Two doors locked and windows barred
One door to let to take you in
The other one just mirrors it
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Hellish glare and inference
The other one's a duplicate
The Queenly flux, eternal light
Or the light that never warms
Yes the light that never, never warms
Or the light that never
Never warms
Never warms
Never warms
The clock strikes twelve and moondrops burst
Out at you from their hiding place
Miss Carrie nurse and Susie dear
Would find themselves at Four Winds Bar
It's the nexus of the crisis
And the origin of storms
Just the place to hopelessly
Encounter time and then came me
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Call me Desdinova
Eternal light
These gravely digs of mine
Will surely prove a sight
And don't forget my dog
Fixed and consequent
Astronomy...a star
This is one of my favorite songs by Blue Oyster Cult (My all time fave is "Don't Fear the Reaper". (I will have a page about it later.) I first heard it when I bought "Cult Classics" just for "Reaper", "Burning for You" and "Godzilla". Astronomy quickly caught my imagination. When I hear it I imagine a sea side village on a clear night. The kind of scene I usually try to capture when I run a game of Dungeons&Dragons.(The effect is always lost on the blood thirsty players.)
For a few years I always listened to that song in private under the impression that no one else (that I knew) appreciated it. My friend, Rob, bought another BOC albulm (again for "Reaper") and did give Astronomy a listen, but was not as impressed as I was. In an ironic (and profetic) twist of events, after the song was over he pulled the tape out of the tape deck and said: "Let's listen to something we can both agree on.". He then popped in Metallica.
I bought Garage Inc. only because it was Metallica. I knew it was all covers, but never looked to see what covers were on it. When I got it home, I immediatly put it on, and then read what songs were on it. Low and behold, ther was Astronomy! Now I know I'm not the only one who appreciated it.
Metallica's version sets the same scenery in my mind exept it adds an Asatru feel to it. The village now looks like a scene from Eric the Viking, exept not as dark and with more fireworks(???). The begining of their version makes me think of shooting stars falling fron the sky over the village.
I like the song for the way it sounds. However, I could never figured out what the song was about. Some of the lyrics fit into my scene of the village. but the rest eludes me. Why is Carrie reading a map at the bar and why is she refered to later as Miss Carrie nurse (miscarry)?
And for that matter,why is it called Astronomy?
When I got this copy of the lyrics I thought there was a typo in this part:
Four winds at the Four Winds Bar
Two doors locked and windows barred
One door to let to take you in
The other one just mirrors it
I thought it was supposed to go"One door there to take you in", but I left it as is. Has more meaning if you think about it. Sounds like it's saying that, at first, you think you're entering the Four Winds bar on your own free will.
My final opinion on what it it's about (without actually looking it up): It's written in train of thought. An old man contemplating on his past, present and future as he speaks to a young girl who is about to be married. The references are still an enigma to me though. If you have any more insights, email me and let me know.