Here is how I interpreted the song. I list the lyrics below with explanations interspersed.
I remember
Ooo how the darkness doubled (dissatisfaction with his life)
I recall
Lightning struck itself (He had an epiphany)
I was listening
Listening to the rain (he is sad, forlorn, and despairing)
I was hearing
Hearing something else (the embrace of life)
Brief musical interlude. The interlude is surprisingly uplifting given the depressing metaphors (darkness doubled, rain). I believe the musical interlude is the “something else he was hearing”. The musical phrase represents hope, the embrace of life.
Life in the hive puckered up my night,
A kiss of death, the embrace of life
Ooo there I stand neath the Marquee Moon,
Just waiting
Life in the hive (the rat race, a teeming swarm of people with a hive mentality)
Puckered up my night (made my soul uneasy)
Kiss of death (staying in the hive will ruin his life, it is the kiss of death)
The embrace of life (he is choosing to embrace life, carpe dium, living life to the fullest, he will not continue with this living death. This is what he means when he says previously he is hearing something else. Life does not have to be about tedium and despair.)
There I stand neath the Marquee Moon (I take this to mean it was a big bright moon, it’s lit up like a marquee)
Just waiting (waiting for what? He is waiting for the courage to change his life)
I spoke to a man
Down at the tracks
And I ask him
How he don't go mad
He said 'Look here junior, don't you be so happy
And for Heaven's sake, don't you be so sad'
The above verse is the hive coaxing him back in. The hive is neither happy or sad. They just are.
Again we hear the uplifting musical interlude that represents hope. He is not lost yet.
Life in the hive puckered up my night,
The kiss of death, the embrace of life
Ooo there I stand neath the Marquee Moon,
Hesitating
The important part in this verse is the last line, “Hesitating”. He is no longer just waiting for something to change his life. He is building up the courage to take charge and live the life he wants. But he is not quite ready yet.
Well a Cadillac
It pulled out of the graveyard
Pulled up to me
All they said 'get in', get in
Then the Cadillac
It puttered back into the graveyard
Me, I got out again
Again, the hive is dragging him back to the living death, a life of tedium and despair. The graveyard is a metaphor for an unfullfilled life, a living death. When he says “I got out again”, he doesn’t mean he just got out of the car, he got out of the graveyard, he means he left the hive again. But this final escape is his salvation.
Life in the hive puckered up my night,
A kiss of death, the embrace of life
Ooo there I stand neath the Marquee Moon,
I ain't waiting nuh ah
“I ain’t waiting nuh ah”. I think nuh ah means no more. I ain’t waiting no more. He has gathered his courage and is moving on, escaping the hive, becoming his own man.
It is important to remember the last words before the musical interlude begins, “I ain’t waiting no more.” The music, rather than the lyrics tell the remainder of the story. The music beautifully describes his journey, the challenges he must overcome, and ultimately, his triumph.
The guitar solo plays against the bass line. The bass line is monotonous and repetitive and it represents the hive. The thing he wishes to escape. If you notice, the beginning of the guitar solo starts timidly, like a child taking his first steps, but then grows more and more powerful and complex and confident. In my mind I visualize him climbing a mountain, keeping in mind that the mountain is a metaphor for whatever challenges he is facing and trying to overcome. The tone continues to rise, struggling to reach the pinnacle and with a thundering climax it is triumphant. He has overcome, he has reached the top! And then the music softens and in my mind, he has reached the top of the mountain and is looking into the star filled sky. The world is full of wonder. He has escaped, he has succeeded. He is free.
Then near silence. Here I believe we hear the light tapping of a cymbal, like the ticking of a clock. This tapping represents the passage of time. It is followed by drums and bass and then the familiar beginning riffs. But tonally, this is more powerful, more certain, more lively than the similar riff that opened the song. In the beginning, he was living the darkness. In the final movement, many years have passed and he is remembering, with pride, how he turned his life around.
I remember
How the darkness doubled
I recall
Lightning struck itself
I was listening
Listening to the rain
I was hearing
Hearing something else
After the lyrics end, we hear the musical interlude that represents hope. Followed by a final musical passage that represents peace.
In summary, this song tells the inspirational story about a person’s journey from the darkness to the light and how he finds peace in a crazy world. The thing that makes this a masterpiece is the way it uses both words and music to tell the story.
Marquee Moon – Explained
Here is how I interpreted the song. I list the lyrics below with explanations interspersed.
I remember Ooo how the darkness doubled (dissatisfaction with his life) I recall Lightning struck itself (He had an epiphany)
I was listening Listening to the rain (he is sad, forlorn, and despairing) I was hearing Hearing something else (the embrace of life)
Brief musical interlude. The interlude is surprisingly uplifting given the depressing metaphors (darkness doubled, rain). I believe the musical interlude is the “something else he was hearing”. The musical phrase represents hope, the embrace of life.
Life in the hive puckered up my night, A kiss of death, the embrace of life Ooo there I stand neath the Marquee Moon, Just waiting
Life in the hive (the rat race, a teeming swarm of people with a hive mentality) Puckered up my night (made my soul uneasy) Kiss of death (staying in the hive will ruin his life, it is the kiss of death) The embrace of life (he is choosing to embrace life, carpe dium, living life to the fullest, he will not continue with this living death. This is what he means when he says previously he is hearing something else. Life does not have to be about tedium and despair.) There I stand neath the Marquee Moon (I take this to mean it was a big bright moon, it’s lit up like a marquee) Just waiting (waiting for what? He is waiting for the courage to change his life)
I spoke to a man Down at the tracks And I ask him How he don't go mad He said 'Look here junior, don't you be so happy And for Heaven's sake, don't you be so sad'
The above verse is the hive coaxing him back in. The hive is neither happy or sad. They just are. Again we hear the uplifting musical interlude that represents hope. He is not lost yet.
Life in the hive puckered up my night, The kiss of death, the embrace of life Ooo there I stand neath the Marquee Moon, Hesitating
The important part in this verse is the last line, “Hesitating”. He is no longer just waiting for something to change his life. He is building up the courage to take charge and live the life he wants. But he is not quite ready yet.
Well a Cadillac It pulled out of the graveyard Pulled up to me All they said 'get in', get in Then the Cadillac It puttered back into the graveyard Me, I got out again
Again, the hive is dragging him back to the living death, a life of tedium and despair. The graveyard is a metaphor for an unfullfilled life, a living death. When he says “I got out again”, he doesn’t mean he just got out of the car, he got out of the graveyard, he means he left the hive again. But this final escape is his salvation.
Life in the hive puckered up my night, A kiss of death, the embrace of life Ooo there I stand neath the Marquee Moon, I ain't waiting nuh ah
“I ain’t waiting nuh ah”. I think nuh ah means no more. I ain’t waiting no more. He has gathered his courage and is moving on, escaping the hive, becoming his own man.
It is important to remember the last words before the musical interlude begins, “I ain’t waiting no more.” The music, rather than the lyrics tell the remainder of the story. The music beautifully describes his journey, the challenges he must overcome, and ultimately, his triumph.
The guitar solo plays against the bass line. The bass line is monotonous and repetitive and it represents the hive. The thing he wishes to escape. If you notice, the beginning of the guitar solo starts timidly, like a child taking his first steps, but then grows more and more powerful and complex and confident. In my mind I visualize him climbing a mountain, keeping in mind that the mountain is a metaphor for whatever challenges he is facing and trying to overcome. The tone continues to rise, struggling to reach the pinnacle and with a thundering climax it is triumphant. He has overcome, he has reached the top! And then the music softens and in my mind, he has reached the top of the mountain and is looking into the star filled sky. The world is full of wonder. He has escaped, he has succeeded. He is free.
Then near silence. Here I believe we hear the light tapping of a cymbal, like the ticking of a clock. This tapping represents the passage of time. It is followed by drums and bass and then the familiar beginning riffs. But tonally, this is more powerful, more certain, more lively than the similar riff that opened the song. In the beginning, he was living the darkness. In the final movement, many years have passed and he is remembering, with pride, how he turned his life around.
I remember How the darkness doubled I recall Lightning struck itself
I was listening Listening to the rain I was hearing Hearing something else
After the lyrics end, we hear the musical interlude that represents hope. Followed by a final musical passage that represents peace.
In summary, this song tells the inspirational story about a person’s journey from the darkness to the light and how he finds peace in a crazy world. The thing that makes this a masterpiece is the way it uses both words and music to tell the story.