Bowie, David - 'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore Lyrics

the sax in this tune is off the Richter

This badass made an album with songs full of swear words and he didn’t give a shit about being radio friendly.

Tis a pity you sang about nothing." This was the War.For that was patrol." Idiot.

'Tis a pity she was a bore


there, I fixed it

I miss you, my dude.

I just got this cd a few days ago. I LOVE IT!!!!!!

OMG this CD is awesome.

It's odd timing but this is one of my favorite Bowie songs. Just so happened to be his last album and this version is better than the first.

I never was a huge fan of Bowie before, I liked him and all but, Black Star is a godlike level masterpiece, every track I heard blows me away, and it's feels like this man had this idea coming all along. Long time without finding some legit piece of art, amazed.

So creative 'till the second he died. R.I.P.

Roxy Music live at the Burlesque Crack Den

Meravigliosa meravigliosa meravigliosa♥♥♥
Sebbene mi strappi il cuore ogni volta che la ascolto!

men love to be tortured and exploited by women.

Tis a pity. Stupid Paisley and Hannah. Love u bowie.

I love David Bowie’s music a lot, but this song is probably my least favorite.

Even dying Bowie is better than anyone today there will never be another like him

La perfection, grandiose, du Bowie, merci, 👌👍🙏

One of the most strangely moving songs I have ever heard.

Shit is ill

Tis
a pity she was a horse?.a Blackpool who're stole my purse with rattling speed along with my phone and Gucci watch.

The horn fill on the major key at 1:59 is tight

Love this so - still finding it hard to listen to Blackstar, but when I do, its so Brilliant!!

Exactly my thoughts. It makes me both sad and happy.

Despite being a Bowie fan since 71 I never understood his love of jazz. Strictly R&R, me. Then I heard this. Very rapidly slipping into my all-time Bowie top ten.

Gerard Mann I agree, it's just so brilliant, his earlier demo version is almost more visceral - up there with his very best

Absolutely breathtaking...

oh know that the six years bowie and pop lived together in berlin,it fused him, BERLIN, THE CITY OF PAUL HINDEMITH THE WEIMAR WIZARD.BRIAN ENO HAS HIS POSITION IN THE ILLUSTRIOUS '''HIGH SCHOOL''', this i bet is being danced by some wild old berliners,tango anyone

triggered my MISOPHONIA!!!!!!!!!

Joyful and wretched at the same time.

one of the most beautiful drum grooves I've ever heard. Thank you Mark

From my bedroom in 1968 until now and beyond the man's musical genius filled my lonely world with hope and joy and made me realize every emotion I felt was natural and should be celebrated. I don't know where I would be today if I hadn't had this mans music, he seemed to be able to communicate with me much better than anyone else, and I am forever grateful for that !

wow, David

Only David Bowie could turn his death into art.

So I listened to Blackstar a number of months ago and never listen to the whole album, at this point I never really listened to an actual “Album”. like I only listened to the first few seconds of each song and only stuck around for Dollar Days. My jeez have I ever been so wrong. Listen to the whole album while your about to go to sleep but not quite asleep 👌 with headphones

I miss this man everyday of my life

Went out on a high. Never be another one like him.

good song but it's exactly the same rhythm as on you've been around on the lp black tie , white noise

Which itself is a great song, with epic sax

Ewerybody rigfht : Great!
Напишу по русски : Охуительно!

Enough energy here to light a big town.

Can wait to hear this on my sonos

The sax in the song, the drums, the voice, everything in this album is perfect.

2018 <3

This gives me a strong Black Tie White Noise vibe... and I love that album so I approve. 👍

RIP Mr Jones

David is forever young..

Bowie is my favourite singer /songwriter ,no one comes near ! Seen him 12 times in concert from 1977 ( still at school ) to 2013. Best album at the moment is Heroes, but has been Hunky Dory . Ziggy , Diamond Dogs , Station to Station , Low ,and Scary Monsters. Best and totally underated albums since Scary Monsters are.... Earthling (buy it ) Heathen , Blackstar !
Man Who Sold The World. Aladdin Sane is also great albums.

'Tis a pity we lost David Bowie.
But he is still with us.

the goat

he left us on the highest peak of hi career

This is he. From the last album I have been listening only to this.
The sighs "do I really do this again", wow.
I really admire his conception of the illness that finally killed him.
David Bowie just happens to be one of the greatest artists of modern times.

This song beckons a word of praise deserved only by the highest of wise men. To Valhalla comrade for the glory of our forefathers is to be expressed through the act of this poetry. Rest in peace for a heroes welcome is to be not forfeit but enacted with reverence, honor, and respect.

Good job, Spongebob.

Hola !!! David ¿quieres un cafe?

I'm so sad that I could never go and see him perform live, I am also very sad that I was a fan of his music after he died. This is one of my favourite songs he's made, it gives me chills!

Can´t you hear it? David Bowie summarizes his life in this particular piece of music.

How so?

The energy man

Love it

This is the only Bowie album I ever heard......turns out ; Tis my favorite album ever......LAZARUS

David
The World Misses You
10 / 16 / 18

Such a pity

When Bowie died it was like losing a father. He was truly one of the greats.

This is music

This is my describing my ex

Fucking breathtaking. I love jazz influences in various genres, especially in rock music and electronic music, so this whole album is a masterpiece for me because it blends it all and it fits fantastically together which is outstanding and hard to do.

So amazing RIP Starman!

MAESTRO!!!

Heroes are remembered, but legends never die.

My favorite music ever．．．．．．．．．

before anyone listens to this song you need to check out youtube for his rock version of this song its way better by a mile

Space Boy is not dead, he just went Home...

The pure artist. You can be one, too. Go on, then.

Amazing

I don't like this version. Too balanced, not enough chaos.

Premonitoire
L'album sort peu de jour avant la disparition de Monsieur David Bowie
Emouvant
Les clips tele sont mortiferaires
Son chant du cygne !

This humorous brilliant man probably picked the age of 69 to die on purpose lol. Rip David Jones

The drums & bass line...Wow... Point your woofer on your stomach. You will *feel* the magic...

why is this so underrated

Song reminds me of my ex wife

Cool, it's the new nine inch nails song:god break down the door. Why does it say David Bowie? Did he cover it before he died?

Bad Witch !

A 352 viejos prematuros no les gusta lo que hacen los viejos más jóvenes del mundo.

Come si fa a mettere non mi piace a un capolavoro del genere.
Mentecatti!!!!!

It's that bass line I love.

WOW!, I believe I know what this song is about.
OKAY, OKAY, I’m pretty sure I know what this song is about.
ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, I’m 99.9% sure that I not only know what this song is about, I also know who this song about, and, importantly, why David Bowie even wrote this song.
To understand what this song is about or, for that matter, who this song is about, one must first understand the clues for the song which David Bowie left on his Facebook page on November 9, 2014. If you don’t first understand these clues and how Bowie is using them, you won’t fully understand exactly who or what is the subject matter of the song.
With this in mind, let’s examine and break down the clues on Bowie’s Facebook page.
David Bowie
November 9, 2014
DAVID BOWIE ‘TIS A PITY SHE WAS A WHORE’
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE NOW
‘TIS A PITY SHE WAS A WHORE is a brand-new demo track from DAVID BOWIE available for digital download now and taken from the forthcoming limited edition 10” single of SUE (OR IN A SEASON OF CRIME) which is released on Parlophone on November 17th.
‘TIS A PITY SHE WAS A WHORE is described by Bowie as “If Vorticists wrote Rock Music it might have sounded like this”.
The song acknowledges the shocking rawness of the First World War and the title is a play on ‘Tis Pity She's A Whore’ a John Ford Restoration play first performed in 1629 at the Cockpit Theatre in London. The demo track was recorded, played and written by David Bowie in his home studio.
The artwork for ‘TIS A PITY SHE WAS A WHORE was again designed by Jonathan Barnbrook continuing the linking theme of the NOTHING HAS CHANGED sleeves of Bowie looking into a mirror.
‘TIS A PITY SHE WAS A WHORE is also featured on the limited edition 10’ single and digital bundle of SUE (OR IN A SEASON OF CRIME) which was described by The Daily Telegraph as “the latest example of Bowie’s genius
for self-reinvention. Yes, there’s the sound of a big band in the background, but it’s a deeply strange sound, without a trace of nostalgia. And as for the voice, it’s as uncanny as ever, but freighted with decades of experience. The song seems familiar and deeply strange at once, with an extraordinary blend of nostalgia and irony. If jazz is the “sound of surprise”, then Bowie has certainly found it”.
After reading the post above, we find that David Bowie left five clues for this song on his Facebook page. These clues are as follows:
1) Vorticists.
2) The song acknowledges the shocking rawness of the First World War.
3) The title is a play on ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, a John Ford Restoration play.
4) The artwork for ‘TIS A PITY SHE WAS A WHORE.
5) The linking theme of the NOTHING HAS CHANGED sleeves of Bowie looking into a mirror.
Chapter 1: The First Three Clues
The First Clue
Question: What is a Vorticist?
Answer: A Vorticist is an artist who practiced the art of Vorticism.
Question: What is Vorticism?
Answer: Vorticism was a short lived modernist movement in British art and poetry of the early 20th century partly inspired by Cubism. Founded by Wyndham Lewis, it attempted to relate art to industrialization. The movement was announced in 1914 in the first issue of BLAST, which contained its manifesto and the movement’s rejection of landscape and nudes in favor of a geometric style tending towards abstraction. Ultimately, it was their witnessing of unfolding human disaster in World War I that “drained these artists of their Vorticist zeal.” In the visual arts, Vorticist
compositions were abstract and sharp-planed, showing the influence of Cubism and Futurism. Artists involved in the movement included the poet
Ezra Pound and the sculptor Jacob Epstein. Vorticism was based in London but was international in make-up and ambition.
The Second Clue
The song acknowledges the shocking rawness of the First World War.
However, the song is not, as some people believe, about the First World War. The song is about a war; just not the First World War.
The Third Clue
Question: What is the John Ford Restoration play, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore about?
Answer: The play is about a brother (Giovanni) and sister (Annabella) who developed an incestuous passion for each other which they eventually consummated.
The play examines the tragedies which occur within their family after their forbidden relationship is consummated.
Annabella has three suitors Bergetto, Grimaldi, and Soranzo (a wise, rich, and kind nobleman). She is not interested in any of them but when she becomes pregnant with her brother’s child she marries Soranzo (the most eligible of the three to whom her father had already promised her hand in marriage) to cover up the illicit affair and to hide the fact that she is now pregnant. When Soranzo discovers Annabella’s pregnancy, the two argue until Annabella realizes that Soranzo truly loved her, and finds herself consumed with guilt. She is confined to her room by her husband, who plots with his servant to avenge him of his cheating wife and her unknown lover. Once Soranzo finds out the identity of the baby’s father, Annabella writes a letter to her brother warning him that Soranzo knows the truth and will soon wreak his revenge. Giovanni, too arrogant to believe that he can be harmed, ignores her advice to decline the invitation to Soranzo’s birthday feast. On the day of the feast, Giovanni visits Annabella in her room and stabs her when she tries to end the affair with him. He then enters the feast, wielding a dagger on which his sister’s heart is skewered, and tells every one of the incestuous affair. His and Annabella’s father, Florio, dies immediately from the shock. Soranzo begins to attack Giovanni, but
Giovanni manages to stab and kill him. Soranzo’s servant intervenes, wounding Giovanni before ordering bandits to finish the job.
Essentially, the play is about the rawness (or horrors) of war within a family; what happens when people cross lines (which should never be crossed) within a family.
Question: Why is Annabella called a whore at the end of the play?
Answer: Annabella is called a whore at the end of the play because she is a deceitful, manipulative woman who (1) married her husband to cover up her ongoing affair with her brother, (2) married her husband to hide the fact that she is pregnant by her brother, (3) married her husband, Soranzo, for money (Soranzo was rich; he had his own money), and (4) she married Soranzo for a higher position in society (Soranzo was a titled man).
Annabella’s decision to marry Soranzo was based solely on cold calculation; not emotion; not love.
Soranzo married Annabella for love; he fell in love with her.
She, however, never loved him.
Essentially, Annabella committed marital fraud against Soranzo when she married him
I believe that with the first three clues on his Facebook page, David Bowie is telling us that he is using Vorticism poetry (not art) set to Rock Music to tell us a story about the shocking horrors of war.
However, as I said earlier, I don’t believe that he’s talking about World War I. He specifically says in the second clue that the song acknowledges the shocking rawness of World War I; not that the song is about the shocking rawness of World War I.
I believe that the war David Bowie is talking about is much more personal. I believe that, like the John Ford play, Bowie is talking about the horrors of war within a family; specifically, the horrors of war within a marriage (what happens when lines (which should never be crossed) are crossed within a marriage (the very foundation of the family)).
I think that this song is about domestic violence; domestic abuse. However, the person being abused is not a woman; someone’s wife. The person being abused is a man; someone’s husband.
In other words, I believe that this is a song about a man who is abused by his wife.
Essentially, this is a rock song about domestic abuse wherein the abuse victim is confiding in a Friend about the ongoing physical and mental abuse inflicted upon him by his wife.
See details for this book (THE DAVID BOWIE PROJECT: AN ANALYSIS OF DAVID BOWIE’S SONG: “TIS A PITY SHE WAS A WHORE. THE BLACKSTAR VERSION by Karen A. Fields) in the Amazon Kindle Store.

just imagine if he actually died.

Incommensurable David

she was a dude

I miss hearing his voice. I miss hearing him breathe.

Woah. Are those star fragments at the bottom supposed to spell out "bowie"?

OH SHIT

NEVER NOTICED THAT

Oh dude,I never thought

I never noticed that! You're right!

I always thought that the big star is a parallel to David's star, being it, with the fragments below, "DAVID bowie"

Wow, thanks for bringing that to my attention. I never noticed.

the drums are insane as well as its sax !!! omg

Not a pity if she's your ATF

Reading the book HERO:... tears will flow....

Black stars are gods creation, they can do anything! Any time, any place.

Great artist a man Amazing

I listen to that, drink to somewhat else

It was unfair of his wife to have psychic sex with someone else when she had David Bowie

does anyone know the drummer and sax player
names?

drummer: Mark Guiliana
saxophonist: Donny McCaslin

Thank You!

His VOICE is what makes this song amazing!

Perfect song for my Ex