David Bowie - All The Madmen Lyrics






Day after day
They send my friends away
To mansions cold and grey
To the far side of town
Where the thin men stalk the streets
While the sane stay underground

Day after day
They tell me I can go
They tell me I can blow
To the far side of town
Where it's pointless to be high
'Cause it's such a long way down
So I tell them that
I can fly, I will scream, I will break my arm

I will do me harm
Here I stand, foot in hand, talking to my wall
I'm not quite right at all...am I?

Don't set me free, I'm as heavy as can be
Just my librium and me
And my E.S.T. makes three

'Cause I'd rather stay here
With all the madmen
Than perish with the sadmen roaming free

And I'd rather play here
With all the madmen
For I'm quite content they're all as sane as me

(Where can the horizon lie
When a nation hides
Its organic minds in a cellar...dark and grim
They must be very dim)

Day after day
They take some brain away
Then turn my face around
To the far side of town
And tell me that it's real
Then ask me how I feel

Here I stand, foot in hand, talking to my wall
I'm not quite right at all
Don't set me free, I'm as helpless as can be
My libido's split on me
Gimme some good 'ole lobotomy

'Cause I'd rather stay here
With all the madmen
Than perish with the sadmen
Roaming free And I'd rather play here
With all the madmen
For I'm quite content
They're all as sane as me
Zane, Zane, Zane Ouvre le Chien [rpt]





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David Bowie All The Madmen Comments
  1. E.... S....

    Reminds me of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl"...
    youtu.be / lM9BMVFpk80

  2. M.... P....

    Released in the Year 1970 - Still sounds fresh in 2020

  3. m.... k....

    epic metal

  4. J.... S....

    Very early blackstar

  5. e.... S....

    Zane Zane Zane ouvre le chien!

  6. J.... T....

    Very underrated Bowie song. At his best here.

  7. f.... P....

    Feeling this right now

  8. t.... ....

    Mick Ronson makes this

  9. r.... ....

    ..and please put your hands together for the fantastic Spiders from Mars!

  10. D.... ....

    Love Visconti's bass slides in this track.

  11. S.... ....

    Oustanding song, one of his best, one of his most underrated.
    Such a bold and personal topic, masterfully treated both lyrically and musically. This song is dark and heavy, but the incredible outro brings light to this song. And Mick Ronson's guitar playing during all the song is flawless.

    S.... ....

    Bowie fans don't underrate this mini masterpiece.

    S.... ....

    This is Bowie at his peak: 'Width of a Circle' + 'All the Madmen' = his best songs in my opinion, although I love the Ziggy, Low, Heathen and * albums as well.

  12. R.... T....

    FOLKS!!!.....Don't forget about the OUTSTANDING performance by Mick Ronson on Lead Guitar, Tony Visconti on Bass, and the sensational synthesizer lines of Ralph Mace. Plus, Mick Woodmansey on drums. This is David's finest album. And his supporting cast had quite alot to do with it. A MASTERPIECE!!!

  13. E.... E....

    Not as good as Morrissey.

  14. J.... J....

    He is unsurpassed, in the early 70s he had the best music and the best album covers by a country mile

  15. V.... B....

    the best song of bowie, the mind fly....

  16. C.... R....

    What a tune. Such creativity . We were so privileged but didn’t realised that until now,

  17. C.... L....

    You know it's a masterpiece-rock-song when he managed to let the flutes sound real badass. A genius.

  18. R.... R....

    I'm like trying to quit smoking (cigarrettes) while listening this , damn damn, I don't think I have balls yet . This is fcking hard as hell , David plese help me . RIP mr Bowie

  19. n.... ....

    My favourite song ever,always shed a tear when I hear this song.... so sad

  20. R.... ....

    One of the best songs ever. Should have been in the "Apocalypse Now" soundtrack.

  21. F.... ....

    Forgotten greats...

  22. R.... L....

    In the annals of rock, one of the best phrases ever..."Where can..." etc.

  23. E.... E....

    Genius. What an incredible sentiment and song.
    Relevant now and forever.

  24. N.... C....

    Sadly there will never be another Bowie

  25. C.... R....

    Such a poignant song for David to write. Pushing the boundaries that we are all challenging today (45 years + on). Thank you for being there when nobody understood

  26. R.... L....

    Where can the horizon lie...

  27. I.... ....

    Fucking bloody brilliant

  28. B.... B....

    @2:40 'He followed me home mummy, can I keep him..?' From an advert at the time I'm sure....But what WAS It..??

  29. z.... ....

    How has anything Batman related NEVER used this song especially for anything related to Arkham?!

  30. k.... ....

    arthur lee meets syd

  31. J.... B....

    "I will break my arm. I will do me harm." -- Such a sad tribute to his brother.

  32. A.... S....

    Alex from Clockwork Orange in the cinema

  33. T.... H....

    you might want to check out "the mind electric". it's also to do with mental illness. great song.

  34. M.... W....

    I think this stands up with Bowie's best. My favourite track is The Supermen, but every time I hear this it becomes an earworm.

  35. S.... P....

    rest in peace mr stardust

  36. D.... C....

    To the far side of town...

  37. M.... H....

    I wonder if this is about his brother ..killed himself of a bridge in coulsden surrey ..in the grounds of a mental institute

  38. m.... p....

    have you ever seen people dying

    my dad died on xmas eve that was bad man at that time i would have been crying

  39. m.... p....

    have you ever seen fractured rock

  40. m.... p....

    would you have done that

  41. m.... p....

    how do you get the people to realise that there is a break

  42. m.... p....

    oh no ive suddenly realised something kindof hit me today

  43. m.... p....

    zane zane ouvre le chien zane zane ouvre le chien paste adinfinitum

  44. m.... p....

    don t set me free

  45. m.... p....

    day after day - it 's like a poem to the old war boys - our grandfathers or maybe great grandfathers - i d rather play here with all the madmen

  46. T.... L....

    Tony Visconti, Inspired bass playing personified !

  47. T.... ....

    Unfortunately my love for this song did not lead to a teenage dream fulfilled to be institutionalized for life

  48. p.... w....

    Id rather stay here too.

  49. A.... H....

    late for me to notice that the outro for this song is the same with Buddha of Suburbia

  50. E.... P....

    they tell me that it's real then ask me how I feel

  51. M.... D....

    The original album cover was a comic book frame.

    M.... D....

    The original American album cover was.

  52. t.... ....

    man ..... the man who sold the world is one of the most harmed albums of the bowie, in my opinion, one of the best albums ever made in the 70's

    t.... ....

    What does "harmed albums" mean?

  53. t.... .....

    les choeurs de " zane zane zane ouvrez le chien" sont géniaux

  54. t.... .....

    la plus belle chanson à la "folie"

  55. e.... ....

    i hope he got to keep him

  56. e.... ....

    day after day you will live on i wish all the very best to all bowie lovers he was no still is the very best.happy trails

  57. p.... ....

    Dave, you were and still are the greatest. MIss him.

  58. H.... J....

    I'm not quite right at all...... am I ? Miss you forever my hero

  59. J.... J....

    This song was stuck in my head whilst in the booby hatch... On librium too. Hahaha.

  60. e.... ....

    not mad just the very best david the man king for a day

  61. P.... ....

    Open the dog

  62. G.... G....

    Wonderful and top guitar.

  63. D.... P....

    I read in a biography about Bowie that he had a brother who suffered from schizophrenia. At some point, his brother jumped in front of an oncoming train and killed himself. Bowie wrote this song in protest of treatment of patients in mental asylums.

  64. K.... W....

    best listened to at night in a dark room...trust me

  65. M.... J....

    That bridge with the voices in the middle is wack

  66. O.... Y....

    Thank you for posting this. ^_^

  67. r.... b....

    goes on a bit? x

  68. P.... X....

    The madduns are the bestuns. No straight and narrow for people like us.

  69. S.... s....

    One of my favourite songs, actually!
    Makes me think of my brother. He is NOT crazy, but a legal practitioner who sometimes deals with people who are hospitalized under a court order. Sometimes he goes to the hospital to see those patients on what he calls his ”Psych rounds” to talk to them so he can see if they are stable enough to have the court order removed. Sometimes the patient sounds really stable and full of insight during the ”Psych round”, and even seems ready to go home. Then a few hours later ... my brother’s phone rings, and... it’s that ”stable” patient, and he or she starts to talk, and its just like 2:49 in this song😂😂 i can imagine my brother saying like ”ehhhrm... right, mister... we’ll see what we can do...”

  70. a.... t....

    Zane zane zane
    ouvre le chien.

  71. k.... s....

    Still discovering gems like this.

    k.... s....

    keep treasure hunting love. it only gets finer.

  72. t.... ....

    This album was not as popular as his other albums, but is probably one of his best.

  73. F.... I....

    I dedicate this song to two of my angels Vincent van Gogh and Juventino Rosas misunderstood artists and musicians who died in poverty and who never got to reap from their Fame and Fortune

  74. S.... R....

    Never thought I,d be replicated and presented to the world

  75. W.... C....

    This song is my Librium! RIP Genius.

  76. F.... K....

    THIS is the song and album that BLOW my mind at 15 ,Thanks from the heart D.B.,and M.Ronson ,and all that wonderful band.Peace

  77. C.... ....

    Ass kicking song

  78. W.... ....

    Piercing madness like a chorus to the soul, what a gem.

  79. m.... r....

    best outro ever

    m.... r....

    along with the bewlay brothers

  80. M.... b....

    Dedicada a su hermano

  81. G.... K....

    Nobody ever again will match this man's brilliance.

    G.... K....

    Totally agree with you!! Nobody.......

    G.... K....

    That way of thinking is u truly depressing. I think people ahould keep their minds open. That was the message all along.

    G.... K....

    @Alex Rey yeeeeeeeaaaaah but?,,.....

  82. E.... V....

    Day after day 
    They send my friends away 
    To mansions cold and grey 
    To the far side of town 
    Where the thin men stalk the streets 
    While the sane stay underground 

    Day after day 
    They tell me I can go 
    They tell me I can blow 
    To the far side of town 
    Where it's pointless to be high 
    'Cause it's such a long way down 
    So I tell them that 
    I can fly, I will scream, I will break my arm 

    I will do me harm 
    Here I stand, foot in hand, talking to my wall 
    I'm not quite right at all...am I? 

    Don't set me free, I'm as heavy as can be 
    Just my librium and me 
    And my E.S.T. makes three 

    'Cause I'd rather stay here 
    With all the madmen 
    Than perish with the sadmen roaming free 

    And I'd rather play here 
    With all the madmen 
    For I'm quite content they're all as sane as me 

    (Where can the horizon lie 
    When a nation hides 
    Its organic minds in a cellar...dark and grim
    They must be very dim) 

    Day after day 
    They take some brain away 
    Then turn my face around 
    To the far side of town 
    And tell me that it's real 
    Then ask me how I feel 

    Here I stand, foot in hand, talking to my wall 
    I'm not quite right at all 
    Don't set me free, I'm as helpless as can be 
    My libido's split on me 
    Gimme some good 'ole lobotomy 

    'Cause I'd rather stay here 
    With all the madmen 
    Than perish with the sadmen 
    Roaming free And I'd rather play here 
    With all the madmen 
    For I'm quite content 
    They're all as sane as me 
    Zane, Zane, Zane Ouvre le Chien

    E.... V....

    @Rina Dreftscott yes I speak French also... I think we should look for the original LP and look up for the lyrics. At the time they always came with the disks...

    E.... V....

    @Tanya Davis if I were to listen without reading the lyrics it sounds like "sane sane sane.......(something) by the chain. I may have the CD somewhere to have a look though.

    E.... V....

    Elisa Villalobos finally someone added the line ...my libido’s split on me...I looked up some of the lyrics for this song in google and most of them cut out this line

    E.... V....

    @Andrea Prodan one of the concerts i saw he played the Bunuel movie instead of a support act. It wasn't too pleasant being on another planet and having to see that razor blade cutting out an eye. I guess it had made a big impression on Bowie as well. It all makes sense now.

    E.... V....

    He is right it is "Ouvrez le chien"

  83. c.... ....

    Goodbye Moonmen! :/

  84. B.... ....

    His best song from his best LP in my opinion. Check Tony Visconti playing recorder during the intro. The loopy melody sets up the lyrical chaos about to unfold. Bowie's lyric here is partly autobiographical because his brother was reportedly spending in and out of mental institutions at the time. I love the whole LP. It still stands above almost all of what would come later. This is so, so raw compared to Ziggy, which I also love. Of course, he had to change. This is Bowie at his early, unvarnished best. We are lucky to have this on vinyl for posterity. And let's not forget the title track, The Man Who Sold the World. A slab of absolute perfection in the entire rock canon.

    B.... ....

    I really don't get it. I am a huge Bowie fan, and I like TMWSTW very much. Still there are at least 15 other Bowie albums I like more

    B.... ....

    @ivankaramasov that's perfect

  85. I.... a....

    ABSOLUTE

  86. A.... G....

    fantastic

  87. D.... B....

    I've had librium its like Valium

  88. D.... B....

    the under ground pion3er

  89. 1.... ....

    R.I.P. David Bowie
    One of the biggest legends of music 8 Jan 1947 - 10 Jan 2016

  90. F.... S....

    for some reason this song always makes me cry. it's so beautiful

  91. C.... S....

    Wonder why he never did any of these songs at little date?

  92. S.... ....

    One of my favorite tunes to play guitar to.

  93. b.... ....

    fine song

  94. D.... W....

    Listening to this at past midnight January 2017 Oh Lord thank you for David Bowie

  95. L.... V....

    Superb, his earlier work often overlooked but his best in my view. Missing you more than I can say Starman.

  96. t.... .....

    zane zane zane ouvrez le chien ...

  97. J.... ....

    Musical jewel never equaled

  98. m.... s....

    If you think about it , and be honest, everyone has a bit of madness in them ,
    god bless genius

  99. B.... O....

    Favourite Bowie album by far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  100. B.... O....

    This and Man Who Sold The World!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!