I Would Be Your Slave Lyrics
Walking in the snowy street
Let me understand
Drifting down a silent park
Stumbling over land
[Chorus 1]
Open up your heart to me
Show me who you are
And I would be your slave
[Verse 2]
Do you sleep in quietude?
Do you walk in peace?
Do you laugh out loud at me?
No one else that is free
[Chorus 2]
Open up your heart to me
Show me all you are
And I would be your slave
[Bridge]
I don't sit and wait
I don't give a damn
I don't see the point at all
No footprints in the sand
I bet you laugh out loud at me
A chance to strike me down
Give me peace of mind at last
[Chorus 3]
Show me all you are
Open up your heart to me
And I would be your slave
[Bridge]
I don't sit around and wait
I don't give a damn
I don't see the point at all
No footprints in the sand
[Chorus 4]
I would give you all my love
Nothing else is free
Open up your heart to me
And I would be your slave
About
Some consider Heathen David Bowie’s magnus opus – producer Tony Visconti has called it a symphony – and to those attuned to it, this song resides at the core of the album as the immensely moving expression of a spiritual void. The subdued, elegiac accompaniment, looping jazz rythm, and the restrained vulnerability of Bowie’s vocals elevate it into the universal. Musically, though not lyrically, it can be seen as a precursor to Blackstar.
Nested between two more traditional (if still ambiguous) love songs, it’s an uncharacteristically straightforward and raw de profundis clamavi, giving voice to despair in the face of meaninglessness; tinged with anger, impatience, wounded pride and a determination to keep stumbling forward.
Though it’s uncharacteristic in many ways, I Would Be Your Slave revisits familiar themes, like the continuous struggle for humility against individual striving and the maddening demands of the ego.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning