☝️ Key Points
- The song is about intense passion and the feeling of loneliness.
- It describes the feelings of a person who is in a long relationship and struggles with the fear of losing their partner.
- The lines 'See these eyes so green, I can stare for a thousand years / Colder than the moon / It's been so long' convey the feeling of waiting and longing.
- The song also expresses the separation between two people when Bowie sings: 'Those who feel me draw the blinds and change their minds'.
- The line 'And I've put out the fire with gasoline' is a metaphor for trying to control intense emotions by adding even more intense emotions.
- The song ends with the lines 'See these tears so blue / An ageless heart that can never mend / These tears can never dry / A judgment made can never bend', which express the inability to heal past wounds and change the consequences of decisions.
Interpretation
"Cat People" by
David Bowie is about intense passion and the feeling of loneliness. The song describes the feelings of a person who is in a long-term relationship and struggles with the fear of losing their partner. The eyes are described as green and red to express the intensity of the emotions. Bowie sings: "See these eyes so green, I can stare for a thousand years / Colder than the moon / It's been so long". These lines convey the sense of waiting and longing.
The song lyrics also express the separation between two people, when Bowie sings: "Those who feel me draw the blinds and change their minds". It is about how the intensity of the singer's emotions repels people and changes their opinion.
The line "And I've extinguished the fire with gasoline" is a metaphor for trying to control the intense emotions by adding even more intense emotions. It is an expression of desperation and not always rational reactions to love problems.
The song ends with the lines "See these tears so blue / An ageless heart that can never mend / These tears can never dry / A judgment made can never bend". These lines express the inability to heal past wounds and change the consequences of decisions.
Overall, "Cat People" is about the complex and intense emotions that come with relationships and the fear of loss. It is a song about loneliness, passion, and the struggle to control the fire of emotions.