Heroes

Song Meaning of Heroes by David Bowie, and what it is about

Bowie was detoxing in Berlin after a coke-fueled period in Los Angeles when he saw two lovers enjoying a meeting near the Berlin Wall. Bowie remarked, "I thought, of all the places to meet in Berlin, why pick a bench underneath a guard turret on the wall?"

Bowie penned his most sympathetic song ever while imagining the context of their relationship. Six minutes of song construction feature Bowie's ragged, emotional vocal set over a pulsating groove made up of Robert Fripp's guitar, Brian Eno's buzzing synths, and producer Tony Visconti banging on a metal ashtray that was laying about the studio.

Bowie weeps with a deranged spirit about two doomed lovers sharing a single day of redemption.

Song lyrics of Heroes by David Bowie

I, I will be king

And you, you will be queen

Though nothing will drive them away

We can beat them just for one day

We can be heroes just for one day

And you, you can be mean

And I, I'll drink all the time

'Cause we're lovers, and that is a fact

Yes, we're lovers, and that is that

Though nothing will keep us together

We could steal time just for one day

We can be heroes forever and ever

What d'you say?

I, I wish you could swim

Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim

Though nothing, nothing will keep us together

We can beat them forever and ever

Oh, we can be heroes just for one day

I, I will be king

And you, you will be queen

Though nothing will drive them away

We can be heroes, just for one day

We can be us just for one day

I, I can remember (I remember)

Standing by the wall (By the wall)

And the guns shot above our heads (Over our heads)

And we kissed as though nothing could fall (Nothing could fall)

And the shame was on the other side

Oh, we can beat them forever and ever

Then we could be heroes just for one day

We can be heroes

We can be heroes

We can be heroes just for one day

We can be heroes

We're nothing, and nothing will help us

Maybe we're lying, then you better not stay

But we could be safer just for one day

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh, just for one day