A Better Future is a track from Bowie’s 2002 Album, Heathen. Bowie denied that any of the album’s songs were written after September 2001, though he admitted that the songs deal with the general feeling of anxiety that he’d had in America for a number of years. He also said in a 2003 interview: “It was written as a deeply questioning album. Of course, it had one foot astride that awful event in September. So that was quite a traumatic album to finish. This one hints at that, but it’s not really trying to resolve any trauma. [September 11] did affect me and my family very much.”

Many of Bowie’s songs encourage interpretation, you can find a few of them on Song Meanings. Or here is a short video that Bowie, himself, said about the meaning behind A Better Future..

Bowie, who was 55 at the time of the record’s release, said, “I’m pretty much a realist. There’s a certain age you get to when you’re not really going to be shown [on TV] anymore. The young have to kill the old. … That’s how life works. … It’s how culture works.” For this reason there were no music videos released for any of the songs from this album. This, video however, is on YouTube, and has some great reviews as to its interpretation.

Please don’t tear this world asunder

Please take back this fear we’re under

I demand a better future

Or I might just stop wanting you

I might just stop wanting you

Please make sure we get tomorrow

All this pain, all this sorrow

I demand a better future

Or I might just stop needing you

I might just stop needing you

Give my children sunny smiles

Give them warm and cloudless skies

I demand a better future

Or I might just stop loving you

Loving you, loving you

When you talk

We talk too

When you walk

We walk too

From factory to field

How many tears must fall

Down here below

Nothing is moving

I might just stop wanting you

I might just stop needing you

I might just stop loving you

I demand a better future

I demand a better future

I demand a better future

For I might just stop loving you

Loving you, loving you

I demand a better future

I demand a better future

I demand a better future

Or I might just stop loving you

Loving you, loving you

I demand a better future

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: David Bowie

A Better Future lyrics © Nipple Music

Post inspired by Jim’s Song Lyric Sunday – This week’s theme is songs that feature the lyrics of either Past, Present, or Future.  Click through for the rules if you too would like to join in …

Published by TheHiddenEdge

I love words - they communicate so much or so little depending on how you use them. Come and explore my thoughts with me in this, my learning journal. View all posts by TheHiddenEdge