Since the circle symbolizes life, eternity, and God and the width of something ascertains its dimensions, quantity, and capacity, the width of a circle represents the value of life. The song deals with the controversial issue that is human cloning

The narrator of the story is a clone who dwells on the indefinite continuum of things that are about to happen.He is a slave in a world where people are allowed to clone themselves in their own backyards, yet he ages fast. Clones age faster because their DNA sequence is already mature when transfered from their mother's organism.
He cries for all the other clones, and for his God, his creator. An aspiring scientist, who is a young man too... oh oh.

His God is his master who uses a belt to condition his servants

Please excuse me, but I am the ocean.

Hmmmm. Interesting, but doubtful. No time to analyze further. But I always took Width of a Circle to connote something nastier than that, if you catch my drift.

Zigbot

En réponse à:

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But I always took Width of a Circle to connote something nastier than that, if you catch my drift.

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So did I...

Andrée-Anne

Reporter: Are you a Mod or a Rocker?
George: I'm a Mocker.

I posted this almost a year ago to the day:

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I just read that it was about giving God oral sex in the Cactus thread, so I pulled out my lyric sheet and read through it, and I've come to the conclusion that it's a song about Bowie being tricked by the devil. Until he mentions all the obvious references to a particular infernal fiend, I thought it was Bowie calling God a whore, but it's not. The devil, portraying God, is tricking him into mutual sex, or, in turn, into selling his soul. The sex is a metaphor. It's Satan saying "I'll give you something if you give me something". Did Bowie really sell his soul? ;) Maybe he IS a heathen. When the devil says "you'll never go down to the Gods again", he's basically saying, I'll give you what you need, you don't need God anymore". It's odd too, because at the beginning of the song, Bowie talks about prayers and how his roads are straight and narrow, and it's really the devil showing him all the possibilities, showing him that he doesn't have to live a Christian life-style. It's showing him his potential - before TMWSTW, Bowie was very monochromatic - the song was a progression for him both musically and stylistically, in terms of his life. It was a transition. He was saying "the devil may have shown me the light, but at least I know what I'm capable of now". He was essentially putting his past behind him and starting on a new road, and you know what? This is the start of Bowie's career as WE know him to be.

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i had my Y chromosome surgically removed!
-the poster formerly known as CDS, now known as strangeDivine's bitch.

As far as I know "The Width Of A Circle" also refers to buddhism and I cannot quite connect that with cloning...

How did you get this idea, Cucumber?

Just because I believe don't mean I don't think as well

I'm not Cucumber, but I bet Cucumber got the idea of a clone from the line in Width of a Circle where he says "I came across a monster, sleeping by a tree, and I looked and frowned 'cuz the monster was. . . me!" So, clearly the lyric narrative deals with an out-of-body experience or a doppleganger. So the clone idea isn't THAT far-fetched, but the central theme isn't the clone/doppelganger, its the spiritual trickery (mixed with ample doses of sexual metaphor to describe that cunning trickery).

Zigbot

The phrase that got me thinking was "And the rumour spread that I was aging fast".Like I said,clones age faster because their DNA cells fail to replicate themselves.In 1971,scientists were still far from deciphering the DNA sequence.Today,they're still struggling with the structure of some aminoacids,but they managed to create Dolly-the sheep, yet the poor creature died of agism a few years after.

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So the clone idea isn't THAT far-fetched, but the central theme isn't the clone/doppelganger, its the spiritual trickery (mixed with ample doses of sexual metaphor to describe that cunning trickery).

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Couldn't have said it better myself.



...the reason of the unreason with which my reason is afflicted so weakens my reason that with reason I murmur at your beauty;..

Thanks, Cucumber! I love that song--especially the live version from the Ziggy Stardust--The Motion Picture. Ronno's guitar solo is amazing.

Zigbot

Then I ran across a monster who was sleeping by a tree.
And I looked and frowned and the monster was me
Well, I said hello and I said hello
And I asked "Why not?" and I replied "I don't know"

I think he was worried about being schizophrenic like his brother.


So I cried for all the others till the day was nearly through
For I realised that God's a young man too

I think he's saying God can make mistakes and he forgives him for Terry's illness.


So I said "So long" and I waved "Bye-bye"
And I smashed my soul and traded my mind

Width of a Circle

I think he's describing drug induced wantoness when you realize you're going nowhere and think nothing matters anymore

you oughtta know the width of a cucumber.

your funeral...my trial