David Bowie’s Last Song, ‘Lazarus’, Reads A Lot Like A Goodbye Letter

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Published

January 11, 2016

Social media is ablaze right now with theories that David Bowie‘s last song, ‘Lazarus’, was a goodbye note.

In the last few years of his life, after receiving a cancer diagnosis, he decided to ‘un-retire’ and live the rest of his days releasing music. ‘Lazarus‘ was the first single from Bowie’s latest album ‘Blackstar‘ which was released only days ago, on his 69th birthday.

If the theory is correct, and Bowie meant for the song to purposely be heard after his passing, it means he essentially wrote his own musical epitaph. It might sound like an insane fan theory, but with the lyrics like ‘Look up here, I’m in heaven’ opening the song, a name like ‘Lazarus’, and imagery of him in a hospital bed (not to mention Bowie’s tendency to err on the side of performance art) – is it that farfetched?

The lyrics in question are these:

@DrMatthewSweet RIP pic.twitter.com/psZX1fiStf

— Lucian James (@lucianjames) January 11, 2016

Twitter is now losing their minds, and rightly so:

@DrMatthewSweet @JessOfRVA this tweet sucker punched me

— jenily (@witheyesshut) January 11, 2016

David Bowie- Lazarus is the saddest song in time, RIP Bowie??

— Gibby⚜ (@KylanGibbs) January 11, 2016

Judging by the lyrics of Bowies latest song “Lazarus”. He intended it to be heard by an audience who have experienced his death. Legend

— Rubber Bandits (@Rubberbandits) January 11, 2016

“Just like that bluebird I’ll be free.” He must have known he hadn’t long when he made this: https://t.co/VnvPweov7S

— Mark Colvin (@Colvinius) January 11, 2016

OMG He did it. That beautiful SOB. He turned his own death into artistic expression. Genius to the end.

Lazarus https://t.co/VxuWdwoOCF

— Benevolent Knievel (@Varkentine) January 11, 2016

Leave it to Bowie to not only write his own epitaph, but sing it and make a video of it too. Beautiful man. RIP
https://t.co/kfNRThqt7W

— RocksEm (@RocksEm) January 11, 2016

@heavyplant26 my God! I’m listening to Lazarus. He knew. #DavidBowie

— Graham Applin (@SkepticalHusky) January 11, 2016

Very sad news about David Bowie, very poignant lyrics in Lazarus, released in December 2015 #Lazarus #DavidBowie pic.twitter.com/sJARsiey1c

— EliteEducationGroup (@EliteEducationG) January 11, 2016

Omg it was so clear. He knew he was dying when they made the video for Lazarus. What a genius!!!

— Bella (@Ada__Pro) January 11, 2016

the CD is black coloured and that song Lazarus, that video… I didn’t pay enough attention

— Simona Dudù (@simonadudu) January 11, 2016

@profanityswan Lazarus is going to hurt for a while.

— Rhydian (@grhydian) January 11, 2016

Three days before his death, David Bowie released the song Lazarus. First words? ‘Look up here, I’m in heaven. #RIP #DavidBowie

— Fernando Baradit (@fbaradit) January 11, 2016

lazarus makes sense now. rest in peace you beautiful human.

— Alex Boyd (@sherrykohlver) January 11, 2016

According to some sources, the song was written for an off-Broadway production that revisits the character Thomas Gerome Newton 30 years after ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’, a novel which the film Bowie starred in was based on.

But, if this was on purpose, then that man was even more of a genius than we could have ever known. It means he literally turned his own death into musical expression. It means he meant for us to hear it after his death.

Watch ‘Lazarus’ below:

If we weren’t a wreck before (and we were), we definitely are now. Can someone please bring us a glass of wine, and constantly remind us that Bowie will live forever?