“This is the end, beautiful friend.” There is only one song that can revolutionize a generation, tell a story, involve Greek mythology, and can freak you out at the same time. That song is “The End” by The Doors. Whereas fast food chains only cater to 4 different types of people, this song is able to branch out to all types of individuals that are in need of something intellectual, psychological, or spiritual. It can create an effect on poets, teens, conservative elderly men and women, educators, hippies, musicians, or just anyone that wants to listen to a song with a purpose. There are several lyrics that stand out among the rest and that could present a different viewpoint. The opening line of the song, “This is the end, beautiful friend,” already causes a huge can of worms to be opened. Is Jim Morrison conveying the message that mankind is now nonexistent? Or is he using this term as a reference to express the extinction of the conservative world and the rebirth of America with him as the poster child of mass chaos and psychedelic poetry that infuses foreign thoughts into the younger generation’s innocent minds that have never been in contact with the Lizard King?
Let’s look at it from the perspective of a teenager. A young man or woman is tired of listening to Nat King Cole that is constantly playing at the dinner table, so they are more inclined to want to branch out and find a more diverse group of tripped out men that are interested in one thing-the music, and probably the chicks too. That kid has a choice to make. Stay along the primrose path of contemporary living or go against the wishes of the parents and pursue the psychedelic and “dangerous” works of The Doors? It’s clear what the answer was. Now look at the perspective from the same teenager’s father. An army veteran more than likely that is in his forties and doesn’t want his child to see the horrible things in relation to war that he has in his past. He feels that if he can control certain aspects of their life then he can harness their decisions. If his teenager chooses to stray away from him in a way that he sees unfit, then he will more than likely do anything in his power to bring his child back to the “right state of consciousness.” Thus the relationship between father and child could rapidly develop into a hatred that stemmed merely over a music group. If that were to happen, then that would most definitely leave a trace of history that they would never forget. In a way you can’t blame the father, he is only trying to do what he feels is best for his child. In another sense, you can blame him in the fact that it’s not his life to be lived and that his child should find out what the real world is like without his help.
“Can you picture what will be so limitless and free?” If you think what that question is really saying, it’s issuing the idea that entices you to imagine what the world would be like without any boundaries. No rules. Who would find that statement more offensive, parents or kids? Obviously the parents would find this attitude totally inappropriate and would not tolerate any such kind of blasphemy inside of their home. The teenager would be appealed to this lifestyle because it lets them think for themselves instead of being a slave to their parents’ beliefs and thoughts on how they should live their lives instead of doing what they want. The parent of course wants their child to be free, but only on their standards and only certain people should be able to be granted these freedoms. Sure they trust their child, but trusting their peers is something totally different. What would happen if their child was influenced by someone else other than them? That would be a total bummer.
This song not only brings out emotions involving the political battle of control, but also the psychological value that could open up “the doors of perception” to potential intellectuals who are keen on discussing poetry and what not. Music sets people apart by our experiences and how we can relate our life to what kind of message we want to set across to others that judge us. Listening to psychedelic rock can send out the stereotypical view of pothead or a dude that loves the acid, but there is much more behind the music than drugs. Jim Morrison was raised in a situation very similar to the template being discussed here. His father was in the military. One of Jim Morrison’s earliest memories was driving down the road in New Mexico and seeing a Native American dead on the side caused by a car crash. From then on he claims that he saw the spirit rise out of the Native American and enters into his soul. Such a traumatic event like that at such a young age could set any normal kid off the tracks. His poetry developed as he grew and reading psychologist’s books became a frequent habit. The music recorded was previously written poems that he chose to express with the psychedelic sounds of keyboard, guitar, drums, and his sultry voice that was wildly untamed with minimal background. Now that I’ve gone off topic by turning this into a biography, let’s get back to the grind.
“Father, yes son, I want to kill you.” Morrison slowly strengthens the intensity of the lyrics by inferring that he went to his brother’s room and sister’s room to kill them. I have a pretty good idea that the vast majority of men who were fathers had a shiver go down their spine after they heard this line. The father would be greatly distraught over the fact that his own son would want to kill him, let alone be so blunt about it as to tell him right to his face. This type of attitude could drastically change the emotions of any confused and possibly psychotic youth of the time to say that they should just blame their father for everything and kill them for it. Since I’ve been talking about only the teenager’s and father’s point of view of all these lyrics, now would be a good time to get a standpoint of an intellectual poet or educator. This series of lyrics in the song is a metaphor for the story of Oedipus Rex who killed his father and had sex with his mother, which is exactly what Morrison states as wanting to do in this song. To be able to reenact such a popular story out of Greek mythology and apply it to pure poetry set to music would probably lead any mythical loving and music craved intellectual thinking about how they went in the wrong direction in life and how they should have stuck with the guitar in the garage with a joint on the side. These powerful and mind-numbing lyrics not only change the feeling of the song, but they also changed the feeling of the generation and future generations wanting to know more about the psychedelic visions of The Doors.
The second to last line in the song, “The end of nights we tried to die,” can represent a number of things it could be referring to. Extremists could take this line and twist it into a federal case about influencing the youth of the generation to commit suicide. Morrison talks throughout the song about the end of all the plans and hard work that had been conjured up in the minds of great thinkers and the death of freedoms that the rest of the lost souls have been looking for. The song reaches out to those looking for a way out of their everyday mundane lives. Those who are tired of being berated by authority figures and those looking to find an outlet to their inner self that is intrigued and affected equally by the music as the rest of The Doors do. An end to the battle, and end to rules, an end to the so called normal life, that’s basically what Morrison is trying to establish here. This could shape someone into any contorted and distorted shape imaginable, figuratively of course. Psychologically there are ways that someone could take this song and apply it to their everyday life and treat everyone equally, live everyday as if it was their last, be a generous individual, and love. Those seem like pretty good qualities compared to conservative elderly people calling the music a travesty and that it’s not real music unless it’s Miles Davis. “The End” didn’t draw much radio play with its eleven minute and fifty-two second length, but to those dedicated to Mr. Mojo Risin’ it was a culture shock. There will eventually be an end, but it will unfortunately not be described as well as Jim Morrison has done for us. “This is the end.”
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