Lazarus

David Bowie's 'Lazarus' is a hauntingly introspective song that serves as a reflection on his own mortality and legacy. Released on his final album, 'Blackstar,' just days before his death in January 2016, the song is often interpreted as Bowie's farewell to the world. The lyrics are rich with imagery of transcendence and escape, suggesting a man who is facing the end of his life with a mix of defiance and acceptance.

The opening lines, 'Look up here, I'm in heaven,' immediately set a tone of otherworldliness. Bowie's mention of 'scars that can't be seen' and 'drama, can't be stolen' could be interpreted as references to his private struggles and the personal experiences that shaped him, which remain his own even as 'everybody knows me now.' The theme of fame and its isolating effects is a recurring motif in Bowie's work. In 'Lazarus,' there's a sense of Bowie separating his true self from his public persona, even as he acknowledges the inevitability of his fate.

The chorus, with its repeated lines 'Oh I'll be free / Just like that bluebird,' uses the bluebird as a symbol of freedom and release. The bluebird, often associated with happiness and the arrival of spring, here seems to represent Bowie's liberation from suffering and the constraints of his physical body. The song's title itself, 'Lazarus,' is a biblical reference to a man brought back to life by Jesus, which could symbolize Bowie's art living on after his passing. The song is a poignant goodbye, but also a declaration of the enduring nature of his artistic spirit.