Station to Station by David Bowie

Album: Station to Station (1976)

License This Song

songfacts ®

artistfacts

songimage

On the back cover of the Station to Station reissue, there is a photo of Bowie drawing the Tree of Life, a Kabbalah symbol with 10 spheres, each representing a key spiritual principle.

Kether is the sphere at the top of the tree, representing the crown of the divine. The bottom sphere is Malkuth, which represents the physical world (the kingdom).

Bowie references this in the title track when he sings, "Here we are, one magical movement from kether to malkuth."

Comments: 7

Colin from EuropeEuropean Canon refers to the European Jesuit Order Templar's.
Colin from EuropeStation to Station was written during Bowie' s fixation with Nazism and the Occult. Bowie moved to Swiss Templar Nazi Switzerland the same year it was written. Bowie expressed admiration for Fascist leadership, Nazi uniforms and collected Nazi memorabilia during this time. He later said that when he lived for a time in Berlin Germany he met the offspring of Nazi victims and it dawned on him how naive he'd been. Station to Station starts with a slow train coming down the tracks in the distance and it is an eerie representation of the cattle tricks that took the Khazarian ( Ashkenazi ) Jews to the Concentration Camp's ( CC). The song later begins to seque into a paen for Templar ritual and ritual sacrifice ." One there were mountains on mountains" representing Switzerland and " sunbirds to soar with" represents the Crown Templar Dynasty sun worship. When he talks of "drain your glass" it seems to point to draining blood and adrenochrome drinking. Bowie was a big fan of Alister Crowley who also had Swiss connections. Bowie in the subsequent years has claimed that he was so strung out on cocaine that he has no recollection of much of this whole of period.
Bigchainring from Washington DcI saw Bowie in Concert when this was his most recent album. He performed Station to Station; this song obviously starts slow, the stage was almost dark, you could barely see him until he sang the words "It's not the side-effects of the cocaine" and instantly, they flooded the stage with bright white lights.
Aife from LondonI think they meant it's the only song that refers to the Thin White Duke. There are also songs for Aladdin Sane , and Diamond Dogs , if you count that as a character
And I believe it's European Canon , one n , meaning body of work
The lyrics are quite oblique but one of his best songs I think
Scott Glazbrook from AustraliaIt is not the only song that names a character, Ziggy
Garry S from Manahawkin, NjWhat is a European Cannon?
Cliff from Oakdale, NyBowie opened his Jones Beach Theater Concert at Zach's Bay a few years ago with this one. He used an unbelivable video in the background of trains rushing to each other along with a great light show, it was spectacular!!!

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Bad RomanceLady Gaga

Lady Gaga is a big fan of horror movies; listen for the names of these three Alfred Hitchcock films in the lyrics to "Bad Romance": Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window.

Country Grammar (Hot S--t)Nelly

Nelly's "Country Grammar" is a celebration of his hometown of St. Louis, which some folks from the coasts consider "country" because it's in the Midwest.

Cigarettes And Chocolate MilkRufus Wainwright

"Cigarettes And Chocolate Milk" describes a time in Rufus Wainwright's life when he found himself hungover and pounding chocolate milk to feel better. It didn't work, so he smoked a cigarette, which is when he realized his addictive personality could be a problem.

Shine On You Crazy DiamondPink Floyd

Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is about their founding member Syd Barrett, who became an acid casualty. Notice the S-Y-D in the title.

Turn On The RadioReba McEntire

When "Turn On The Radio" topped the January 1, 2011 Country chart, Reba McEntire became the first female solo act to have a #1 hit on that tally in four straight decades.

(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The BayOtis Redding

Otis Redding often ad-libbed vocals at the end of songs, but for "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" he just whistled instead - it became some of the most famous whistling in song history.

Editor's Picks

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

Graduation SongsFact or Fiction

Have you got the smarts to know which of these graduation song stories are real?

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Dino Cazares of Fear FactorySongwriter Interviews

The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.