Queen: Innuendo Meaning

Song Released: 1991

Innuendo Lyrics

Oooh, ooh -
While the sun hangs in the sky and the desert has sand
While the waves crash in the sea and meet the land
While there's a wind and the stars and the rainbow
Till the mountains crumble into the plain

Oh yes we'll keep on...

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   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Dec 28th 2015 !⃝

   The song is about defiance in the face of an unjust, cruel and apparently senseless world. The hook line "we'll keep on trying" is repeated over and over again. The obvious question here is "trying what?". The answer is "trying to reach our full potential as empowered and enlightened human beings". As with many Queen songs, the message is pure existentialism.
   
   Of course, the title of the song suggests that there's another meaning. Although credit for the song writing goes to "Queen", there is a general consensus among Queen fans that the song was written primarily by Brian May. He knew at the time that Freddie was dying and Brian would have felt anger (with God) as well as fear and uncertainty about the future. However, in the midst of the nightmare the band collectively decided to just keep on working, with the time they had left. So, with this alternative perspective "keep on trying" is a declaration coming directly from the band. They are declaring their determination to keep on working, even in the face of massive adversity.

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   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Aug 9th 2017 !⃝

   I have a slightly different interpretation than most: this song is a threat.
   At first, all that we know is that something will keep on happening while... (insert first verse here).
   Next we learn that what will happen is that "we'll keep on trying", and the question changes to "trying what?".
   
   As the song progresses, the song expands on what "we're trying":
   "Our lives dictated by tradition, superstition, false religion". The song warns that our lives might continue to be as such, dictated according to race color or creed unless....
   And the new question becomes; unless what?
   
   Don't take offense at my innuendo. There's a second question- which innuendo?
   
   The next part is a sort of Disney themed supposedly optimistic tune, but here, I believe, is where most people go wrong. This whole section is the innuendo. An innuendo can be a hidden meaning, a snide remark. The song doesn't want you to honestly believe that "you can be anything you want to be", it's an innuendo. It's sarcasm, and Queen suggests that you're stuck, we're stuck, and that we can't truly ever be free to ourselves.
   
   And so the question remains:
   What can we do to change this?
   
   Here the song equates the next verse with the first one. It gives you a little wiggle room- if there's a god under the sky, a reason to live or die, answers to our questions. If so, Queen sings, "show yourselves, destroy our fears, release your mask". Queen is addressing the oppressors, those who take advantage of the weak and who promote false religion, (cruel) tradition and (untrue) superstitions.
   If there's a god, a meaning, hope, then the masks should reveal themselves. It's a treat to the masked oppressors, but more so, a warning to us.
   
   Queen takes all of the remaining hope away in the next few lines: "we'll keep on trying, till the end of time". With this line Queen tells us to have no hope. The masked oppressors won't reveal themselves. There is no god and there isn't meaning to life. It's pointless, and yet, we'll keep on trying.
   And whatever will be, will be.

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   #3 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Dec 16th 2010 !⃝

   I think it's talking about how we limit ourselves so much by what society tells us--how to think, what to think, etc. It's wrong to do this, it's okay to do that. I think it's a song to really make you think "outside the box" and question things more in life.
4. anonymous

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   Apr 25th 2020 !⃝

   I think the song describes the fallen state of man and expresses a longing to overcome this state and the ego. The perspective on time may be a key to freedom. The regime of time (and mortality) can be overcome when the soul connects to the spirit.
   
   It reminds of a Bob Dylan quote (in "Oh Sister"): "Time is an ocean but it ends on the shore".
   
   https://spirit-rockmusic.eu/2020/02/surrender-your-ego-queen-innuendo/
5. anonymous

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   Mar 29th 2017 !⃝

   There is a reason to live and die and God has unmasked Himself in the person of Jesus Christ.
   
   Christ is the living human image of God and by reading His Words (the Bible) and accepting Christ's death for all your sins, you will truly be free, be free, be free, and know the reason for living and dying.
6. anonymous

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   Aug 1st 2012 !⃝

   You can be anything you want to be
   Just turn yourself into anything you think that you could ever be
   Be free with your tempo, be free be free
   Surrender your ego - be free, be free to yourself
   
   
   If that doesn't tell you, I will. Just do what you think is right, be yourself. Great positive message!
7. Satriana

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   Jan 28th 2011 !⃝

   I think Innuendo, mainly, is a dialogue with God, asking him why we die, why we live, why are our lives dictated by “tradition, superstition, false religion”. But we are asking the same questions and we are trying to be different “Till the end of time”
   
   So, we don’t succeed in finding the answer, which is simple:
   
   “Through the sorrow all through our splendour
   Don't take offence at my innuendo
   
   You can be anything you want to be
   Just turn yourself into anything you think that you could
   ever be
   Be free with your tempo be free be free
   Surrender your ego be free be free to yourself”
   
   This is the essence of Eckhart Tolle teachings:
   
   Erase your ego and be free!
8. anonymous

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   Dec 30th 2010 !⃝

   I think Queen are trying to say that you should make yourself however you want. Nobody owns you, therefore nobody can tell you what to do. Authority is just people trying to own things that aren't theirs.
9. anonymous

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   Apr 14th 2010 !⃝

   It wasn't meant to be anything they just wanted to do something like Led Zeppelin would do

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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