The Who: Behind Blue Eyes Meaning

Song Released: 1971

Behind Blue Eyes Lyrics

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies

But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be

I have...

1. anonymous

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   Mar 17th 2011 !⃝

   I have to say I am quite surprised at what I see here, but again, what do I know, I am old, but it was always thought to be about recovering from addiction,
   (If I swallow anything evil
   Put your finger down my throat) Don’t let me take pills
   (When my fist clenches, crack it open
   Before I use it and lose my cool) If I am going to shoot dope, your clenching your fist to expose the vein, so he says unclench it before he uses it and looses his cool,
   (If I shiver, please give me a blanket
   Keep me warm, let me wear your coat), come on, help me thru the withdrawals. classic withdrawals symptoms
   
   All of the other parts of the lyrics are classic hard core addict feelings of self hatred and self destruction. CLASSIC
   
   Maybe the self hatred part is shared by other personality problems, I dont know, All the members of the who have had there demons, look at Keith Moon and I know Townshend has had his addiction problems. I know they have there official meaning of the song, but do you think he would publicly admit such raw screwed up feelings as his own
2. anonymous

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   Mar 3rd 2011 !⃝

   Its a song about being a child lover, quite simply. A man who is attracted to children but will not give in to his temptations because like you, he knows it is wrong. This song speaks to me because I'm the same.
   
   No one knows what it's like
   (there aren't many of us)
   To be the bad man
   (you all say we are, even if we're not)
   To be the sad man
   (to be told loving someone is wrong hurts, to hide hurts, to be lonely hurts)
   Behind blue eyes
   (nobody can tell because he doesn't "look like a paedophile"
   
   No one knows what it's like
   To be hated
   (scary, we're the most hated minority on earth)
   To be fated
   To telling only lies
   (Lies about who you love, who you are)
   
   But my dreams
   They aren't as empty
   As my conscience seems to be
   (we can hide in our dreams, and to us it isn't wrong to love a child)
   
   I have hours, only lonely
   My love is vengeance
   That's never free
   (by loving a child, we show that we're not bad, our vengeance, but we can never tell anyone)
   
   No one knows what it's like
   To feel these feelings
   Like I do
   And I blame you
   (if you understood us, we wouldn't hurt so bad)
   
   No one bites back as hard
   On their anger
   (it HURTS)
   None of my pain and woe
   Can show through
   (the thought of being discovered is SCARY)
   
   
   
   When my fist clenches, crack it open
   Before I use it and lose my cool
   (don't let them get to me, can't be found out)
   When I smile, tell me some bad news
   Before I laugh and act like a fool
   (retain control)
   
   If I swallow anything evil
   Put your finger down my throat
   (the control over emotions that is needed not to become a "child molestor")
   If I shiver, please give me a blanket
   Keep me warm, let me wear your coat
   (help me)
   
   No one knows what it's like
   
   I do Pete x

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
3. anonymous

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   Jan 24th 2011 !⃝

   This song is about a chronic masturbater named Tommy, who is not liked by anyone because of it?

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
4. anonymous

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   Jan 24th 2011 !⃝

   This song to me is about someone who has really taken their relationship with other people downhill. You know how there's always that one person that everyone hates, even though you know they deserve another chance. Well, think how that person feels inside. They sit awake at night thinking about how screwed up their life is, and how many people talk about them behind thier back. The "bad man" who has changed, but is still not accepted by his peers. Who desperately wants to start over but is constantly rejected(the sad man).
5. gnillor

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   Jul 29th 2010 !⃝

   "Behind Blue Eyes", you won't believe this, unless you see: 23 years ago I did volenteer work with children who had suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse. My work was once a week for about 4 hours a day over about 8 weeks. es.
   Although this was 1987, almost everytime I would leave the center to go home, the song Behind Blue Eyes was playing on the radio. It seemed more of a message to me and in regards to the children at the center.
   Now, 23 years later is 2010. In some miraculs events, I have found myself preparing to go back to this same center to work again. I was there just yesterday, July 27th. As I was driving away in my car, there it was again on the radio. I this song has great meaning for me and, I believe a message for my return. I hope I can be of help to some of these children. This song is forever with me as a representation of the children "behind blue eyes". The pain, yet the hope of hope.
6. anonymous

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   Jul 21st 2010 !⃝

   I think is a song from the devil's perspective.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
7. anonymous

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   Aug 30th 2009 !⃝

   Pete Townshend is a recovering alcoholic. This song is about the emotional experience of being a drunk

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
8. ReeseAlias

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   Jul 19th 2009 !⃝

   I've heard that it is about a bad guy type person who is forced to be bad by society. His dreams aren't as empty as his conscience seems to be. He looks ahead into what could be or what he wants, but to the public's eye he is just a bad person
9. dave_b

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   May 28th 2009 !⃝

   I know this is probably inaccurate but I like the simple connotation: its about keith moon. Behind blue eyes. Pete and Rodger having the blue eyes. Keith being overshadowed by them. A long while ago my friend made this observation and it sounded like a plausible interpretation. Then again, I never saw Keith being overshadowed by anyone! Misunderstood? Possibly. But did he care? Doubt it. He was too soused to care. Perhaps Pete saw the pain underneath.
   
   Long live Keith... the maddest drummer that ever lived! Long live the WHO! LONG LIVE ROCK!!!
10. anonymous

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    Sep 4th 2008 !⃝

    This is what it means for me...It is about being trapped in a relationship with someone who blames you for everything and who holds you prisoner to their emotions. You love them, but need to lose your self, your identity to do so. Your own emotions need to be suppressed and controlled, hence telling only lies.What you show on the outside and how you control yourself on the inside are what rips you apart and causes the pain that no one knows...
11. anonymous

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    Feb 18th 2008 !⃝

    I think you're all a little right, but I think that it has a lot to do with the whole "Boys Don't Cry," deal. "No one bites back as hard on thier anger" and, "None of my pain and woe can show through", Show this. As well as "No one knows what it's like. I don't think it's the whole meaning, but definitely part of it. "And I blame you", shows it too. It's like he's saying that everyone expects guys to keep their feelings bottled up.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
12. anonymous

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    Oct 30th 2007 !⃝

    Not to bring back bad bad memories but I honestly think this song is about Hitler and the holocaust. "no one knows what it like..... behind blue eyes."

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
13. anonymous

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    Nov 26th 2006 !⃝

    I read somewhere that it was an Pete Townshend Monolgue describing his angst and feelings about his own bisexuality, and some of the treatment he suffered.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
14. bloodstainedrose

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    Aug 5th 2006 !⃝

    For me this song does something that I haven't known before...Due to this song's ability to strum upon so many emotions I find it difficult to give justice to the meaning... My attempt to explain is set as this: the melody relaxes not my body but my being...My mind is at ease.... I drift from the reality of sight and only feel the lyrics, identify my emotions, recognize complete abondonmeant, and undergo true heartbreak. The words hit me with the inability to fade completly. The lyrics are of a deception of complete control and serenity while the truth lies behind the eyes of the beholder. The secrets buried inside are the truth that eats the soul, the heartbreak is reality. This true pain that's almost impossible to explain forces prayers of extreme physical agony instead. This heartbreak started with trusting all his heart and soul to the person whom he loved and trusted; disserting his gift of love and forever unable to return the soul he trusted her with, she finally left him completly alone. Every old flaw now unimportant and forgotten is replaced by the woe and vengence that exsists constantly on the brink of exposure, and when left alone to his own thoughts he goes insane, so alone, remembering the love lost, yearning for bliss, this peace only comes for a moments times in "dreams" that are quickly lost and replaced with his turmoil that's forever hidden behind blue eyes.
15. anonymous

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    Jul 27th 2006 !⃝

    I saw on the television a long time ago Paul townsend talking about this song, and apparently it was written as a love song originally, but in a way very typical of the who, it eventually became a political commentary of fascism.
    
    The lyrics talk about fascism's cruel love, cold logic and the state controlling and knowing best in what you should do. It also reflects on how empty the dreams and ideals of fascism are, and the monsters it makes of people. The title 'behind blue eyes' is a reference to nazi germany and their ideas for a blue eyed aryan race.
    
    I think the song is written from the perspective of a nazi or someone, coming to terms with what his initial well meaning political beliefs have done to him as a person and how he has lost more than he has gained in trying to build his utopia.
    
    Its a great song, and fred durst should get a kick in the ass for doing a meaningless and egotistical cover of it.

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