I’ve been shot in the head

Seven Years In Tibet

Here’s an object lesson for anyone wishing to attempt an evaluation of any Bowie songs or to scrutinise for a definitive understanding. Look at the promotional material below. It’s the rear of a postcard sent out by the BMG PR team for Bowie during the Earthling period. It specifically states that Bowie’s song Seven Years In Tibet is influenced or inspired by Harrer’s book. Bowie was an avid reader and intellectually astute. No question.

There are many biographers and independent authors (many being fans themselves of Bowie’s work) who research every reference in his lyrics for meanings and answers to the Bowie conundrum.
If you can detach yourself from this site for a few moments you can go straight to the oracle. There are plenty of sites on the web dedicated to analysing Bowie’s lyrical content. One, now regarded as an expert on all things Dave, has an enormous section dedicated to the above track, constantly referring to Buddhism, Tibet & the Dalai Lama. Heavy analysis is conducted, leaving the reader in no doubt about the depth and quality of the research. Considerable work has gone into this research. But……is it worth it?

The lyric is quoted in detail.

”I’ve been shot in the head.”

In fact, there’s a more mundane explanation for the lyrics. Bowie had a fantastic sense of humour which is often overlooked. Gabrels is the instigator of this song. He told Bowie of a funny report he had read called “The Bullet Biscuit” where a woman thought she’d been shot in the back of her head, while sitting in her car. In fact, a tube of biscuits had exploded in the back seat and custard spewed onto the back of her head. Petrified, she couldn’t move and, feeling the back of her head, felt something wet. She asked bemused bystanders to call an ambulance because she’d been shot in the head! It immediately became the biscuit song.

”Om!”