GETTING CLOSE TO THE DOORS
Who were they and what instruments did they play?
HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE DOORS?
Match the Song Titles to the correspondent Lyrics
DISCOGRAPHY (WITH JIM MORRISON)
...AND WITHOUT JIM (1971 and 1972)
OPENING THE DOORS - THE BEGINNING
In the summer of 1965, Jim Morrison encounters his fellow film school buddy Ray Manzarek on the beach in Venice (L.A.) and sings him a few songs. The rest is rock history as the two of them will soon join up with Robby Krieger and John Densmore to form The Doors.
Here is a scene taken from the Oliver Stone's film "The Doors" (1991) with, among others, Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison and Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson.
Where did the name come from?
THROUGH THE DOORS
Listen to "MOONLIGHT DRIVE" and fill in the gaps with the following words:
waiting worlds
through the tide
a river
city sleeps
to decide
the ocean
wet forests
your hand
Let's swim to the moon, uh huh
Let's climb ____________________
Penetrate the evening that the
_________________to hide
Let's swim out tonight, love
It's our turn to try
Parked beside ___________
On our moonlight drive
Let's swim to the moon, uh huh
Let's climb through the tide
Surrender to the _________
That lap against our side
Nothing left open
And no time __________
We've stepped into _________
On our moonlight drive
Let's swim to the moon
Let's climb through the tide
You reach _________ to hold me
But I can't be your guide
Easy, I love you
As I watch you glide
Falling through ________
On our moonlight drive, baby
Moonlight drive
ALL HAIL THE LIZARD KING
The "Celebration of the Lizard" is a performance piece composed as a series of poems. It includes both spoken verses and sung lyrics, musical sections and passages of allegorical storytelling. The musical passage "Not to Touch the Earth" was recorded separately and released on the Waiting for the Sun album, while the lyrics for the rest of the piece were published inside the gatefold jacket of the original vinyl LP, with the footnote, "Lyrics to a theatre composition by The Doors."
The song begins with the line, "Not to touch the earth, not to see the sun", these are subchapters of the 60th chapter of The Golden Bough by James Frazer. The chapter is called "Between Heaven and Earth", with subchapter 1, "Not to Touch the Earth", and subchapter 2, "Not to See the Sun”. These subchapters detail taboos against certain people (generally royalty or priests) walking upon the ground or having the sun shine directly upon them. Frazer's work had an influence on Morrison, according to the Doors biography No One Here Gets Out Alive (1980)
Now listen to this live version of "NOT TO TOUCH THE EARTH" and fill in the gaps with the missing words
the gates
warm
a lake
the evenin’
the snake
the engine
the rooms
the hill
luxuriant chairs
the trees
Not to touch the earth
Not to see the sun
Nothing left to do, but
Run, run, run
Let's run
Let's run
House upon _______________
Moon is lying still
Shadows of______________
Witnessing the wild breeze
C'mon baby run with me
Let's run
Run with me
Run with me
Run with me
Let's run
The mansion is _________, at the top of the hill
Rich are ______________and the comforts there
Red are the arms of __________________
And you won't know a thing 'till you get inside
Dead president's corpse in the driver's car
__________ runs on glue and tar
Come on along, not goin' very far
To the East to meet the Czar
Run with me
Run with me
Run with me
Let's run
Whoa!
Somehow outlaws lived by the side of _________
The minister's daughter's in love with___________
Who lives in a well by the side of the road
Wake up, girl, we're almost home
Ya, c’mon!
We should see ________ by mornin'
We should be inside _______________
Sun, sun, sun
Burn, burn, burn
Soon, soon, soon
Moon, moon, moon
I will get you
Soon, soon, soon!
I am the Lizard king
I can do anything
A PSYCHEDELIC BAND FROM L.A.
A LUCKY LITTLE LADY IN THE CITY OF LIGHT, OR JUST ANOTHER LOST ANGEL?
Listen to "L.A. WOMAN" and fill in the gaps
sadness
with fire
in cars
an hour ago
lost angel
your hair
a liar
Motel money
Hollywood bungalows
Well, I just got into town about _________________
Took a look around, see which way the wind blow
Where the little girls in their ___________________
Are you a lucky little lady in the City of Light?
Or just another __________________?
City of Night, City of Night
City of Night, City of Night
L.A. woman, L.A. woman
L.A. woman, Sunday afternoon
L.A. woman, Sunday afternoon
L.A. woman, Sunday afternoon
Drive through your suburbs
Into your blues, into your blues, yeah
Into your blues, into your blues!
I see ____________________is burning
Hills are filled ________________
If they say I never loved you
You know they are ____________
Driving down your freeways
Midnight alleys roam
Cops ___________, the topless bars
Never saw a woman so alone
So alone, so alone, so alone
_______________ murder-madness
Let's change the mood
from glad to____________
Mr. Mojo Risin', Mr. Mojo Risin'
Mr. Mojo Risin', Mr. Mojo Risin'
Got to keep on risin'
Mr. Mojo Risin', Mr. Mojo Risin'
Mojo Risin', gotta Mojo Risin'
Mr. Mojo Risin', gotta keep on risin'
Risin', risin'
Gone risin', risin'
I'm gone risin', risin'
I gotta risin', risin’, well, risin', risin'
I gotta, wooo, yeah, risin'
CLOSING THE DOORS - THE END
No one here gets out alive
Following the death of Jim Morrison (on July 3, 1971) and the band's break-up, the surviving members of the Doors reconvened to set several of Morrison's spoken word recordings to music.It was the only album by the Doors to be nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Spoken Word" category. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek perceived An American Prayer as being divided into five parts, with the first covering Morrison's childhood and the second his high school years; the third concerning "the young poet, stoned on a rooftop with acid dreams." The fourth his musical career and finally the fifth is a "final summation in a way, of the man's entire life and his philosophy.”
AN AMERICAN PRAYER
Do you know the warm progress under the stars?
Do you know we exist?
Have you forgotten the keys to the kingdom
Have you been borne yet and are you alive?
Let's reinvent the gods, all the myths of the ages
Celebrate symbols from deep elder forests
Have you forgotten the lessons of the ancient war
We need great golden copulations
The fathers are cackling in trees of the forest
Our mother is dead in the sea
Do you know we are being led to slaughters by placid admirals and fats slow generals are
Getting obscene on young blood?
Do you know we are ruled by T.V.?
The moon is a dry blood beast
Guerrilla bands are rolling numbers in the next block of green vine
Amassing for warfare on innocent herdsman who are just dying
O great creator of being grant us one more hour
To perform our art and perfect our lives
The moths and atheists are doubly divine and dying
We live, we die and death not ends it
Journey we more into the Nightmare
Cling to life Our passion'd flower
Cling to Cunts and cocks of despair
We got our final vision by clap
Columbus is groin got filled with green death
I touched her thigh and death smiled
We have assembled inside this ancient and insane theatre
To propagate our lust for life and flee the swarming wisdom of the streets
The barns are stormed, the windows kept and only one of all the rest
To dance and save us with the divine mockery of words
Music inflames temperament
When the true King's murderers are allowed to roam
Free a 1000 Magicians arise in the land
Where are the feasts we are promised
Where is the wine The New Wine
Dying on the vine
1 - Awake:
Ghost Song
Dawn's Highway
Newborn Awakening
2 - To Come of Age:
Black Polished Chrome
Latino Chrome
Angels and Sailors
Stoned Immaculate
3 - The Poets Dream:
The Movie
Curses, Invocations
4 - The World On Fire:
American Night
Roadhouse Blues (Live)
Lament
The Hitchhiker
5 - An American Prayer
The End
Albinoni: Adagio
Wow, I’m sick of doubt Live in the light of certain South Cruel bindings. The servants have the power dog-men and their mean women pulling poor blankets over our sailors
I’m sick of dour faces Staring at me from the TV Tower,
I want roses in my garden bower; dig? Royal babies, rubies must now replace aborted Strangers in the mud These mutants, blood-meal for the plant that’s plowed.
They are waiting to take us into the severed garden Do you know how pale and wanton thrillful comes death on a strange hour unannounced, unplanned for like a scaring over-friendly guest you’ve brought to bed
Death makes angels of us all and gives us wings where we had shoulders smooth as raven’s claws
No more money, no more fancy dress
This other kingdom seems by far the best
Until its other jaw reveals incest
And lose obedience to a vegetable law
I will not go
Prefer a feast of friends to the giant family
BABYLON FADING
Then we hear a whistle like a bison's pipe
And the carnival immediately begins
Gradually mixing rain,
Thunder
Bullfight
Football
Playground
War
Penny-arcade
Babylon Fading…
BEHIND THE DOORS
KATA TON DAIMONA EAYTOY
Κατα τον δαιμονα εαυτου
The phrase is inscribed on Jim Morrison's grave. It was drafted by Morrison's father and his intended message was along the lines "Faithful to his own spirit”
Nevertheless, "Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy” has two meanings: in ancient greek, Κατα τον δαιμονα εαυτου means approximately “To the Divine Spirit who is with him”, while in modern Greek the meaning is: "He caused his own damnation”
FOR WHEN THE MUSIC'S OVER (BEFORE TURNING OUT THE LIGHT)
Cancel my subscription to the resurrection
Send my credentials to the house of detention
I got some friends inside
The face in the mirror won't stop
The girl in the window won't drop
A feast of friends, alive she cried
Waitin' for me
Outside
Before I sink
Into the big sleep
I want to hear
I want to hear
The scream of the butterfly
I hear a very gentle sound
With your ear down to the ground
We want the world and we want it now!
So when the music’s over
Turn out the light
Music is your only friend
Until the end.
Edited by Riccardo Zambon, May 20th 2023