The History of Freddie Mercury by MV Ahundova

Page 71

The constantly repeating chorus of the song speaks about the most urgent problem for Queen: survival:

Survive, survive!It takes all your time and money from you.Boy, you will survive!

In fact, "Keep Yourself Alive" is a statement about the beginning of the war. No wonder the debut «Keep Yourself Alive» was written on the back of a farewell single, Mercury «The Show Must Go On». In his last song, Freddie said that he was dying, but he did not give up. And next to the song about the end of the path was a song about his beginning.

The next song, «Doing All Right» ( «doing things right"), taken from the album "Smile" - an early band of Brian May. By itself, this is a sweet lyrics, but in the album it acquires a different meaning. The hero is sure of something, he does well, and will do, no matter what, though now it is very difficult - will sooner or later run out of hard times.

What does he mean?

All clarifies the next song, «Great King Rat» ( «Great King Rat") (Mercury), which begins with the actual religious part of the album. Her music is unexpected for «Queen» harsh and unpleasant, the text seems strange and incomprehensible to the uninitiated listener:

The Great Rat King died today.He was born on May 21,And he died of syphilis at age 44 on his birthday.He was swearing through every word, yes, he was a bitchy son,That was always wanted.You go to know, want to know, people?The Great Rat King was a nasty old man.He was a foolish old man!So I told you.You are interested?

Big Rat - known symbol of the devil, is often depicted in Catholic art (especially Bosch) and is associated with the infernal evil (remember the familiar to us from childhood Mouse King from Hoffmann's "Nutcracker"). As for the age at which dies a strange evil man out of the song, then forty-four years - a period of the earthly life of the Antichrist in the Christian apocryphal literature, similar to thirty-three years of Christ's earthly life. Therefore, Rat King is called a bitch (or sloak) son - Antichrist must be born from a whore. So, we have before us explicit hints of the devil and his earthly servant, the King of Evil. That's why the Rat King is called an old man, although forty-four years old is not old age. "Old Man", or "Old Nick" - the spoken English nickname of the devil or the devil. The author clearly does not sympathize with Evil King,

Freddie then utters fatal words:

Where will I be tomorrow, will I beg or make debts -It does not bother me at all.Gather, gather, time has come!This person is evil, and it's true!I told you, I told you, and it's not a lie, oh no!

Freddie understands perfectly well that for such a blatant anti-Satanic sermon he will not get well, and he can lose everything, become a beggar, be on the street. But despite all the possible tests, he remains adamant and continues to call on people to fight evil and not believe his ministers.

A shout is heard "let's show it" - that is, what the Rat King calls for. At this point, the music becomes quite unpleasant and a cutting ear, there are frankly mocking notes in it. It seems that Freddie scoffs at colleagues from the other side of the spiritual front - over heavy metal musicians: the music is stylized for what sounds on "black" concerts.

Following the mocking musical theme, the text confirms, in whose address the slap in the face:

Now listen, people, forget about good and take evil!Do not believe anything that is written in the Bible! You, sinners, be built in line, leave the saints far behind!Very soon you will become his disciples!Do not believe what my mother says -Not one of her words, otherwise you'll be completely confused (show)!The great God before death caused sinners to kneelAnd he said that everything would clear up tomorrow.

At this point, the music fades away, and Freddie's quiet moan sounds "oo". He himself is terrified of the terrible preaching of Rat King.

This is a brief synopsis of the so-called "Satanic Bible" by Anthony de la Wei, Aleister Crowley, Nietzsche's tracts and similar literature. These ideas are easily recognizable - do not believe the Bible, do not listen to parents, do evil, God is dead, it will not help you, therefore you have only one master and patron - Satan.

It is these ideas, together with a mate and outright obscenities, that are preached in hundreds of books and films and at numerous rock concerts of "black" groups, involving youth in direct service to evil. Freddie shows how terrible things are taught by Satanists, and warns the young listener.

Further, Freddie says that he does not intend to continue to talk about what everyone already knows - the "old man" has said this more than once. That is, satanic sermons are well known to young people, and its purpose is not to retell them, but to warn against their evil influence. He calls for haste - "the time has come", "the villain will fight, as I told you before" - that is, he openly calls on young people to fight against Satanism. There are sounds that imitate the clutches of hoofs - an allusion connected with the "four horsemen of the Apocalypse". There is another meaning of the phrase "time has come" - that is, the last time is just around the corner, be careful. Finally, Freddie once again says that Rat King is a dirty old man.

One «Great King Rat» is enough to understand why the fate of the «Queen», and especially Freddie, so there was not easy. This song is a glove, publicly thrown in the face of the ministers of evil. Is this possible to forgive?

The next song, «My Fairy King» ( «My Magic King") (Mercury) - Zoroastrian hymn, due to ignorance of researchers interpreted as a fairy tale or a story about a world created by children's imagination.

The song tells of a certain magic country, inhabited by miraculous creatures, where everyone lives in peace and harmony. The sky flying winged horses and good dragons, everywhere is heard beautiful singing, fallow deer living in the lion's den, the lambs roam without fear, where predators are found. Using the allusions from the biblical "Book of the Prophet Isaiah", the author creates a picture of the Golden Age.

The fairy-tale King rules this beautiful country:

My fairy-tale king sees that, (He is subject to earth and air!)What we do not see is you. (Oh, yes, he controls the winds!)My fairy-tale king is just and does no harm to anyone.

This image is interpreted as a character of a fairy tale about the good king of a beautiful country or as a fantasy of a child who represents himself as the king of a fantasy kingdom he invented. But in fact, we are talking about Ahura Mazda, the supreme God of Zoroastrianism. Therefore, he sees everything and manages everything, and he is kind (one of the main epithets of Mazda is "omniscient and all-good"). He does no harm to anyone, because Mazda is only able to do good - as Zoroastrianism teaches, all evil comes from Ahriman.

The following text confirms what is being said:

But the villains came in the night, running like thieves and killing like knives,To wrest power from magic handsAnd destroy the promised land.And the milk turned into curdled milk, like the nobility of my blood.Why can not you see this?The flames of hell burn, and there are cries of pain.The seas are dry, times are running, but there is no saving hand,And does not please the eyes of the unfortunate pearls of teeth.71