The Closet Queen

[sodascouts]

Speaking of James Gang Rides Again....

Does anyone know what the heck this verse of "The Bomber" is about?

The Closet Queen, the bus stop dream, it wants to shake my hand
I don't wanna be there, she decides she can
It's Apple Dan, he's just the man to pick fruit from your branches
I can't sleep, and he can't keep his cattle on my ranches

So, is a transvestite chasing Joe around? Was Joe thinking he was with a hot woman only to get an "unpleasant surprise" ala The Crying Game? Along those lines, should we read something sexual into lines like "pick fruit from your branches"? And those metaphors about cattle and ranches.... huh??

[MikeA]

Hey, go easy on Joe, Nancy...you gotta remember WHEN he wrote that! <LOL>

When he was with the James Gang, most of their material was about them all starting off in some common direction and then turning it over to improvised SOLOs. It was about the GUITAR.

I'm stalling here though. I admit I don't have a clue what was going on with the lyrics. I'm sure at the time, that they meant something significant to JOE but I doubt that today he could tell you what it was <LOL>.

Remember his comments about "Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get?". He said "You'd have to have been there!" But you gotta admit, it all rhymes!

[AmarilloByMorning]

Perhaps it’s the little-known rough draft of Brokeback Mountain?

(Ducks tomatoes.) Kidding. Obviously.

The bus stop dream bit reminds me of the ’66 Hollies song about a boy meeting his girlfriend at a bus stop… Extrapolating that, and taking into account the use of “it,” I would align with the theory of a transvestite. Whoa, that’s a pretty girl… waaaaaaait a minute. Then Apple Dan could be a reference to the Adam’s apple – the realization that whatever’s in the dress is most likely not female. The narrator’s slightly unnerved by this entire development but intrigued – “I can’t sleep, and he can’t keep his cattle on my ranches” could be trading cattle for sheep as a metaphor for sleep; meaning, the person keeps invading the narrator’s dreams, and causing his “sheep”-slash-cattle to scamper away, thus thwarting his attempts at slumber.

Barring that, my second guess: he was just high. I’m sure it made sense at the time.

[jdubfan]

Barring that, my second guess: he was just high. I’m sure it made sense at the time.

Heh Heh, i think we can take that as a given Look at Coming Down, referring to the end of an acid trip he was on. This was the psychedelic music era , so trippy lyrics were common. There were a lot of songs I didn't understand back then. I thought it was my youth and naivety, but some I still don't get.
I bet you folks are pretty much accurate in your interpretations.
Pick fruit from your branches, cherry or apple, either would have different implications...that's the fun of lyric interpretation, you can look at it several ways. Everyone can get their own picture or ideas.

[sodascouts]

Yeah, and the more incomprehensible the lyrics, the more fun we can have interpreting them!

I like the "Adam's apple" theory - hmm! And the "Apple" is also the fruit of temptation.... hmmmm...

[Funk49er]

Are you saying Joe is gay???

[EaglesFanatic]

The persona of the song isn't necessarily Joe. I love The Bomber, but honestly, I have no clue what it's about

[Prettymaid]

Are you saying Joe is gay???

No way, no how!

[jdubfan]

Are you saying Joe is gay???

Wow. I must say, that's a thought that has Never crossed my mind....

What happened that made Joe put it into a song? He's said he's gotten inspiration from all over, a sound, phrase, series of events or the right chemical mix. So having it, hearing of or knowing someone who did have this happen, the story could be from anywhere. Not necessarily a personal experience, just borrowed from life.

[Funk49er]

k well it just seemed weird people were saying he was temped by transvestites and writing about them and all Brokeback Mountain. Ive listened to it many times but I could never understand what he was saying, I thought it was something like 'closet queen, the best I've seen, she wants to take my hand' and he was talking about a girl.