Uncle Arthur

David Bowie's song 'Uncle Arthur' paints a vivid picture of a man who, despite his age, remains deeply attached to his childhood and his mother. The song opens with a routine scene of Uncle Arthur closing his shop and cycling back home, highlighting the monotony and predictability of his life. This imagery sets the stage for understanding Arthur's character as someone who finds comfort in the familiar and the safe, symbolized by his return to his mother every day.

The lyrics delve deeper into Arthur's psyche, revealing his childlike tendencies. He still reads comics and follows Batman, indicating a reluctance to let go of his youth. This attachment to his mother and his childhood is further emphasized by the rumors of him running away from home at the age of 32, only to return when his marriage to Sally fails. The brief escape from his mother's influence and his subsequent return suggest a failed attempt at independence and adulthood.

Bowie uses Uncle Arthur's story to explore themes of dependency, the struggle for independence, and the comfort of the familiar. Arthur's inability to sustain his marriage and his quick return to his mother's care reflect a deeper commentary on the challenges of growing up and the allure of remaining in a state of perpetual childhood. The song's cyclical structure, with Arthur ending up where he started, reinforces the idea of an unending loop of dependency and the difficulty of breaking free from it.