Thread by @ArthurBoreman

@aelfred_D The song is about a boy who has rejected his traditional Catholic (perhaps Spanish) upbringing & turned to a life of nihilism, leaving himself to be controlled by his desire and his anger.

After losing his temper and killing a man, he has been apprehended by the authorities.

/1

@aelfred_D The song is sung from the point of view of a young man about to be executed.

The boy, poor, lived a life of unstructured nihilism:
"Because I'm easy come, easy go
A little high, little low
Anyway the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me, to me"

/2

@aelfred_D As he is being executed, he experiences a cosmic battle for his soul:

"Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time
Goodbye everybody I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth"

/3

@aelfred_D In twilight of his life a figure approached:

"I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouch, scaramouch will you do the fandango"

Scaramouch is traditionally in black, we initially think it's the executioner, but he begins his "dance" (Scaramouch/fandango are both Spanish).

/4

@aelfred_D "Gallileo, Gallileo,
Gallileo, Gallileo"

Our nihilist is calling forth one of the modern touchstones that supposedly signifies the victory of science over religion, Gallileo, whom many modern atheists view as the opposite of the Catholic church.

/5

@aelfred_D "Gallileo Figaro - magnifico!"

The doomed man realizes all too late that his turn from religion to nihilism was mistaken.

/6

@aelfred_D Figaro (in the Barber of Seville--continuing our Spanish (**cough Catholic**) theme) unites the Count with Rosine, here our nihilist wishes for the magnificent "Figaro" (Christ) to unite him with his Lord.

/7

@aelfred_D Try as he might, however, he cannot escape his self-pity:

"But I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come easy go will you let me go"

/8

@aelfred_D "Bismillah! No we will not let you go - let him go
...
Will not let you go let me go (never)
Never let you go let me go
Never let me go ooo
No, no, no, no, no, no, no"

There is a struggle for his eternal soul.

(bismillah = "in the name of Allah")

/9

@aelfred_D "Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me"

Our nihilist gives up and accepts his fate.

/10

@aelfred_D "So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye
So you think you can love me and leave me to die
...
Just gotta get out just gotta get right outta here"

In his acceptance of his hellish fate, he repudiates God, wrongly viewing the purgatory-like struggle as punishment.

/11

@aelfred_D "Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters nothing really matters to me
Anyway the wind blows"

He has returned to his nihilism, recognizing that a rejection of God is a rejection of all and that there is no meaning in life without God.

/12

@aelfred_D Calling forth the title, we see a repudiation of nihilistic, amoral "Bohemian" lifestyles & recognition of the value of traditional religion, while expressing an inability (or ignorance of how) to live any other way, being unable, even to properly pray when most needed.

/13