Album: Waiting For The Sun (1968)

Get the Sheet Music License This Song 

Comments: 71

• Charlie-san from EarthEddie = clueless
  
  That you fools can think someone like Morrison would be anti-socialist and that the deep state is anything but neoliberal capitalist, or that Trump is somehow not an absolute abomination, is apt to leave anyone with eyes and half a brain completely flabbergasted.
• 521, 1in5 from NcBarry, there was no bassist in the Doors, that was so amazing about a blues style band, not having one of the most 'needed' instrument. I believe their bass line came from Ray on the organ- if you notice he always played 2 different keyboards simultaneously. And more bass came from the bass drum.
  
  Actually, in the credits the album Waiting for the Sun, studio musician listed on bass is Douglas Lubahn. Hope that helps you out.
• AnonymousOi, Eddie...Haven't you got better things to do, rather than impune the reputation & political leanings of a dead rockstar...? Trump is soon to be TOAST anyhow...BELIEVE>>>!!!
• Eddie from United States Of America Jim was a rebel, TRUMP is a rebel...
  Jim would have LOVED our President...
  In my opinion, Jim would have spoken out against Socialism and the Deep State just like TRUMP 45.
  
  Man, Jim was just awesome and so are The Doors. Been getting into them agsin so much lately just like I did in my youth many years ago. Their music is timeless and their message lives on...
  
  "Shadows of the evening crawl across the years..."
  
  Indeed...
  
• Barry From New Orleans from New Orleanshaving seen the doors i often wonder who did the bass since he didn't have one........my best guess who played like this was Jack Cassidy........one of the few bass players i ever saw use a pick once in a while..........if somebody knows let me know.........there were only a couple of people alive could have played that........Jack Bruce.......doubt was him........and Felix and no way was him.
• Adrian from BossierThe majority of everyone in these comments were born in the early to mid 1970's and have no f--king clue as to what this song meant. They are all college kids from the 1990's pretending they knew what Jim Morrison's philosophy was about. Jim was about "love" not war and rebellion. They need to seriously shut the hell up permanently.
• Rich from LancasterGreat song. My theory is this, Sun Tzu's The Art of War states:
  It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two.
  
  To me it's a call to action. Jim was way into inciting mayhem at this point.
  
• Anna from New Oxford, PaOne in five is four to one... listening to this song RIGHT NOW.
• Rutazzurra from Seville, SpainJust before the line "...won't have long wait for me, baby..." at 3:26 you can clearly hear Morrison having a sip from his bottle of Courvoisier Cognac...
• James from Los Angeles, CaI love the part with just Morrison and Krieger at the end. I've played guitar most of my life and still haven't figured out how Robbie gets that "snap" effect in his notes/bends.
  
  According to Ray Manzarek's memoir, Jim was quite drunk when he arrived at the studio to to the vocal. Accompanied by a pick-up girlfriend, he dropped an additional handful of downers before stepping up to the mic. As the song progresses, you hear him sounding more and more drunk--yet he still nailed it, except for a missed cue in the "get together" section!
• Cody from Lorain, Oheveryone knows Jim always used political references &stuff like that, and that he was very much into rebellion, and chaos (just read some of his quotes) and at the time 5:1 was the ratio of young to old "The old get old
  And the young get stronger
  May take a week
  And it may take longer
  They got the guns
  But we got the numbers
  Gonna win, yeah
  We're takin' over" Jim wanted to see the youth actually take action, and do what he believed was important when he says "you're all a bunch of f***ing idiots" and "you're all a bunch of slaves" "letting people push you around" "letting people tell you what to do, what're you gonna do about?" this is exactly what he means. REBEL REBEL REBEL
  
• Jesse from San Antoino, TxIts ture. if listen to the recorded song on album "Waiting ro the sun" at the very very end you cant hear him scream 2 letters "B! J! COME ON!"
• Nick from Seattle, Albaniai love the trade in your hours for a handfull of dimes line...cause thats exactaly what me and my friends do one we get paid from our pointless after school jobs on friday :)
• Bob from Berkeley, Ca"They got the guns, but we got the numbers" has to be one of the greatest rock 'n' roll double-meanings of all time. When this song came out in 1968, everyone I knew in Berkeley laughed at this line--especially if they were passing around a number at the time!
• Rich from Philadelphia, PaWhen Jim sings 5 to 1 the tone jumps from the 5th to the 1st note of the D major scale(A to D). which is ironic.
• Nynne from Copenhagen, DenmarkIt is a love song - a love song for "my girl", a love song for rebellion - it's a love song about the possibility to "make it if we try" in love and in rebellion
• Sibella from Pretoria, South Africa'They got the guns, but we got the numbers'. Excellent! I wrote that on my schoolbag. Watch those incomprehensive bastard teachers tell me to take it off!
• Sarah from Columbus, OhIt was inspired by a fight he had with then girlfriend Pamela Courson where she said "You'll get yours you son of a bitch and I'll get mine". The five to one lyrics are a reference to Russian Roulette with a loaded gun, hence the lyric no one gets out of here alive.
• Jamie from Perth, AustraliaThe bit about "Shadows of the evening" is an adaption of the hymn "Shadows of the evening". Its first verse is:
  
  Now the day is over,
  Night is drawing nigh.
  Shadows of the evening
  Steal across the sky.
  
  Jamie Simpson
• Jamie from Perth, AustraliaThe bit about shadows of the evening comes from the hymn "Now the day is over". The first verse is:
  
  Now the day is over,
  Night is drawing nigh.
  Shadows of the evening
  Steal across the sky.
• Jo from Sthlm, SwedenA comment to Ken from LaSalle about the guitar solo:
  
  I noticed the same thing and actually found a fourt song w/ the same solo; "Damn Deal Done" by Entombed. I made a small sound file w/ the four solos back to back so you can listen for yourself, it's quite amusing.
  I dunno if I'm allowed to post full links so I've divided it w/ three spaces:
  media.putfile. com/DoorsKiss Pearl-JamEntombed -guitar-solo
  
• Nady from Adelaide, Australiaif you listen really closely you can hear Jim do a little burp in the 'Get together one more time' part, its a cute little burp too, I could listen to Jim burp all day...
• Michael from Jacksonvillw, FlJim stole the line,"Shadows of the evening" from Rimbuad.
• Jezebel from Lincoln, MoThis song was political......waiting in the back before going out on stage or whatever. I don't believe that for a minute!!!
• Ariovaldo from Limeira, BrazilI Ask Jim about this song and its so predictable thas I m surprise that no one here could understand...five to one is a expression that means a masturbation and the resume all the situation in this world,...always have to be 5 to one; five fingers on dick,five poors one rich.
• Matthew from Los Angeles, CaGood god this song is good. I think the opening lines Five to one baby, one in five, no one here gets out alive now, refer to how Morrison felt about his co-workers, John, Ray, Robby, Paul Rothschild and Bruce Botnick against him. The second verse is yet another political sublime message and the third is about Pamela Courson's drug addiction. Get together one more time has definite sexual connotations
• Stephanie from St. Louis, MoA couple of corrections for you guys. First of all, to whoever wrote about Pam and Meg Ryan....Pam had RED hair, not blonde.
  
  Also, there is no answer to what 5 to 1 means. I read No One Here Gets Out Alive and Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend a few months ago and both said that one of the other band members asked what 5 to 1 meant, Jim said it was a secret.
  
  To Lee from NC, Jim Morrison was not a hippie. You should know better.
  
  "Your ballroom days are over" refer to the end of the Doors playing in smaller venues, like the Whiskey-a-Go-Go, which are called electric ballrooms.
• Musicmama from New York, NyTo this song--and most of what Jim Morrison and the Doors did--I say, "Nice work if you can get it." This song doesn't say anything at all. It has a couple of lines that sound epigrammatic, but on the whole it's incoherent. But there are always people who think that if they don't understand something, it must be "deep" or "poetic." And you can always tell who such people are by their reactions to this song. If Jim was trying to be "deep," he was trying to convey something he simply didn't have. To me, he's the Charles Bukowski of rock'n'roll: If neither of them drank (or in Jim Morrison's case, took drugs), they would've become accountants or something.
• Tristan from Philadelphia, PaIts awesome how drunk Morrison was when he recorded this, shakes things up a little bit at Elektra. This is viceral head music at its best, excellent guitar work.
• Only1out10livestr8 from In Your Uterus..., United StatesPossibly a Gang Bang, Five Man and one woman, Five Woman and one man, a Woman giving a Handjob etc...sexual always works it takes out the establishment and makes ways to believe in astrology???
• Eddie from Philadelphia, WaJust a tangent thought: Meg Ryan played Pam in the movie and what a perfect role. Pam in real life was beautiful, with long golden hair past a gorgeously sculptered freckeled face. Meg fit it to a T. I envied Jim for many reasons, but none more than his relationship with the country's hippest beach chick.
• Noa from Haifa, IsraelVenessa is right. I have read the book as well, and the song is firstly about Pamela and afterwards it can be defined, maybe, for Jim's political opinions. But we cannot be a 100% sure since The Lizard King does not walk among the living (or, for those of you who believe he's alive and breathing cannot be found), therefore we do not know. Perhaps he was drunk, high, in a hang-over, upset when he wrote it? Maybe he himself doesn't know. But I can bring an argument to my personal opinion from the song - "Ya walk across the floor with a flower in your hand, Trying to tell me no one understands" - I do believe he means Pamela, because in the book 'Jim Morrison [Life, Death, Legend]' there are many descriptions of Pamela trying to make peace with Jim after he was moody exactly as the line from the song says.
  Long live the memory of JDM.
  
• Calvin from Kyle, TxMorrison wrote this song after reading a story about zombies. it is actually written from the point of view of the zombies as you can see from the lyrics. "they got the guns but we got the numbers, gunna win were taking over"
• Cody from Lititz, Paactually the end version i have morrison yells fu** over and over about halfway through the song
• Morgan from Long Beach, Ca- Vanessa, Edmonton, Canada
  
  haha i am reading that book right now, and i think it is EXCELLENT
• Jessy from A Town, Ks5 to 1 is actually an eight hour workday. Count it up if you want to. 1 in 5 people work them. He hated that. That's what this song is about. Rebelling against the establishment and the boringness and the drag of a 8 hour full time desk job.
• Vanessa from Edmonton, Canada5 to 1 is referring to Pamela's heroin. The heroin she bought was 1 part heroin and 5 parts filler. 5 to 1. "Trading your hours for a hand full of dimes".... hours were her pay from her job and a hand full of dimes was dime bags of heroion. This is what is said in Jim Morrison's biography-'Life Death Legend'-Awsome read if your a Morrison fan
• Mike from Brooklyn, NyThe only way that the phrase "five to one, one in five" makes sense is NOT as a mathematical ration, but as a glance at the clock. That is, "It is five minutes to one o'clock; it will be one o'clock in five minutes."
• Dustin from Carlsbad, Caaround 4:15 in this song you can hear Jim yell "B.J." possibly connected to what Pam was doing in The Doors movie when Jim was singing Soft Parade
• Austin from Holly, MiFive to one is not the same as one in five, one in five is four to one.
• Jack from Lowell, MaRob and Lee are right. I think its about the younger generation taking over. Its tough to understand nowadays, but there really was a social revolution during the 60s.
  
  Back then you HAD to conform to society, there was no long hair, pre-marital sex, or multi-ethnicity accepted in mainstream society. You either played by the rules or were passed over.
  
  I think the 60s were the first American generation who were allowed to extend their adolescenc indefinetly. There was no REAL(ahem) war or Depression forcing them to adapt themselves to society. Hence they discovered that a lot of social rules were useless and rejected them.
  
  We are reaping the rewards of this 2day...
• Ev from Tuscaloosa, AlI think the voice that sounds like "one more time" before the first verse is just Jim's drunken mumblings that are common in most Doors songs.
• Tressa from Eaton Rapids, MiI was told this song was about the Vietnam war...the lyrics...makes sense that it would.
  Five to one, baby
  One in five
  No one here gets out alive, now...
  Good song though!!!!
• Eric from Maastricht, NetherlandsStudio versions weren't alway curse free. While recording the end Jim sang "f** ck f**ck" several times right after the oedipus part, but technician Bruce Botnick managed to mix the album just as if Jim didn't say the f-word. It's not gone though, in the Apocalypse Now version this continuous cursing can be vaguely discerned.
• Brad from Indianapolis, InThere is a theory that the "Illuminati" (secret government) who are gaining control of mankind intend on reducing its population by four-fifths in order to produce a sustainable dictatorship where the masses are sheep to be sheered for the material benefit of the few in charge. This conspiracy (allegedly) has been in process for many centuries and is closing upon us right now. It is rumored that Jim's family was connected to this growing evil, and that he was aware of the plans through his (military) father.
  
  In this interpretation, "Five to One" are the chances of surviving the coming holocaust.
  They got the guns, we got the numbers" refers to his hope that the people will prevent the tyranny of the old and the few. "Your ballroom days are over" is Jim telling the elites/aristocrats that the revolution is coming. "Shadows of the evening crawl across the years" refers to the centuries of conspiracy hiding in the shadows. "Trade in your hours for a handful of dimes" refers to the sickness of materialism that the elites worship. "You see, I gotta go out in a car with these people and..." refers to secretive way the conspirators operate (perhaps a memory of his father?).
  
  The song, as any other, can represent truth on many levels. I find this interpretation to be eerily consistent and chilling. If it is true, I am sure "they" got the point of this and other Morrison statements. Jim did not last long, did he?
• Derek from Nor Cal, CaIm just responding to the comment by Lee from LA. I seriously doubt that Morrison would write a song about a bible verse since he was mainly anti religion and was kinda part of the whole "Religion is an opite for the masses" kinda thing. but idk im sure weirder thing have happened, but i was under the impression that he wrote the song about the ratio of young to old
• John from Davis, CaI heard that this song was about the Vietnam War. Before they recorded this song, it was announced that American troops were outnumbered five to one by the Viet Congs. This is a great song by the way.
• Cameron from Irvine, CaCurse free my a**. As I posted on the songfacts for "The End", Jim says f*** at the most 20 times!
• Stefanie Magura from Rock Hill, ScI don't think I ever noticed Jim Morrison fall out of beat on this one. Given the circumstances though, it probably happened.
• Lee from Los Angeles, CaWould anyone believe "Five to One" is a Biblical referrence? In Luke 12:51 (or 5 to 1) Jesus, elsewhere referred to as the Prince of Peace, declares "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:For from henceforth there shall be FIVE in ONE house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son..." This seems to fit the Morrison household, which had five members, and was divided considering Jim's father's background as a Naval officer, and Jim's destiny as a rock legend.
• D from Many, Ma>> "Trading your hours for a handful of dimes": Jim was referring to Pam Courson in regards to her Heroin addiction, hence the slang of "dime", not for weed, but Heroin....need I go on?<<
  
  Though only thing is...I've never heard of "dime" or "dime-bag" being a reference to a denomination of heroin...
• Ayla from Edmonton, CanadaThe sounds in this one is definetly different. I listened to it, and yeah like someone already posted, you can hear Jim fall out of beat. I think the slurring really adds to it.
• Jim from Kc, Ks"Five to One": Number of kids to adults by approx. 1970. "They got the guns but we got the numbers": The number of kids comared to cops (cops were 'beating' kids in the streets in the mid/late 60's. "Trading your hours for a handful of dimes": Jim was referring to Pam Courson in regards to her Heroin addiction, hence the slang of "dime", not for weed, but Heroin....need I go on?
  
• Brandon from Saskatoon, Canadaya... this is a really cool song. it's obvious jim was drunk or high or sumthing during recording, think i'ma go listen to this song now, c ya
• C.h.g. from Victoria, CanadaJim Morrison was intriqued by an anonymous fan's off-the-cuff statement directed at him that "Your ballroom days are over". This, of course, made it into the song.
• D from Many, MaI love the sound of his voice when he's screeming "get together one more time"... just thought you'd like to know that...
• Stefanie Magura from Rock Hill, ScI agree with you Cayle. I think it's a great song, too. I think that the fact that Jim Morison's voice sounds all slurry and menacing in the song, is great. That's if you consider the fact that the song is kind of menacing, itself.
• Mampoop from Montreal, United StatesYeah that dude who made the comparison to Modest Mouse is right. I heard Five to One after I heard Satin In A Coffin and the first thing I said was "Modest Mouse... THEY COMPLETELY STOLE THIS" like that Jet song "Look What You've Done" a good song but a total Beatles ripoff
• Loretta from Liverpool, Englandhe was supposed to sing love street the night he recorded this
• Peter from Providence, RiOn the New Modest Mouse album..there is a song entitled "Satin In a Coffin" ..in it you cant help but notice that the drumbeat has "five to one" written all over it
• Fiona from Napier, New ZealandWhat's funny is that five to one is actually one in six.
• Brett from Edmonton, CanadaWell, "The End" did contain the F-word, but it was a garbled screech that was practically (actually literally) impossible to understand.
• Matthew Desimone from Toms River, Nj"drunker than usual" is correct. According to information taken from Ray's book, Jim showed up at this session with a woman, a huge bag full of pills, and absolutely no sobriety. He was on pills, pot, and a lot of booze. He grabbed a handful more of pills, swalled them down with booze, and jumped into the booth. Apparently they called the hospital to have an ambulance on standby. Ray says he nailed the song in one take (maybe two) and that the only mistake he made was that he was always slightly out of rythym on the "get together, one last time.." part. And if you listen to it, about two repetitions in, you can definately hear him fall out of beat.
• Aidan from Boston, MaIt's not true that the studio albums were always curse free, on "The End" it contains the line "Mother, I want to f--k you".
• Desirae from Harrison, Ohfive to one - no one here gets out alive
  
  he is great
• Beth from Kelowna, CanadaTerri Lynn spoke oh "No One Here gets out alive" that book is not very good ... i read it ... and it is boring. the auther doesnt really seem to know that much about Jim Morrison, well he knows the facts and some stories but he doesnt know Jim. If you want to read a good book on the doors and Jim Morrison you should read 'Light My Fire" by Ray Manzarek. Yes the ray from the doors. Someone who knew Jim well.
• Russ from Prince George, CanadaWord is, Morrison was very drunk when recording this one. Well, drunker than usual and that's why he sounds all slurry and menacing.
• Terri Lynn from Heart's Desire, Canadajust as a side note, a fact that im sure most doors fans know... a lyric from this song "No One Here Gets Out Alive" is the title of the incredibly popular biography of Jim Morrison. It was released a short time after his death, but has been reprinted on several occasions.
• Ken from Lasalle, CanadaFunny thing about this song. The guitarist for "Pearl Jam" was interviewed by "Guitar" magazine. In the interview, the guitarist was asked about the guitar solo for "Alive". He made mention of the fact that he "kinda ripped it off Ace Frehley's (Kiss' guitarist) solo from the song "She"." Frehley was contacted to see how he felt about the flattery. Nonplussed, Frehley laughingly replied "I stole it from the Door's song Five To One.". And you know what? I'll be damned. I have all three recordings, and it IS the same note-for-note solo. Shows to go you, Eddie Van Halen was right. Rock and Roll is a bastard child, everyone taking from everyone else.
• Rob from Tampa, FlThis song has been affiliated in meaning with the Kent State shooting in 1970. While many of the lyrics in the song would correlate with the shooting, the song was written before the shooting ever happened.
  
  The song is most likely about the anti-war sentiment with the youth against the pro-war views of the older generations at the time, talking of the youth taking over.
• Lee from Durham, Ncthe song is about the rise of the youth and the hippees. "they got the guns but we got the numbers, gunna win were taking over"

More Songfacts:

RoyalsLorde

Lorde was 16 years and 11 months old when "Royals" topped the Hot 100. In doing so she became the youngest ever solo artist to write and perform a #1 hit.

That LadyThe Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers' "That Lady" was sampled by Kendrick Lamar for his 2014 single "I." Lamar turned up at Ronald Isley's house to personally ask permission to borrow from the song.

VenusShocking Blue

The original "Venus" was a #1 hit for the Dutch band Shocking Blue. Listen to the first line and you'll hear a muffed word: "goddess" was sung as "goddness."

If I Could Turn Back TimeCher

According to the song's writer, Diane Warren, Cher hated the song and she had to force it on her by holding her leg down during a session until she recorded it.

Carrie AnneThe Hollies

The Hollies' 1967 hit "Carrie Anne" featured the first use of a steel drum in a commercial pop record.

Hash PipeWeezer

MTV wanted Weezer to record a version of their song "Hash Pipe" as "Half Pipe" to appeal to the skateboarding crowd. The band refused, and MTV listed the song as "H*** Pipe."

Editor's Picks

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"They're Playing My Song

When Dave recorded the first version of the song with his group the Blasters, producer Nick Lowe gave him some life-changing advice.

Eric BurdonSongwriter Interviews

The renown rock singer talks about "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"They're Playing My Song

Gramm co-wrote this gorgeous ballad and delivered an inspired vocal, but the song was the beginning of the end of his time with Foreigner.

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.