I write about art.

Bohemian Rhapsody is a masterpiece. The subtleties are what make it complex. The subtleties are
what make it art. Between the lines of the lyrics are three pivotal facets which are key to
understanding of the true meaning of the song.

The first is the time frame in which the song was written. The second is Scaramouch. The third:
Bismilah.

Some will disagree; others will have an ah ha moment when I tell you that this song is about The
Death Penalty in the United States.

The Time Frame

This song was written in 1975. In 1972, the US Supreme Court effectively outlawed the death
penalty as cruel and unusual punishment. Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972) was not
reversed until 1976. In reaction to the Decision, between 1972 and 1975, 37 states passed new
laws to bring back the death penalty and threatened a constructional amendment if it was not
reinstated.

There was as much debate about the death penalty then as there is now about SOPA or PIPA. It
was the political topic of the day.

Scaramouch.

In the novel, Scaramouch tells the story of a young attorney during the French Revolution who
also becomes a revolutionary, politician, and fencing-master, confounding his enemies with his
powerful orations and swordsmanship. Moreover, he is forced to change ideologies several
times during the novel which is politically expedient. (Wikipedia)

In the film(s) version, Scaramouch is buffoon who is challenged to a duel and flees because he has
no fencing experience. He joins a theatrical group, takes fencing lessons and challenges his
aggressor. At the end of the movie he discovers that he is about to kill his half-brother.

Bismilah

Bismilah is sometimes translated as In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful." It is the
first word of all but one chapter of the Koran. It is the first word on many Muslim gravestones.

The Story Told In The Song.

The story told in the song is about a man who just committed murder. He confesses this to his
mother early on. He is remorseful for the deed. The trial that occurs in the song is not about
whether he is guilty its about the sentence.

He is facing the death penalty. The first clue is when the character says I don't want to die; I
sometimes wish I'd never been born at all.

The second clue involves Scaramouch: I see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramouch!
Scaramouch! Will you do the Fandango?

The silhouetto of a man refers to the juxtaposition of Scaramouch as a politician who makes the
laws, and Scaramouch the lawyer who make a profit from exploiting the law.

Will you do a fandango refers to the lawyer at trial. If you watched Johnny Cochrans closing
arguments at OJ Simpsons trial, you saw a fandango. A fandango is traditionally a song and a
dance. For a lawyer it includes fencing.

This segment of the song is done in Gilbert and Sullivan style operetta suggesting that the US legal
system makes a mockery of itself through its own caprice. Any way the wind blows refers to one
day State Sanctioned Murder is legal, the next it is not, the next it is

Bismilah.

A plea for mercy: he confessed. He has remorse for his deed. He asks for his life not to be taken
in the name of the most merciful God.

He testifies at court I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me. His family testify: He's just a poor
boy from a poor family, Spare him his life from this monstrosity!

Bismilah! We will not let you go

Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia, let me go

Bismilah! We will not let you go

He has been sentenced to death in the name of Bismilah.

Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening has two meanings: it refers to the Supreme
Court and refers to the electric chair; the method of execution at the time. The Supreme Court
hands down decisions which are published at lighting speed; many fear the effects of its decisions.
Thunderbolt and Lighting also refers to the electricity used in the chair and the sounds it makes as
10,000 volts passes through a human body.

Finally, the saddest part of the song is when the character says So you think you can love me and
leave me to die?

This is among most awesome songs ever written. It is not a political statement: it is a moral
judgment. Mercury was exasperated at the hypocrisy of executions because the definition of
murder is the intentional taking of human life. Executions are murder, and legally sanctioned
murder in the name of justice is not a characteristic of civility.


If you believe that this song has a different meaning viva art! You are probably right.