Killing an Arab by the Cure

My dad showed me this song Killing an Arab by the Cure.

The writer had based it off of The Stranger, by Albert Camus. Here are the lyrics:

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Standing on the beach with a gun in my hand

Staring at the sea, staring at the sand

Staring down the barrel at the Arab on the ground

See his open mouth but I hear no sound

I'm alive

I'm dead

I'm the stranger

Killing and Arab

I can turn and walk away or I can fire the gun

Staring at the sky, staring at the sun

Whichever I choose it amounts to the same

Absolutely nothing

I'm alive

I'm dead

I'm the stranger

Killin and Arab

I feel the silver jump smooth in my hand

Staring at the sea, staring at the sand

Staring at myself

Reflected in the eyes of the dead man on the beach

(The dead man on the beach)

I'm alive

I'm dead

I'm the stranger

Killing an Arab

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It's always nice to hear that the novels and ideas we read about are actually in the world around us.

I found the lyrics quite interesting. Aside from the obvious display of motifs- the sand, the sea, the sky, the sun- the basic idea of The Stranger are represented in the song. "Whichever I choose it amounts to the same/ Absolutely nothing".

The chorus also contains some thought-provoking ideas: the "I'm alive/I'm dead" part. When Meursault kills the Arab, is he also killing himself at the same time? Physically, I suppose the answer could be yes- for he is condemning himself to be hung at the end. But what about spiritually?

What I found most intriguing was how he kept saying "staring at the sea, staring at the sand", etc., and then eventually said "staring at myself". We often notice how much his surroundings, especially the sun and the sky, influence Meursault. What we can add to this is why it changes him. What does Meursault really know about himself? At the end of his days in court, Meursault thinks to himself: "I had the odd impression of being watched by myself" (85). Does he recognize that he does have some emotion? Or is it that what the reader knows about the character is more than what the character knows about himself? We can analyze Meursault's character- an unemotional guy, blocking out any emotions whatsoever, disliking the sun and everything. But what does Meursault analyze? Although he provides reasons for his actions- eg. I slept because I drank too much wine- is that truly understanding himself, or has he just created some sort of bubble to protect himself?

I don't know if I'll listen to the song all that much, but it certainly has provided some thought.