Blue Oyster Cult: Don't Fear the Reaper Meaning

Song Released: 1976

Don't Fear the Reaper Lyrics

All our times have come
Here but now they’re gone
Seasons don’t fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain.. we can be like they are
Come on baby... don’t fear the reaper
Baby take my hand... don’t fear the reaper
We’ll be able to...

1. orion8591

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   Jan 7th 2012 !⃝

   A brilliant song, with many levels of interpretation. The most literal one is the acceptance of death as harmoniously symmetrical with life, which causes many people who are anxious about death to incorrectly conclude that the song is about promoting suicide. More to the point, as writer D. Roeser said, Reaper refers to the power of love over death and implies a life after this one...possibly inspired by Roeser's own relationships and a heart condition he reportedly suffered from at the time of writing.
   Reaper also came out at a time when the counterculture and love ideal of the 1960's was fading or at least being challenged. Like Stairway To Heaven, Reaper acknowledges this sea change ("all out times have come"), but the song re-affirms love, even though the world was becoming a much harder place for ideals like love.
   Old legends from medievial European times about the Grim Reaper and The Maiden, and the reference to Romeo and Juliet give the song a deep psycho-historical resonance.
2. anonymous

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   Dec 5th 2011 !⃝

   Call me crazy, but I think it is about becoming a vampire, just as " I love the night" is. I have always thought this about the lyrics!
3. anonymous

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   Sep 3rd 2011 !⃝

   A long last love coming to her in her dreams as a reaper. At his arrival to surrender (loss of virginity) The Wind is his arrival. two souls that will always be together . Love of two is one. Even in the afterlife. If they can not be together here on Earth. they will be together in the after life like Romeo and Juliet and 40,000 men and women everyday.
4. anonymous

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   Jun 26th 2011 !⃝

   It's about a burning affection and lust between two people who can't be together due to unconventional circumstances.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
5. anonymous

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   Jun 22nd 2011 !⃝

   clearly this song is about the acceptance of death and love transcending through. so, there is no reason to fear death for it will only lead to a new point for one's journey with their loved one[s].
6. anonymous

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   Jun 19th 2011 !⃝

   The 40,000 in the lyrics gives it away. There are over one million suicides worldwide per year (world health organization data). one million would be about 30000 per day; over one million puts it around 40000 I would say. "We can be like they are..."
   Suicide. Definitely.
7. anonymous

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   Jun 19th 2011 !⃝

   The 40,000 in the lyrics gives it away. There are over one million suicides worldwide per year (world health organization data). one million would be about 3000 per day; over one million puts it around 4000 I would say. "We can be like they are..."
   Suicide. Definitely.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
8. anonymous

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   Jun 11th 2011 !⃝

   I believe it means that "don't fear the reaper it interpruts that the man wants her to go with him into hell but she won't because well it's hell so he convinces her with whitty wordplay to kill herself and let's him take her away to well you know the dark region and the seasons don't fear the reaper means that seasons come and go but a jew one is always there taking the spot of the old like a baby and my grandfather rip <3 and now all is fine until memorialization so anyways he's convincing her to go with him tothe afterlife because he did something wrong and died or possibly suicide and "romeo and juliet" he used them to symbolize everlatsing love and how they were together for eternity.
9. anonymous

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   May 18th 2011 !⃝

   This spirit (if u will) comes to the women in her hour of sadness when she could no longer go on, he is very convincing and persuasive! I think we all know who this man is! And boy can he be convincing and persuasive in our hours of sadness huh?
10. anonymous

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    May 18th 2011 !⃝

    This spirt (if u will) comes to the women in her hour of sadness when she could no longer go on, he is very convincing and persuasive. She runs to him with no fear! I think we all know who this man is! And boy can he be convincing in our momments of sadness huh??
11. anonymous

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    May 10th 2011 !⃝

    this songs has to do with not being afraid of death. "seasons dont fear the reaper" is saying everything must come and go. Also 40000 people die everyday is saying that people die everyday, its part of the cycle. BTW the Romeo and juliet reference is not about lovers, its about how when they died they created peace for all of verona. Similarly if no one died the world would be thrown all out of wack. people die so that the world goes smoothly (or at least less recklessly, the world is starting to get over populated.)My guess at the last part about the man saying dont fear the reaper is that the woman is terminally ill and that literally a grim reaper figure of sorts is saying, dont be afraid
12. anonymous

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    May 2nd 2011 !⃝

    The interperetation's in the name, really. I think the song is about a guy comforting a dying girl, telling her not to fear death (the reaper), because he'll be with her in the end, and they'll be together forever "like Romeo and Juliet".
13. anonymous

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    Mar 31st 2011 !⃝

    I've always interpreted the song as being about the loss of virginity. The "reaper" is one lover trying to convince another to go "all the way."
    
    Its an updated, rock way of saying 'gather ye rosebuds why ye may."
14. anonymous

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    Mar 3rd 2011 !⃝

    I understood the song to mean that we should not fear death. It's actually a part of the cycle of life. Everything changes, we change, the seasons change, and so on. By taking the hand of the young woman, the "Reaper" (personally, I don't like the term "Grim Reaper") is helping her to move on, or transcend into the next stage of life, or spirit, whatever term you choose to apply.
    
    I love the song, always have.
    
    Jane's Garden
15. anonymous

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    Jan 26th 2011 !⃝

    i feel that this song is about how the romeo and juliet are a couple, then the reaper comes to them and she goes in search of a better life in the afterlife but romeo does not go with her. the song says not to dread death but to welcome it when your time comes.

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