What does Break on Through (To the Other Side) mean?

The Doors: Break on Through (To the Other Side) Meaning

Album cover for Break on Through (To the Other Side) album cover

Song Released: 1967


Break on Through (To the Other Side) Lyrics

You know the day destroys the night
Night divides the day
Tried to run
Tried to hide
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side, yeah

We chased our pleasures here
Dug our...

  1. anonymous
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    Feb 23rd 2010 !⃝

    This song is about dying, and moving on to the other side. Jim said it himself.

  2. scc123
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    Oct 25th 2009 !⃝

    This is about finding the truth. Everything all the time. What if you could have anything you want anytime you want it? You are the god of your universe

  3. giza
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    Sep 19th 2009 !⃝

    I believe that this posting is very good, if not dead on. I put it in quotes below mine. I would just like to add something:
    it was about a woman, that was cheating on him or lieing, or hurting him somehow and he was trying to run from the truth, but finally was confronted by the truth. He was telling her to break on through to the other side. the other side being death, the only immaculate experience a person goes through after birth. He wanted her to die for hurting him, and he wanted to go too.




    "you know the day destroys the night
    night divides the day
    tried to run
    tried to hide"

    this is just how the song struck me. He is running from truth, (his own form of truth like previously mentioned?), obviously it is something he didn't want to find out, hence why he tried to run from it. The days are bleeding together since he has this knowledge.

    "we chased our pleasures here
    dug our treasures there
    but can you still recall
    the time we cried"

    he is remembering the time he had with a certain girl. And specifically a certain time when something bad happened. If we read this in relation to the first lines maybe this girl told him something upsetting. I think maybe she was unfaithful.

    "I found an island in your arms
    country in your eyes
    arms that chain us
    eyes that lie"

    island and country meaning she had a lot of depth, and substance. But those turned out be wrong, lies.

    "made the scene
    week to week
    day to day
    hour to hour
    the gate is straight
    deep and wide
    break on through to the other side"

    he was able to keep up appearances only so long. It was a constant minute by minute fight within himself. Till eventually he broke down and accepted the truth."

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  4. JasmineStar
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    Aug 11th 2009 !⃝

    There is a great book called doors of perception, and there are a lot of existential writers who speak of the angst of not feeling connected with life, of being on the outside as if viewing life through a window. i think those who choose the interpretation of opening the doors of perception are spot on. It also seems to reflect the path of a shaman, where instead of taking the approach of what is being done to me, who said that about me, what did i see today, there comes a point in which one wants to merge into life, to be at one with life, beyond dualities of black or white, yin or yang. In mystic terms it is stepping thrugh the veil of illusion and finding the at one exerience.
    Yep it is looking past "making the scene" and past whether your loved one loves you or lies, it is about being in your centre and at one. The shaman path type lyrics are most interesting in many of his songs.

  5. HowCouldYou
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    Jul 7th 2009 !⃝

    Means challenge your opposition
    whatever is dictating what you should do should be challenged and do not accept others perceptions of the truth or the way to believe or the way to lead your life as a given, sometimes, challenging a dictator can seem difficult because you are put to death if you oppose the rules, but you must keep going forward without hesitation, and remember, 'you can not argue with a crazy man'

  6. anonymous
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    Jun 10th 2009 !⃝

    You know the good times come at night,
    but night is ended by day.
    The trip scared me,
    but I want more.

    Break on through to the other side....acid.

    We had a real good time,
    we changed our look on life.
    but don't forget,
    it freaked us out.

    Break on through to the other side.

    I saw an island in your arm.
    I saw a country in your eyes..
    but you're stuck on islands
    and the government lies.

    Break on through to the other side.

  7. anonymous
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    Feb 4th 2009 !⃝

    I believe this song has alot to do with Acid, or Ecstacy. If you have ever done either one of those drugs, you would understand the meaning of this song to the fullest. On either two of the drugs, you "Brake on Through to the other Side". Your perception of everything is crazy. It just makes sense.

  8. 70s_girl
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    Jan 16th 2009 !⃝

    just like most songs... this song comes off as if about a relationship. a realtionship where it's the girl that's cheating on him. he knows, she may not know he knows. they're going through the motions and he's ready to get out hence the "other side". it's where he wants to go but maybe he's trapped and it's just a thought. but towards the end of the song it sounds like he's ready to "break through" and take the leap he's been wanting to take.

  9. anonymous
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    Dec 7th 2008 !⃝

    i believe that when he said "break on through to the other side" he was simply talking about getting high. he even says, "she gets high, she gets high, she gets high..."

  10. Anon.
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    Jul 17th 2008 !⃝

    This relates to Blake's comment that if we could cleanse the doors of perception, we would see everything as it is, as infinite. The song transcends politics to talk about a mystical experience of ultimate reality.

  11. anonymous
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    Jun 1st 2008 !⃝

    All of these songs seem to have a different interpretation to different people. but have you ever stopped to think. Maybe we just overthink it and these songs mean nothing.

    It could be a possibility. You never know what runs through the mind of a druggy because people have different perspectives & experiences. some people discover their true self & some people... say shit that makes absolutely no sense.

    I'm just saying. what if these songs were basically written to make us think about something we'll never actually figure out. Who knows.

  12. anonymous
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    Apr 12th 2008 !⃝

    “I believe in a long, prolonged, derangement of the senses in order to obtain the unknown.”
    That was a Jim Morrison quote, so he gets to the other side by derangement his senses.

  13. anonymous
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    Feb 11th 2008 !⃝

    It is about breaking the doors of perception
    and also "back door man" wasn't a led zeppelin or a doors original lyric, back door man was done by howling wolf before either of those bands were made

  14. anonymous
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    Jan 28th 2008 !⃝

    Do LSD (at a dose of atleast 400 mics), listen to the song, and 'break on through to the other side'.

  15. anonymous
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    Oct 2nd 2007 !⃝

    "you know the day destroys the night
    night divides the day
    tried to run
    tried to hide"

    this is just how the song struck me. He is running from truth, (his own form of truth like previously mentioned?), obviously it is something he didn't want to find out, hence why he tried to run from it. The days are bleeding together since he has this knowledge.

    Ill leave that comment there cause I think you read Jims mind.

    "we chased our pleasures here
    dug our treasures there
    but can you still recall
    the time we cried"

    he is remembering the time he had with a certain girl. And specifically a certain time when something bad happened. If we read this in relation to the first lines maybe this girl told him something upsetting. I think maybe she was unfaithful.

    Right man. I think his perception that made him cry. The way he felt by just feeling cause once quoted that feelings are disturbing. Maybe a girl, his father, or just love made him shed tears.

    "I found an island in your arms
    country in your eyes
    arms that chain us
    eyes that lie"

    island and country meaning she had a lot of depth, and substance. But those turned out be wrong, lies.

    Lets just say he felt that all he felt lied to him. I belive he hated his father or both of his parents, it could be the chaining of his thoughts that his parents did to him or that it really was a girl, but wasnt Pamela his first and only girl?

    All in all it must have something to do with love that chained him and then lied or his perception that limited all of his thoughts in mind. Maybe both.

    "made the scene
    week to week
    day to day
    hour to hour
    the gate is straight
    deep and wide
    break on through to the other side"

    he was able to keep up appearances only so long. It was a constant minute by minute fight within himself. Till eventually he broke down and accepted the truth.

    I don't believe he accepted the feeling that his perception did to him. I belive he was a very sensitive human being and showed pain when he was in pain. The scene is the way he acted and accepted pain. Then he just said: "NO MORE!" and then carried it with him like a radio. He woke up because of the pain and then he broke out to the other side.

    Eh, I'm not really good at using fancy words or so. Im only 16 and from Denmark so please don't attack me. :D




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