Bowie’s ‘Outside’ album is an entire trip in itself, but a couple of track stand out, mixing the abraisive experimental sound of the project as a whole with an accessible sort of heavy industrial pop. As soon as The Heart’s Filthy Lesson begins, there’s a sort of harsh droning line, maybe an organ, accompnied by some ambient sounds, creating the tensions that’s broken as the instrumentation enters at :24. The sporadic overdriven electric guitar and Bowie’s vocals trade off over a quieter rythem guitar, bass, occasional piano arpeggios, and a consistent drum line.
Things get weird for a moment – “Paddy? Who’s been wearing Miranda’s clothes?” – before featuring a frantic piano break, and surfacing back into the main theme. This is good enough to be a sort of interstitial, but the song continues to progress after a quick break and vocal sigh at 3:21. The bridge sounds the same, but changes things up enough to keep the song interesting, and adds more guitar, building tension until the peak of the song at 3:59: “Oh Paddy… I think I’ve lost my way…”
The rest of the sound is a devolving outro. Through the song, Bowie doesn’t really identify what filthy lesson the heart has to offer:
There’s always the diamond friendly
Sitting in the Laugh Hotel
The heart’s filthy lesson
With her hundred miles to hell
Oh, Ramona, if there was only something between us
If there was only something between us
Other than our clothes
Paddy will you carry me, I think I’ve lost my way
I’m already five years older I’m already in my grave
Will you carry me?
Oh Paddy, I think I’ve lost my way
The line “I’m already five years older, I’m already in my grave” is great, and Bowie’s repeated cryptic remarks during the outro, “Paddy, what a fantastic death abyss! Tell the others.” is full of suggestion as well. Other then those lines and the interstitial ‘quotes’ throughout the song, I think the vocals work better as instruments themselves then as communicating any concrete idea.