A Song For The Deaf

I have very little idea what this song is about, but I'll take a stab at it anyway.

I think Homme is trying to say that you have to sometimes let stubborn people be stubborn. You can't waste your time constantly preaching to someone or trying to make them see things your way. In the end, it's like talking to the deaf. I especially sense this message in the chorus. He's speaking as someone who understands himself and the world, and doesn't care about other people's perceptions ("Broken reflection...nobody ever needed it").

I also believe that he's comparing deafness to blindness in the "blind can go get fucked" verse, with the latter being a metaphor for ignorance. It's one thing to acknowledge a circumstance, and not allow it to change your views or ideals. It's another thing to be in denial. Stubborness and ignorance are not one and the same, in his eyes.

Hi! this is like my first post here, but I think I've found a connection with this song to a previous. If you look at the first verse, it completely contradicts their earlier song "In The Fade" as it goes 'cracks in the ceiling, crooked pictures in the hall, come and breath in, im leaving here tommorow'. This one seems almost like the same guy has gone crazy with the girl not showing up- he's taken everything that was here-including the crooked pictures as a 'broken reflection' (if we take the pictures to be mirrors or himself) are gone too. Breathing in, too is lost forever, as he wants it all for himself (perhaps a majiuana reference). Remember the previous song being "in the fade"? Well both the blind (which "can go get fucked") and the deaf could definitely be interpreted as being "in the fade", but he isn't sharing whatever was there anymore. The halo round his neck may of represented his previous connections and obligations (that were good)with them (ie In The Fade) but now its a collar around his neck, and has hurt him, so hence the blind and deaf who he helped can 'get fucked'. He knew this before, as "In the Fade" He says 'they dont know ill never do you any good, laughing is easy i would if i could'. Finally, He became 'faded' himself (prob. drug ref.) as he didnt detect who ever he was singing to,probably the same girl(if im right about all this) who was beautiful but a cancer, which obviously killed his previous love that was "In the fade". 'WHen I knew where you'd been' could suggest that he knew she was cheating on him or something. Again, finally, 'what's lost, ill save what's left for the deaf' could reinforce that he is 'faded' as well from the fact he wants to take everything. The canary could be him, in that cage when all those loving senses go from "in the fade", or her, or him before he went on this crazy spree not liking the other faded/blind/deaf and poisoning them.

Or, I could be reading into this waaaaaay too much!

This song is clearly about deaf people.... think about it. How much can it SUCK not being able to hear? Not being able to hear music. If Joshua Hommes were to go deaf that would absolutely destroy him. So he feels most sympathy for the deaf above all.

in the context of the album, Josh has come to an area where only you can hear religious radios who are constantly referring god and religion as unquestionable. josh is now realizing how difficult it can be to confront issues of this matter with people who are blind believers as is the case with most of the population of joshua tree and surrounding area.

Just suggesting a lyric change. Are you sure the line is:

"So low round my neck Strung out every stitch"

I always thought it was

"This halo 'round my neck Has torn out every stitch"

I think it's interesting how this leads into Mosquito Song. It's like this is the big 'finale' of the album, while Mosquito Song is the epilogue. He's come so far across the nation and the radio stations he's listened to for entertainment have become nightmarish and disturbing. This song is the culmination of that. He turns off the radio, gets drunk/high on nicotine/valium/vicodine/marijuana/ecstasy/alcohol, drives off laughing... and then comes the hellish final track.

I'd add this to my previous comment, but I can't edit, so:

I don't know exactly what this song's about, but it creates some very vivid images... I always thought of it as being about a serial killer (represented by Lanegan's vocals) breaking into the house of a deaf man (the narrator). That doesn't really match up with the lyrics, now that I think of it, but that's just what I picked up from it.

Song is about heavy drug abuse, and how every time the main character stops, the drugs "beg him" to come back. "I got what was / I want to take what's left," the main character wants to take all of the drugs he has at once, so he takes a lot The main character is hypnotized by taking so much drugs, his "beautiful senses are gone," and the drugs keep calling him back, "Canary in a gilded cage / Singin' / Sweet, soft and low / I will poison you all / Come closer, racin' to your tongue," the main character listened to the drugs, and took even more, but he doesn't realize he is overdosing. "No talk will cure / What's lost, or save what's left," the main character won't listen to anyone, and wants to take more. "Who are you hiding? Is it safe for the deaf? / Beautiful cancer, infiltrate then forget," The main character realized he screwed up, he's going to overdose. "Yeah, I saw you coming and I heard not a thing / A mistake not to listen / When I knew where you'd been," the main character was told what would happen if he took everything, but was too ignorant. Finally, the main character succumbs to his stupidity, and the song transitions to Mosquito Song, about his rotting corpse.

DArk song.

im at a loss for words too, cool song tho! i like the guitar screaming at the beggining, makes my hair stand up everytime