Bling (Confession of a King)

I diagramed this song for a music video set to a tv show. Mine is based on a hero, defending his optimism

When I offer you survival You say it's hard enough to live It's not so bad, its not so bad

Is him talking, trying to cheer up/comfort a friend

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Is the friend, who's new; overwhelmed and confused by the suffering they see

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I awoke on the roadside, In the land of the free ride

Is the hero's flashback, and sort of a description of his life, just wandering through life with out understanding why or where he's going (bit hazy stil, feel free to comment) Awoke on the roadside, meaning movement is constant, no beginning or end. Land of the free ride may mean everyone is in motion, but free rides are arbitrary, they don't go anywhere we choose, or anywhere in particular at all.

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I can't pull it any longer

Note switch to present tense. Also fuzzy, but could mean the hero has recently stopped trying to run destiny/the world. He can't force life to go where he wants it to, can't save everyone.

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The sun is beating down my neck

He's tired. Very straight forward. 'Pulling" doesn't seem worth it.

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So I ran with the devil Left this trail of excuses

Switches back to past tense. Also straight forward. He's done lots of things he isn't proud of.

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Like a stone on the water The elements decide my fate Watch it go

Present. Could mean two things. One, stones sink like stones, drowning reference; fate is against him. Watch it go, control is slipping away from him

Second, the one I'm choosing for my specific purpose, is more zen. He's letting go more, like the smaller stones smoothed and carried by the river, he's letting life shape and guide him. Watch it go is more positive now, he gets to experience life by watching and admiring it, rather than fighting against it.

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When I offer you survival ... Poor and tired but more than this

Repeat of intro, with a more earnest tone. Life is not perfect, or even great, but it is worth it.

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How do you know that your right? If you're not nervous anymore

I'm going to say that this is the friend's retort, because I can't even fathom what it would mean if it was the optimist saying it. PLEASE COMMENT IF YOU MIGHT KNOW IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS!

Anyways, in mine the friend is saying, how can you believe life is so great if you're so unafraid of you're own death? If life is so wonderful, even in the face of all the dark things you've seen, shouldn't you be afraid of dying?

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It's not so bad, It's not so bad

exactly what it says

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I feel my vision slipping in and out of focus but I'm pushing off for that horizon I'm pushing on

again, could mean two things

One, he's dying, and either waiting to see what's on the other side, or trying to finish his mission here. My first impression, since your vision starts to blur as you lose consciousness, but it doesn't fit my story.

Two, much more general, he sometimes loses sight of where he's really going or what's most important, but he knows he's going somewhere. Any direction is toward the horizon if you walk with enough determination

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now I've got that blowing wind against my face

could mean adversity, being pushed back, but I think it's a positive, like the rush of air you feel as you pick up speed. also, a counter to the hot sun beating down his neck.

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So you sling rocks at the riptide Am I wrong or am I right?

an accusation, (I'm not sure on which side, but I'm saying that it's the friend talking) that the other person is wasting angry efforts, almost like shouting at a hurricane.

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I hit the bottom with a huh quite strange I get my glory in the desert rain watch it go

Some people are interpreting the third line as "I get glory when hell freezes over". These people have never been a small child in Arizona. Summer monsoons are the most gobsmackingly spectacular things you could possibly experience. They may be rare, but i would go three days without air conditioning in July down here to just stand there in a half hour summer storm. Each and every plant that struggles through the rest of the year explodes into life literally overnight, like spring condensed into an evening

I think this means that the hero has seen the best and worst of times, that hitting rock bottom was an experience that has changed him, but he clings to those moments of every now and then, when something incredible happens that makes everything worth while.

Watch it go, again, just means enjoy it. all the complexity and beauty and texure of life.

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... And I'll tell you when it's over Shut up, Poor and tired but more than this

getting more desperate, he's determined to pull his friend through, because he's seen all this before, and knows that it gets better if you hold on

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How do you know that you're right ... It's not so bad, it's not so bad

see above.

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Higher and higer

Basically, we can get through the rough times. If we keep on going til the very end, down to the wire, we can find those desert rain moments, and make it out.

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It ain't hard to hold when it shines like gold you'll remember me

Anyone can be good when times are kind. Our misfortunes define us as much as anything else. The hero accepts all of the hardships that he's come across, the mistakes he's made, and takes pride in the fact that he's become a person worthy of remembering.

It's Doctor Who, if anyone cares. Everyone does videos of him being tragic and angsty, but I don't think that's how he would put if he were telling his own story. The point is that he keeps going.