| Counting Crows – Perfect Blue Buildings Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| I'll throw in another vote that it's about depression and suicidal thinking. I've always thought it's pretty clear. He's sick of the pointlessness of life, he's awake at 4:30am saying "it doesn't get much worse than this," he stays at home because he's too depressed. He's thinking about killing himself ("gonna get me a little oblivion") but he's ambivalent about it ("keep myself away from me.") Like monkeybear pointed out, I am sure a lot of people who have experienced depression understand the ambivalence of suicidal feelings and the idea that you want to keep yourself safe from your own suicidal impulses. | |
| Men at Work – Who Can It Be Now? Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I always thought this was about mental illness. I'm surprised more other people have not thought so. The narrator sounds paranoid (is it the man come to take me away, why do they follow me, I'll be trapped) and anxious. He's aware that something is wrong with him (I'm not feeling right; here they come, those feelings again) but is trying to deny it (there's nothing wrong with my state of mental health.) He is having delusions but again, is denying it -- as apparent by one of the strangest lines, "it's not the future that I can see, it's just my fantasy." Obviously he has been feeling like he can see the future, but now he's trying to convince himself or others that he's normal. Then there's that weird line about being "here with my childhood friend" when he's actually alone. PS - Colin Hay's solo acoustic version is great; much better than the original. |
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