| The Shins – Sleeping Lessons Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Interesting take. It would be interesting to see if Mercer was anti-religious in any way. Although, perhaps anti-Catholic is a more accurate statement. You seem to have interpreted it as an anti-religious-institution song rather than a generally anti-religious song. This is not how I would interpret it, but I think your take is certainly valid. Religion in general, as you said, has its good side as well. The entirety of Christianity is not wholly bound up in the dogmas of the institution as is the Catholic Church. Nor, for that matter are many religions. | |
| The Shins – Sleeping Lessons Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| That's an insightful take on it. Alcoholism. I also think it has to do with overcoming some sort of serious vice. Could be a relationship or an addiction. Good one. | |
| The Shins – Sleeping Lessons Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Wow, I just posted my interpretation of this on here, then scrolled up and read yours. Mine is a bit different (only going to show how interpretations are personal) but you have really nailed it. That's very insightful. Good job. | |
| The Shins – Sleeping Lessons Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I've never made an interpretation on here before, but this song so struck me, and seemed so relevant to my position that I just have to offer my take on it. Of course, a song means whatever it means to the person hearing it, so this is merely one possibility. I think the singer is speaking to a hypothetical person about getting over a lost love or over any kind of life-limiting vice that they may have. Here is my interpretation: Sleeping Lessons - Referring to the insomnia attributed to a lost love, and how the song is like a "lesson" on how to get over this loss and learn how to sleep and relax again. Go without, till the need seeps in - You go without your love after a bad breakup that you initiated. You go without them until you feel that intense yearning for intimacy and excitement again. Then you either cave and run back to them, or you find another, or you remain strong and move on. You low animal, collect your novel petals for the stem - Reminding you of your own carnal nature and how this carnal nature caused you to be so hooked on the love and to run back; a love that was not in your best interest to begin with. "Novel petals" are all the little reasons you've found or made up in order to stay with this person, despite them being bad for you. And glow. Glow. Melt and flow - After a long period of celibacy away from your ex, you begin to glow again with the vibrancy of your stored sexual energy which flows again through your body. Eviscerate your fragile frame and spill it out on ragged floor - Abstinence from the love feels almost like a self-destructive thing, and it's so hard to stay away from that pull. So you begin to find a new source of energy in your life that you can "spill out" in creative outlets. A thousand different versions of yourself - You begin to explore yourself alone again, and perhaps try to use "a thousand different" coping mechanisms to recover. And if the old guards still offend, they got nothing left on which you depend - The "old guards" is your fear of moving on, the feeling of being stuck to the old loved one, while at the same time feeling afraid of risking a new love. But these old patterns of thought should not hold you back any longer because they serve no real purpose in your life. So enlist every ounce of your bright blood. And off with their heads - So use all your strength to remind yourself that the love was a bad relationship. Reject them once and for all and remove them from your life. Jump from the hook. You're not obliged to swallow anything you despise - You've just been hooked to a destructive relationship, and you don't have to deal with all the pain you put up with in the relationship, so let it all go, unhook yourself. See, those unrepenting buzzards want your life, and they got no right. As sure as you have eyes, they got no right - Your lover wanted to own you, but it was a bad relationship because they could do and say whatever they wanted without regard to how it made you feel. And what's worse, they were completely unrepentant for it. They have no right to be your lover, because they only hurt you. They are vultures. Just put yourself in my new shoes - Let go and take on a new life. And see that I do all I do because the old guard still offends. (Their pudgy hearts and slimy hands) They got nothing left on which we depend. - Acknowledging that the old vice of the past lover is still affecting you, so listen to the words of the song and just let it go. So enlist every ounce of your bright blood. And off with their heads. Jump from the hook. You're not obliged to swallow anything you despise. That you despise. - You should not be hooked on a person that is not beneficial for your life. But our hearts are so foolish sometimes, we think we can change a person or that with more patience we can fix them. This is a type of insanity that leads to worse insanity. But renewed joy will come when we completely remove that person from our lives and forgive and forget them. |
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