| Porcupine Tree – Prodigal Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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First things first, a lot of people cling onto the whole serial killer theme, which for a lot of the songs in the album hold true, but I think you should not force the theme on the interpretation of every single song in the album. In my opinion, the song is first and foremost about a depressed, suicidal man -an outcast of society, who may or may not be a serial killer- The lyrics describe his depressed feelings, his attempts to escape his depression, and the subject trying to talk himself out of suicide. "I don't know whose side I'm on I don't think that I belong round here If I left the stage would that be wrong ?" The first verse sets the mood. Our subject does not feel like he's part of any group of people, thus he thinks he does not belong in the world. Leaving the stage in this context would be committing suicide. "I tried to find myself a better way I got religion but I went astray They took my money and I lost my faith" The second verse describes his attempts to seek help. He doesn't really want to kill himself, maybe there's a solution. Thus he turns to religion, maybe in search of god, or maybe in the hopes of finding a small community to be part of. But he is disappointed, because he feels as if the church only wants his money, and does not really want to help him. "Rain keeps crawling down the glass The good times never seem to last Close your eyes and let the thought pass He's looking out a window into the rain thinking about his life when suicidal thoughts arise. But another voice in his head talks himself into ignoring those thoughts as they will fade away after a while. "I tried the capsule and I tried the smoke I tried to aid escape like normal folk But I never seemed to get the joke He's gotten anti-depressants and/or other drugs and substances -maybe legal, maybe not- in order to numb himself of his dark thoughts. He's been trying to find help like other depressed people, but he is not responsive to the treatment (he metaphorically does not "get the joke") At this point the music intensifies, into a more active vibe, maybe indicating that the subject is setting things in motion in a rush to finally commit suicide. The following words indicate a suicide attempt. "These are my old clothes This is a new low This is my blood flow This is my headstone In a low point he finally tries to kill himself with a razor, presumably. "This is my headstone" He feels like this is the end, he's surely going to die. At this point I think the subject is saved in some way, and his friends and relatives finally pay attention to him, as they now see the gravity of his condition. "I spend my days with all my friends They're the ones on who my life depends I'm gonna miss them when the series ends" He gets visitors more often now, concerned friends and relatives. These people keep him busy, distract him from his suicidal thoughts. They form a hurdle in his suicidal tendencies, perhaps physically but maybe also because he realizes that his death would devastate his loved ones. "I'm gonna miss them when the series ends" he knows that the attention he's brought onto himself is a temporary thing, as the other people will someday move on with their lives. He's still suicidal. "Rain keeps crawling down the glass (Pull yourself together) The good times never seem to last (You know it's not so bad) Close your eyes and let the thought pass (Close your eyes and let it pass) A second voice enters the chorus now, these may be quotes from his friends that try to help him. They grant new insight, and his condition seems to be a bit better than before. |
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