| Porcupine Tree – In Formaldehyde Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I think this lyrics are more straightforward: my interpretation is that his relationship is dying. They lived together, and their house is a reflect of the sadness the couple is going through ("Dust in the kitchen / Coffeepot", it could describe something like a still life picture). I think this is clearly supported by the following verses: "Now we are coasting / Talking less / Breathing stress". He's feeling dead inside, so he describes his future life as "lying in formaldehide" (looking normal and "alive" from the outside, but really dead). I don%t really get the "People walk / Through my insides" part, maybe it could be about him doing some kind of psychological therapy. "When I get out of here / I get a plastic vase / And you get to keep the car": They're separating and she's keeping "the car" (the more important material stuff they bought together), while he keeps the more insignificant things. "Or do you want me to stay? / The things that I have to say / You've heard it all anyway": He's already expressed his feelings; however, love is gone and she doesn't want him to stay anymore. I'm not sure about the "Send me to sleep / You always could / Fatherhood" part. Sleeping could be seen as a state of peace and calmness; in former times she made him feel in that state. Now he's begging her to do it again, but in the sense of ending this pain so he can be peaceful again. Then, it continues: "Tie up loose ends / Make it stop / Forget me not". He sees the ending as unavoidable and wants it to end. But he wants her not to forget him and what they lived together. "And would you really mind / If I told you a millionth time / The story of my decline?": He feels that she doesn't listen to him anymore (or she never did). He explained himself many times, but she doesn't care, and her decision is made. This also makes me think that he could be a depressive person, and that this attitude of him damaged the relationship and made her tired, so she's leaving him. "You never seem to take / The time to contemplate / Before you annihilate": following the "depression" idea, this could mean that she didn't ever try to understand him and be by his side when he needed her support. She just got tired and decided to "annihilate" him (splitting up and hurting him even more). This lyrics were written at the time of Lighbulb Sun, an album that is almost completely about a failed relationship. So I think this is the closer interpretation, as it could fit perfectly in the context of that album (think of other lyrics of the same albun, such as She's Moved On, or Where We Would Be). |
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