I believe this is about Aesop's struggle to make it as a artist, to keep his head above water and make money to live. He is the Martyr (ain't no motor like a martyr made motor cause a martyr made motor don't quit) prepared to suffer or already suffering for his cause (to become an artist/struggling to live and pay the bills)
The first few lines is just describing his surroundings New York in his own complex way.
"There's smoke in my iris but I painted a sunny day on the insides of my eyelids"
This is him struggling smoke and mist blocking the way but hes is not becoming depressed instead he is fighting through it (pretty much the Make Lemonade thing as Kr0n said)
"I'm a dinosaur with Jones Beach in my hourglass"
Jones beach is a reference to a place in New York im not sure what dinosaur means but hourglass must symbolises time or the future as in he is planing to go to jones beach
"I'm not trying to graduate to life with a personalised barstool head in a jar on the desk, feet dangling in a shark pool"
He dos not want to become another washed-up drunk, he wants to become something so he writes (head in a jar on the desk) and he is in deep trying to survive (dangling in shark pool can have many meanings)
"I ain't getting any younger my knuckles wear their bruises well i've yet to lose that hunger but only time can tell prodigal Son with a prodigal wish to sew that prodigal stitch and crucify bigot voodoo doll on two popsicle sticks"
This fits in with the struggling artist theme hes getting old still fighting, and has been in many fights to make it, he still has a passion to make it and prove bigots wrong
The Homeless Man is a metaphor for him, he is a bum but has talent and wants to be recognized and probably really exists as the song is basically a recount of him walking down the street one day and his thoughts in an overly complex way with some wordplay thrown in. Also some of the lyrics require more knowledge of him on a personal scale or on that day
JesseOLon April 20, 2009 Link
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