Slow Education

First verse and chorus- People can understand the most basic of the universe's wonders (i.e the earthbound ones like weather) but we have a staggering lack of understanding as to the rest of the universe, scienticially or spiritually. Basically people have individual ideas about what happens to us but there's no consensus on it and it's...uh...frightening.

The second verse is interesting. Not real sure about it but to me it seems to focus on minutiae and Berman's conviction that if we treat each other right we don't have to really worry about whatever comes next. The "going down on themselves" is classic. People are so busy chasing what they believe will pleasure themselves and they lose sight of the fabric of society, i.e. manners, respect and deceny...the things that really make people feel good about themselves and connected with other people.

is it possible the second verse if god talking to berman, while the first is berman on god because he is asking god whether he is contemplating giving up on people (i.e. the one about dying)

Lurve it.

I've always interpreted this song as being about depression and suicidal ideation, for obvious reasons. The lines 'I'm lightning / I'm rain' seems to me to be indicative of bipolarism.

The song has quite an air of misanthropy about it, the 'slow education' possibly being about the imperfection of human beings (as created by God). The lines 'everybody going down on themselves / no pardon mes or fair thee wells in the end' seem to corroborate that.

Saying that, it's just my interpretation, and, this being one of my favourite songs, I'm loathe to care too much.

Another option is that this idea about dying is not thoughts of suicide but just a fear of death and a fear of God's judgement.

Are we judged by the omnipotent, benevolent God who brings the rain and makes the wind and the sun, or are we judged by the wrathful, malevolent God who banishes us from the Garden of Eden and strikes lightning down upon us?