The Working Hour

This is a beautiful piece of music.

Considering the psycho-analytic theme of "Songs From the Big Chair" the song has a personal meaning to me. Anyone that has participated in any form of psychological therapy knows well that the session lasts an hour. Depending on the doctor and patient and the nature of the issues being discussed, it can be the most excruciating hour of your life. Facing long repressed issues, experiences, pain. Acknowledging your flawed thought process and the self doubt that follows when your perceptions of reality are shaken.

The conclusions you come to and accepting a new "reality" that you were completely unaware of. I recall the beads of sweat forming on my forehead during these sessions, and it was indeed a "working hour."

These things That I've Been told Can rearrange My world My doubt In time But inside out

All along the psychoanalyst is learning from you and more so from your mistakes. Your recompense for his/her "learning?" Your healing. You are paind by those that learn from your mistakes.

...and the fear, the fear of facing the truth, of facing the reality outside your own awareness...it feels like being bound in chains.

Find out what this fear is about...find out!!!

Like I said, this song is very personal to me and I remember it when I see others going through the working hour of psycho-therapy.

The above stated psychoanalytical interpretation is quite insightful and almost works very well, with one important disclaimer: The lyrics say 'This is the working hour, we are PAID by those who learn by our mistakes' (not pained). This makes me thing that this song is about just what the title suggest: working hours, frustration and exploitation at work; and if you make to many mistakes, you receive little or no payment (the line 'This day and age, for all and not for one' is much more vague however; could mean that at work you're just part of a subordinate collective, the individual doesn't count). And the fear in 'Fear is such a vicious thing, it wraps me up in chains' for me indicates the primal fear that everyone has for their very employment, their livelihood (you never know if you're gonna get sacked next week)

I carried this song close my heart on my journey of life, It is bold and it has a strong emotional power.

These things That I've Been told

• This represents the persons upbringing into this world. Including the influence of parents/guardians and surroundings.

Can rearrange

• i see it was wrong.

My world

*it really affected my life emotionally.

My doubt

*Many wrongs were actually "rights" and many rights were actually "wrongs"

In time

*has reflected on their upbringing and current self-created surroundings

But inside out

*The full realisation of the confused feelings as a child.

This is the working hour

*This represents the society we have constructed. enslaved into a system that even our guardians had no real choice, and are subjected to a similar confusion of freedom.

We are paid by those who learn by our mistake

*This represents all world powers/political systems throughout the ages.

Anarchism. Colonialism. Communism. Despotism. Distributism. Feudalism. Socialism. Totalitarianism

The powers subject us to the ideologies and gain knowledge from the population.

The persons upbringing/guardians are also part of this.

This day

*Today's current powers are failing the working hour society, and i feel i have been lied to.

at this stage of life the person finds out information about their upbringing from other relatives/friends, that had been kept secret.

And age

*This has been going on throughout generation after generation, and urge myself to confront and break the cycle.

For all And not for one

*It isn't just me that felt lied to, or felt fear. I see the pattern now, it's larger than i thought.

All lies And secrets Put on Put on and on

*We are living this lie, and it's a larger power than i ever thought. and it's everywhere, sinking into our weaknesses, creating more fear. The people writing books and articles can not see this, but i see it.

Repeated verse:

This is the working hour We are paid by those who learn by our mistake

*Reminding oneself that people around are subjected to this and they in the lie, and can not see it. Reflecting that possibly even the people in power can not either..

And fear is such a vicious thing

*The lie people live in causes the layer of fear, in which surrounded me in my youth.

This fear is the cause of the violence, narcissism and paranoia, and it has always been there, throughout the ages.

It wraps me up in chains

*I could not be myself, i felt no sense of freedom in my youth. I was heading down the same path, enslaved to a narcissistic society, becoming another generation which is blind and bound to it.

Find out Find out What this fear is about

*and begins a journey to find out what is the root of this great fear. and to confront it, not bound by societies mind state, but my own.

It will be very strong and a bold power i will use, Kindness and understanding. I have broken the chains.

Why no one has commented on this song is a mystery. What a beautiful piece of music.

This is probably my favorite song of all time. It's about the pressure the band was under to release another album quickly after the success of The Hurting. It's amazing how much you can say with just a few words.

i love the end of this song, and with the heck not? the entire thing. a beautiful piece of music as aniland so eloquently put.

yeah well you don't need to say much in a song when the music sets a mood such as the one in this song. Loooove it.

The first tears for fears song I really loved along with head over heels. I used to sit in my room and belt it out hahah!

This is, yo me, the best song ever. A beautiful combination of music and lyrics. The line 'find out what this fear is about' still gives me goosebumps.

What I olso like about this song is that it has a very live feel: It wasn't recorded in a studio, unlike the other songs. So it's actually a live recording, an Rolands voice sounds more directer to me.

HAL:9000, thanks a lot for your vision on this song. I now have a very clear vision of what Roland means.

Unbelieveble how Roland just worked out those words in the magic half hour that this song was vcreated.