Breakdown

Meltdowns, breakdowns, call whatever you want them. You shake someone up, they let loose all the thoughts in their head and some seem so foreign you can't do anything with them. I know I relate to this a lot, having autism and experiencing a few meltdowns, usually a catatonic-adjacent shutdown rather than a blow out like they describe here, but the sentiments carry. "I breakdown in the middle and lose my thread. No one can understand a word that I say. When I break down just a little and lose my head. Nothing I try to do can work the same way" I find it harder to speak than it is to write, when people read, they expect something that's super well-thought out, and you have time to click the pieces together. I don't adjust to speech etiquette where you have to quickly form sentences off the top of your head. I'll often find myself incredibly stressed in an argument because I understand what I'm saying, and I know it's reasonable with a little time, but I often argue with people who are quick to the gun as soon as it's their turn to shoot. I kick and I squeal, but both parties know full well neither feels listened to and all the stress makes me lose my head even more. "Any time it happened I'd get over it, with a little help from all my friends. Anybody else could see what's wrong with me, but they walk away and just pretend!" Some people are more patient with us than others, and it can feel like you're giving everyone enough clues to figure out what's wrong, you study body language so you can convey you're uncomfortable, you use easier to understand allusions and metaphors for how you feel because that's how things make sense in your head, but those people just leave you be, they walk away when they should be lowering their voice or talking about something else. They ignore you because they're more concerned with what they want than with what you need. "Where are all the friends who used to talk to me, all they ever told me was good news. People that I've never seen are kind to me, is it any wonder I'm confused" Everyone goes through a period of their life where other people withdraw from them, the life you used to have just vanishes out of nowhere because of some evil author outside the universe writing others into their own plotlines and leaving you to fend for yourself. Like how people meet someone, they link up, and they can't spare any time with the person backing them for years longer. Then it takes a dig at the music industry, how the business is kind to the art so that they can make sure they get the profits. It can be a lot to handle, especially when it happens early in life/career and you're confused what to do to make sure you aren't forgotten or exploited. "Freedom, freedom, we will not obey, freedom, freedom, take the wall away. Freedom, freedom, take them all away" A meltdown makes you stop abiding by societal rules, you get louder, you glare at people, you're in a survival state. There's like a wall between society and nature that a meltdown dissolves, the meltdown has you stop sectioning yourself, you're seen in totality. It's freeing to regain control of the situation by melting down, all eyes turn, but you lose control of yourself. Take them all away may refer to self-isolating, or other people leaving because your meltdown scares them off.

Obviously anybody can relate to the feeling of losing control of yourself because everything is too much, but it hits way closer to home if you have something in your brain.

It is about mental illness- using the theme of the Album - I Robot, hence "breakdown".

just think about the last 4 lines!

I break down - has a double meaning for humans and machines. When a robot breaks down, it needs to depend on its human masters to repair them. When artificial intelligence is created and robots can mend each other and have forward thinking - and become dependent and don't need to rely on their human masters - the end is all to conceivable.

Great meaningful song.

I agree it is about mental illness (depression, anxiety, panic attacks, etc.).

I wonder though about the last 4 lines: "... Take them all away", would that refer to "all the friends who used to talk to me"?

Its not "My so called friends" Its "I'm so confused"