Talking to a Brick Wall

God, I absolutely adore this song. I don't know what (if any) interpretations the band have ever given for this song, but one way I've interpreted it is as a pessimistic coming-of-age song. I think it's about a child reaching adolescence and realising that the world he lives in isn't perfect and that in order to be accepted by the polite society he lives in, he has to ignore his own urges and impulses. He finds the majority of people around him disgusting, but has to be polite and pretend that he can stand their company, or else he will be the object of shame and disappointment. He has also discovered attraction and sex, but is forced to keep this secret to avoid being labelled as promiscuous. Over time, this becomes too much, and he indulges his needs for sex, rebellion and violence in secret, knowing that his parents and other people will not understand him or the way he feels. He covers these feelings up, and it depresses him, and he contempltes giving up the gratification he finds in secret and silencing his soul in order to avoid the possibility of stigma from his society. And while all of this is going on, he very attracted to one person, who he knows he can never have, because to do so would disgust both the object of his attraction, and everyone else. I also kind of felt a homosexual overtone in this song, because of the fear of stigma implied by the fearful sordidness of the music, but I guess it could be read either way.

Actually, I've just been thinking about this again, and I think that not only does he contemplate giving up the gratification he finds in secret, but he also begins taking behaviour-modifying drugs to control it. This doesn't work, and just allows him to see the person he's attracted to in a strange glittery trip.

Actually, I think it's about the usage of ataractics.