In Retrospect, it was Obviously Hell

This song is titled "Introspect" on the final album. By the way, "introspect" is a verb meaning "to examine one's thoughts or feelings."

And I think this song is a reflection on one's feelings about another person and a situation they created from an intermingling of love and lust. It's interesting that this song follows "Blur," which is about "love and sin" - love and lust - and questioning a relationship's meaning. I think these two songs are tied together.

"Introspect" tells a story of someone (I assume it's the singer, because it is written in first person) sleeping (or engaging in sexual acts) with a former lover who took the singer's love and used it to satisfy sexual desire. The singer thought the acts were legitimate - after all, who wouldn't think it's right to engage in passionate encounters if you loved that person? - but the reality of this encounter is that it was built on the foundation of lust, not love. The singer seems to realize this reality, with the lyrics, "Heat of the moment, well this used to feel like home," "But I can tell when you're lying baby, your lips move again" and "The scars of my heart, they keep me, keep me in line"

Yet he is still enthralled somehow, wanting the relationship to be that of heaven, not hell. His attachment is shown with the lyrics, "These leftover feelings raise, raise from the dead" and "I may be lost here, here in your eyes." Maybe this lasting attachment is because he is too afraid to let the person go or he is too ashamed to fully admit to the sins he fell to - is falling to and for - and recognizing this would mean to break every attachment and live with that shame. He's not comfortable in his situation, but seems willing to keep it if that means he will not need to open his eyes to his sins and his hell. The singer is at a point where he knows their encounter and previous encounters were lustful, hollow, and meaningless - not because he had lustful intentions, but because the other did and always will. What he thought was heaven has crashed into hell. Was it ever heaven at all? I am convinced it was hell, and he knows it. The only thing hindering him now is his weariness and drunken state - "drunk" meaning high and muddled with ecstasy from these encounters and the false pleasure the other gives to him. He will have to overcome his tiredness and break from her enthralling aura.

I find many of Stephen Christian's songs about the "lines between love and sin" - about lust, temptation, love, confusion heaven and hell. Once a person knows of sexual encounters and participates in them, it's easy to get carried away in acting upon sexual pleasure and for sexual pleasure. The love can be lost, or in some cases it was never there from both people or one's intentions were purely for their own pleasure and benefit. This leaves the one who did love in doubt, wondering what the definition of what "heaven" (love) is and what the definition of "hell" (lust) is. If the singer was in hell, what is heaven? What are acts of love, and what are acts of lust? I think Stephen Christian explores this question and is trying to figure it out. It's difficult to live with yourself, knowing you may have sinned and knowing the love you thought was there was really just talks of "green grass" and lies.

All in all, this song gives me chills and unnerves my senses. It's such a compliment to "Blur" and messages in other Stephen Christian songs.

isnt this song called 'sound asleep'?

I'm not sure, but I'm keeping this title for now, since that's what it was on myspace.

i think its in retospect it was hell bhut i wish he would ave kept it on myspace

mine was probably badly tagged?

when stephen first released this song, it was called "in retrospect", but on the 7in. it's called "sound asleep"

And on the full length is it called "Inretrospect"

Anchor & Braille Release Date, Track List http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1104822

Wonderful song, I must say.

This song is called "Introspect" on the final album..I think the title should be changed.. :)

Well to me the meaning's pretty obvious. He's in a relationship that kills him bit by bit. That relationship used to be the most wonderful thing in the world but for whatever reason (most probably because his partner lied to him many times), he's incredibly tired of it now. Seems like he's still in love with her, she has a way of charming him ("I may be lost here, here in your eyes"), but the chemistry is gone, and she's hurt him too deeply too many times. So he's questioning himself, "is this heaven or is this hell?" He's too tired to think due to all the pain he's feeling.

It's a sad song :( but it sounds beautiful :]

"But these scars on my heart Well they keep me in line."

Those are some of the best lines in this song... I love this whole album. <3 Stephen's voice is so beautiful. BTW, just to add my two cents, the official CD calls this "Inretrospect."

I think Stephen made a mistake in his relationship, possibly by sleeping with this girl, and drinking too much. He can't make out of it was a good decision to sleep with the girl or not since he's too drunk to make a good judgement. And the title, In Retrospect, It was Obviously Hell, supports that. He made a msitake, and he knows it. That's what I make from the album