Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
The man of a thousand faces
Sits down at the table
Eats a small lump of sugar
And smiles at the moon like he knows her
He begins his quiet ascension
Without anyone's steady instruction
To a place with no religion
He's found a path to her likeness
His words are quiet like stains are
On a tablecloth washed in a river
Stains that are trying to cover
For each other
Or at least blend in with the pattern
Good is better than perfect
Scrub till your fingers are bleeding
And I'm crying for things that
I tell others to do without crying
He used to go to his favorite bookstores
And rip out his favorite pages
And stuff 'em into his breast pockets
The moon, to him, was a stranger
Now he sits down at a table
Right next to the window
And begins his quiet ascension
Without anyone's steady instruction
To a place with no religion
He's found a path to her likeness
He eats a small lump of sugar
Smiles at the moon like he knows her
Sits down at the table
Eats a small lump of sugar
And smiles at the moon like he knows her
He begins his quiet ascension
Without anyone's steady instruction
To a place with no religion
He's found a path to her likeness
His words are quiet like stains are
On a tablecloth washed in a river
Stains that are trying to cover
For each other
Or at least blend in with the pattern
Good is better than perfect
Scrub till your fingers are bleeding
And I'm crying for things that
I tell others to do without crying
He used to go to his favorite bookstores
And rip out his favorite pages
And stuff 'em into his breast pockets
The moon, to him, was a stranger
Now he sits down at a table
Right next to the window
And begins his quiet ascension
Without anyone's steady instruction
To a place with no religion
He's found a path to her likeness
He eats a small lump of sugar
Smiles at the moon like he knows her
Lyrics submitted by just_old_light, edited by DDWWW, nickireland7, Alanner, Aether, LianaLizard, dirky, Delira, drmstx94, sodafat, cesium14, LukeUs, Kow
Man of a Thousand Faces Lyrics as written by Regina Spektor
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think its a drug reference:
start with "He eats a small lump of sugar" and move on from there
I like that concept. It certainly puts a different spin on the theme.<br /> Who knows? The song could be about acid. Regina can be very cryptic.
I agree, I also think this line is about drugs, LSD specifically.<br />
wow i love that concept! never thought of it that way.... hmmm
I believe the small lump of sugar refers to the precision of Karl Projektorinski's humdrum ritualistic way of life. In affect, I believe the small lump of sugar more accurately represents a bowl of children's cereal, since that is pretty much what it is anyway. I think this song is the end of a saga which includes the songs "Human of the Year", "Two Birds", "Dance Anthem of the 80's", as well as the two bonus tracks. I have a wild theory that this is a concept album with multiple characters; regrettably, I haven't had the time to string it together.