This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
You're broken, so am I
I'm better off alone
No one to turn to and nothing to call my own
Outspoken, so am I
Explosive words that your world wouldn't understand
Turn away again
You're beaten, so am I
I've got a heart of stone
No medication can cure what has taken hold
You're hurting, so am I
When I awaken, remember why I've been running from your
World
Dishonored by your world
Your world
I'm haunted by your world
My blood is cold as ice
Or so I have been told
Show no emotion, and it can destroy your soul
Another sacrifice
To a tormentor your world wouldn't understand
Turn away again
You're angered, so am I
A thousand fires burn
A land of darkness from which I cannot return
You're aching, so will I
When I awaken, discover that I have been damaged by your
World
Dishonored by your world
Your world
I'm haunted by your world
You'll never be welcomed
Amongst the heartless monsters you surround yourself with
Feeding off the pain and misfortune of others
A maniacal universe of sub-human parasites
Thrown into a feeding frenzy at the smell of fresh blood
Open your eyes and see the creatures for what they are
A swirling mess of hatred and envy
Don't be naive enough to think you're unaffected
The conversion has already begun
You're frightened, so am I
A world of demons wait
Watching the movements and filling my heart with hate
You're burning, so will I
When I awaken, discover how I have been ravaged by your
World
Dishonored by your world
Your world
I'm haunted by your world
I'm better off alone
No one to turn to and nothing to call my own
Outspoken, so am I
Explosive words that your world wouldn't understand
Turn away again
You're beaten, so am I
I've got a heart of stone
No medication can cure what has taken hold
You're hurting, so am I
When I awaken, remember why I've been running from your
World
Dishonored by your world
Your world
I'm haunted by your world
My blood is cold as ice
Or so I have been told
Show no emotion, and it can destroy your soul
Another sacrifice
To a tormentor your world wouldn't understand
Turn away again
You're angered, so am I
A thousand fires burn
A land of darkness from which I cannot return
You're aching, so will I
When I awaken, discover that I have been damaged by your
World
Dishonored by your world
Your world
I'm haunted by your world
You'll never be welcomed
Amongst the heartless monsters you surround yourself with
Feeding off the pain and misfortune of others
A maniacal universe of sub-human parasites
Thrown into a feeding frenzy at the smell of fresh blood
Open your eyes and see the creatures for what they are
A swirling mess of hatred and envy
Don't be naive enough to think you're unaffected
The conversion has already begun
You're frightened, so am I
A world of demons wait
Watching the movements and filling my heart with hate
You're burning, so will I
When I awaken, discover how I have been ravaged by your
World
Dishonored by your world
Your world
I'm haunted by your world
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I suspect the intent behind the song on David's part was talking about a failed relationship, but I'm not sure.
On my part, personally, it takes the mode of a story when I'm listening to it. Imagine two people singing it instead of just one (A male, David). Imagine the scene in your mind if you like. There's a man walking through some forest or alleyway, caught up in horrible things he's seen and done, running from a world of warmth and possibility back to darkness and shadows that, though cruel, are comfortingly familiar. A woman follows him, begging him to stay with her, telling him they're not so different. He, of course, keeps rejecting her (the "Turn away" line being a command to leave him and go home).
Female - "You're broken, so am I"
Male - "I'm better off alone No one to turn to And nothing to call my own"
Female - "Outspoken, so am I"
Male - "Explosive words That your world wouldn't understand Turn away again"
Female - "You're beaten, so am I"
Male - "I've got a heart of stone No medication can cure what has taken hold You're hurting, so I will I When I awake and remember why I've been Running from your
World, dishonored by your world Your world, I'm haunted by your world"
And at this point, he moves to describing himself as he imagines he is, a monster of some sort. I always put a supernatural spin on it, but really any motif of a person who's seen too much pain, done too many things they can't forgive themselves for, works. The woman, of course, tries to convince him to open up, talk to her, trust her. "Her world" is a place where you can trust. Something that must be frightening, haunting, to someone so scarred.
Male - "My blood is cold as ice Or so I have been told"
Female - "Show no emotion, and it can destroy your soul"
Male - "Another sacrifie, to a tormentor Your world wouldn't understand Turn away again"
Female - "You're angered, so am I A thousand fires burn"
And he loses it at about THIS point, yelling back at her, trying to make her understand.
Male - "A land of darkness, from which I cannot return You're aching, so will I When I awake and Discover that I've been damaged by your
World, dishonored by your world Your world, I'm haunted by your world"
The female's managed to stop him for a few moments. He's lost his rough yet composed shell, perhaps she can get through to him.
Female - "Never will I be welcome amongst the heartless Monsters you surround yourself with Feeding off the pain and misfortune of others A maniacal breed of sub-human parasites Thrown into a feeding frenzy with the smell Of fresh blood Open your eyes and see the creatures For what they are A swirling mass of hatred and envy Don't be naive enough to think you're unaffected The conversion has already begun"
And... well... like a tiny crack in the man's armor, he shows just a glimmer of what he's feeling. His fear.
Male - "You're frightened, so am I A world of demons wait Watching our movements And filling my heart with hate"
Ever had someone love you so much they'd follow you into Hell?
Female - "You're burning, so will I When I awake to discover how I've been Ravaged by your
World, dishonored by your world Your world, I'm haunted by your world"
Yea, ridiculous, but this is honestly about what goes through my head every time I hear the song.
Love the way you thought about that.
That is bloody brilliant...
now i realy want to make a music video bsed off ur idea it whud b sick.
based*
Not trying to hate but to me it makes more since if it is just him singing it, It seems to me about him in a relationship with someone where this person surrounds her/himself with people who feed off the misfortune of others and its taken a toll on him
^ not to mention in the song his voice says this as one thing/section before a break <br /> "You're broken, so am I<br /> I'm better off alone" To me this/these parts are talking about a person saying you're broken to him and he is saying so am i because of what this person is saying
I kinda figure the song is about someone who's finally found a kind person who honestly cares about them, but life has already beaten them down to the point were they either think they are unworthy of compassion, or simply just don't know how to handle it. After all the main part of the song is carrying on about how he's a cold broken cynical wreck of a human being, and the chorus is telling her to walk away, and how she can't possible under stand the way he sees the world. Of coarse when someone gets beat down that far, they tend to avoid any human contact, so this song could apply to any kind of relationship wither it be a lover, or just a concerned friend.
This is one of the best songs on the Album!
FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG.
D14L
To me this song is about someone you know who has been completely damaged and hurt by the world. And you're trying to reach out to them but they won't listen. I know this girl, who was at one point so deep into drugs, and she has just been broken by the world around her, she barely even seems human sometimes. This song makes me think of her and the sharing of the same pain by two people.
I think that paragraph of monologue "You might be welcome... the conversion has already begun" is about the media; I mean it sounds as if it is being broadcast and the person is there in the room, hearing the guy in the studio and then half a second later on the screen, and then on the last line (The conversion has already begun) it is a single voice, so perhaps he himself has been converted into the crowd, almost telling her that she did this to him and that she won't escape the "conversion"
According to vocalist David Draiman, the song's meaning speaks about his experiences in L.A. and what it made him feel like. Kind of like being surrounded by a world of social vampires who aren't happy unless they know you're miserable.
Lyrics Corrections, its "No medication can CURE what has taken hold." I also think it's "YOUR conversion has already begun." and the next line should be "You're frightened, so am I."
It sounds like he's criticizing someone who gave in to pain and pressure while he was also undergoing some stress or whatever but he kept it together. I dunno. I suck at this. Just my interpretation
@Act 20 i agree
this song is about when he lived in L.A. and all the people he knew where obsessed with putting people down. They get their kicks off of other peoples misfortune. they where interviewed on a local radio station a few nights ago and this is one of the songs he talked about....
btw... buy this album