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Hearing Damage Lyrics
A tear in the membrane
Allows the voices in
They wanna push you off the path
With little frequency wiring
But you can do no wrong
In my eyes
A drunken salesman
You're hearing damage
Your mind is restless
They say you're getting better
But you don't feel any better
You speakers are blowing
Your ears are wrecking
You're hearing damage
You wish you felt better
You wish you felt better
But at least
You can do no wrong
In my eyes
Allows the voices in
They wanna push you off the path
With little frequency wiring
In my eyes
You're hearing damage
Your mind is restless
They say you're getting better
But you don't feel any better
Your ears are wrecking
You're hearing damage
You wish you felt better
You wish you felt better
You can do no wrong
In my eyes
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What a haunting track. I love the hallucinogenic atmosphere that his echoing back vocals and weird quivering synths create. I think the track definitely applies to schizophrenics because of the "voices" in one's head, but I think it can also apply for anyone who experiences that voice in your head chastising you for your failures and your inadequacies etc. The "voices...wanna push you off the path," this could apply to anything from fidelity to other simpler promises, and so all this creates a struggle and a "restless mind." A recovering individual who suffers from some sort of affliction comes to mind when he says "They say you're getting better But you don't feel any better."
God this song is so awesome!
@aimeeviolette Awesome response, Aimee...I just 'rediscovered' this amazing song (out of my library of 15,000-plus songs!) a few days ago, after re-watching the "Twilight" film in which I first heard it close to a decade ago now.
@aimeeviolette Awesome response, Aimee...I just 'rediscovered' this amazing song (out of my library of 15,000-plus songs!) a few days ago, after re-watching the "Twilight" film in which I first heard it close to a decade ago now.
I concur 100% with your numerous analyses of the meaning of the song's lyrics & the second possibility of them (chastising myself for not always fully utilising my many abilities/qualities that I was given & instead succumbing to either laziness, arrogance, infidelity &/or cocaine abuse - hard to knock back when it's always free & lovely!!) applies to me BIG-TIME!!...
I concur 100% with your numerous analyses of the meaning of the song's lyrics & the second possibility of them (chastising myself for not always fully utilising my many abilities/qualities that I was given & instead succumbing to either laziness, arrogance, infidelity &/or cocaine abuse - hard to knock back when it's always free & lovely!!) applies to me BIG-TIME!!
Cheers & best wishes from "Down Under", my friend...Matt.xo
PS. Have you listened to all of the remixes of this track, btw? Even if you have a look upon YT you should find them easily...
WOW. i don't think words could ever describe how i feel when i listen to this song. it's been on repeat for countless of hours. i feel like i'm in such a mystical and magical state of mind each time i turn it on. it sort of makes me feel sad, such dark feelings, and yet i feel a positive way about it. strange, yes, i can't seem to get a grip of it at all.
when it comes to the meaning, i don't understand a whole lot of it. my favorite parts are "they say you're getting better, but you don't feel any better" and "you can do no wrong.. in my eyes" last is such a short sentence, yet it's full of emotions. yeah, i can only say wow.
the song hits close to home, and i have no idea why! bugs me :P but i love it.
I think the song is about a schizophrenic. One of the main criteria to be diagnosed with schizophrenia is to hallucinate in some way, which can be hearing voices. This is described in the first verse "A tear in the membrane (brain) allows the voices in; they wanna push you off the path with little frequency wiring." Schizophrenics will sometimes believe that their thoughts are being implanted in their brain by radios, which is what the frequency wiring may refer to.
"Hearing damage" describes the voices. Voices tell schizophrenics various things, such as you're worthless, hurt yourself, you won't amount to anything, etc which is the "damage" that is heard. The drunken salesmen is the schizophrenic.
Then the speaker proclaims to him... "You wish you felt better. But at least you can do no wrong in my eyes."
In the context of the movie, it looks to match Bella's nightmares and desire to get in dangerous situations.
Best song on the album by far.
I reckon you're pretty right. At least it's about some kind of mental illness.
I reckon you're pretty right. At least it's about some kind of mental illness.
"Your mind is restless. They say you're getting better. But you don't feel any better"
"Your mind is restless. They say you're getting better. But you don't feel any better"
Also, discuss the song and it's meaning (as the website's name suggests) and not freaking New Moon. Yes, it was in the film. Get over it.
Also, discuss the song and it's meaning (as the website's name suggests) and not freaking New Moon. Yes, it was in the film. Get over it.
My first reaction was that this song was about schizophrenia also. The few few lines really point to this: auditory hallucinations "pushing you off the path"- I have heard a schizophrenic refer to their illness in almost exactly the same way, so I agree with you about that. However, I wonder if you could expand on your idea when you say "the drunken salesman is the schizophrenic". How so?
My first reaction was that this song was about schizophrenia also. The few few lines really point to this: auditory hallucinations "pushing you off the path"- I have heard a schizophrenic refer to their illness in almost exactly the same way, so I agree with you about that. However, I wonder if you could expand on your idea when you say "the drunken salesman is the schizophrenic". How so?
@asclepius First off, please be aware that I upvoted you & downvoted the complete & utter prat who first replied to you.
@asclepius First off, please be aware that I upvoted you & downvoted the complete & utter prat who first replied to you.
And I am in total agreement with you about the meaning of the song - only thing that I feel compelled to correct, although it's minimal is the fact that the first verse actually says "With their frequency words", rather than "with little frequency wiring" - but no biggie!!
And I am in total agreement with you about the meaning of the song - only thing that I feel compelled to correct, although it's minimal is the fact that the first verse actually says "With their frequency words", rather than "with little frequency wiring" - but no biggie!!
Cheers & best wishes from "Down Under"...Matt.
Cheers & best wishes from "Down Under"...Matt.
Completely agree on the meaning @asclepius but i feel like it gets to much hype from the movie. Amazing song though!
Completely agree on the meaning @asclepius but i feel like it gets to much hype from the movie. Amazing song though!
Hopefully this song blow's the pre-teen audiences' mind
By far the best song Thom has done by himself, in my opinion. So dark, yet so enjoyable.
By far the best song Thom has done by himself, in my opinion. So dark, yet so enjoyable.
And I hope it does, too, as long as they all don't fangirl his image to death; that would be terrible.
And I hope it does, too, as long as they all don't fangirl his image to death; that would be terrible.
he writes for twilight he writes for idiots but he can do no wrong in our eyes
he writes for twilight he writes for idiots but he can do no wrong in our eyes
@nashornikov
@nashornikov
i believe this song was already written well before thom decided to put it on the soundtrack.
i believe this song was already written well before thom decided to put it on the soundtrack.
@Nietszche BIG RESPECT!! Between your user name & comment, 'nuff said from my end...cheers, my friend...
@Nietszche BIG RESPECT!! Between your user name & comment, 'nuff said from my end...cheers, my friend...
@SOUNDinterpreter, at the risk of sounding like a know-it-all; all the songs used in the movie (Including credits) were written specifically for the movie, but i agree, wonderful song. Movie aside
@SOUNDinterpreter, at the risk of sounding like a know-it-all; all the songs used in the movie (Including credits) were written specifically for the movie, but i agree, wonderful song. Movie aside
It's so strange, New Moon is such a mediocre movie (better than that crap first movie, though), yet the soundtrack is so phenomenal. Of course the song by Thom Yorke is the highlight of the album, hands down; I wouldn't expect anything less to him. This song is so beautiful. Every time I listen to it, I go into a trance, like the song has completely devoured my thoughts.
"You can do no wrong... in my eyes"
That's the best lyric of 2009.
A tear in the membrane Allows the voices in They wanna push you off the path With little frequency wiring
I think this part is talking about someone who has something wrong with them, they could be struggling with an addiction,or taking the wrong path.
But you can do no wrong In my eyes
unconditional love and acceptance is what this line is talking about. No matter what this person does they can never do any wrong. They are perfect(:
A drunken salesman You're hearing damage Your mind is restless They say you're getting better But you don't feel any better
If you think about it, a salesman is someone who tries to convince you to buy their product. If they are drunk their ideas would be skewed, they would not know what they are saying. This is a metaphor, for what the person is dealing with. They are trying to overcome whatever it is they are going through but the person doesn't feel any better. (back again to the drug reference. This person could be in rehab, and everyone thinks this person is getting better but they aren't?)
You speakers are blowing Your ears are wrecking You're hearing damage You wish you felt better You wish you felt better
But at least You can do no wrong In my eyes
Despite the "damage" this person is going through, even if they do not get better or overcome their problems, they will at least have one person that believes they are still worth something and that they can do no wrong.
Beautiful song(:
this helped me figure out the "drunken salesman" part. That part confused me. Good interpretation.
this helped me figure out the "drunken salesman" part. That part confused me. Good interpretation.
@mgmtfreak yes, seven years later I stumble upon your brilliance. I OD'd, ended up in rehab. This song WAS that experience for me...and happened around the time this movie came out... I never had any other interpretation. To me it was clearly about addiction and rehab. "They say your getting better but you don't feel any better" rehab/detox is an extremely painful, horrendous experience surrounded by smiling doctors saying you are doing better each day while you feel very sure that you are dying.... I mean your mind cannot even think right. Very insightful. Well done, you....
@mgmtfreak yes, seven years later I stumble upon your brilliance. I OD'd, ended up in rehab. This song WAS that experience for me...and happened around the time this movie came out... I never had any other interpretation. To me it was clearly about addiction and rehab. "They say your getting better but you don't feel any better" rehab/detox is an extremely painful, horrendous experience surrounded by smiling doctors saying you are doing better each day while you feel very sure that you are dying.... I mean your mind cannot even think right. Very insightful. Well done, you.
Ugh. This song is hijacking my life.
I haven't really thought hard about the words; all I have is my gut reaction to listening to it about a million times in the last 3 days... But the sense I get is that it is about understanding and being understood in turn. This isn't the most intellectual comment I have ever made but I offer it for your entertainment.
If you research it, there is a lot of technology that is able to project a directional beam of ultra sound audio - into some ones head. If you dont believe me then check out these two articles - adage.com/article/news/hear-voices-ad/122491/
If you research it, there is a lot of technology that is able to project a directional beam of ultra sound audio - into some ones head. If you dont believe me then check out these two articles - adage.com/article/news/hear-voices-ad/122491/
wired.com/2007/06/darpas_sonic_pr/
wired.com/2007/06/darpas_sonic_pr/
Here is one of the articles -
Here is one of the articles -
Hear Voices? It May Be an Ad An A&E Billboard 'Whispers' a Spooky Message Audible Only in Your Head in Push to Promote Its New 'Paranormal' Program
Hear Voices? It May Be an Ad An A&E Billboard 'Whispers' a Spooky Message Audible Only in Your Head in Push to Promote Its New 'Paranormal' Program
By Andrew Hampp. Published on December 10, 2007.
By Andrew Hampp. Published on December 10, 2007.
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- New Yorker Alison Wilson was walking...
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- New Yorker Alison Wilson was walking down Prince Street in SoHo last week when she heard a woman's voice right in her ear asking, "Who's there? Who's there?" She looked around to find no one in her immediate surroundings. Then the voice said, "It's not your imagination." No, he's not crazy: Our intrepid reporter Andrew Hampp ventures to SoHo to hear for himself the technology that has New Yorkers 'freaked out' and A&E buzzing. No, he's not crazy: Our intrepid reporter Andrew Hampp ventures to SoHo to hear for himself the technology that has New Yorkers 'freaked out' and A&E buzzing. Credit: Yoray Liberman
Indeed it isn't. It's an ad for "Paranormal State," a ghost-themed series premiering on A&E this week. The billboard uses technology manufactured by Holosonic that transmits an "audio spotlight" from a rooftop speaker so that the sound is contained within your cranium. The technology, ideal for museums and libraries or environments that require a quiet atmosphere for isolated audio slideshows, has rarely been used on such a scale before. For random passersby and residents who have to walk unwittingly through the area where the voice will penetrate their inner peace, it's another story.
Ms. Wilson, a New York-based stylist, said she expected the voice inside her head to be some type of creative project but could see how others might perceive it differently, particularly on a late-night stroll home. "I might be a little freaked out, and I wouldn't necessarily think it's coming from that billboard," she said.
Less-intrusive approach? Joe Pompei, president and founder of Holosonics, said the creepy approach is key to drawing attention to A&E's show. But, he noted, the technology was designed to avoid adding to noise pollution. "If you really want to annoy a lot of people, a loudspeaker is the best way to do it," he said. "If you set up a loudspeaker on the top of a building, everybody's going to hear that noise. But if you're only directing that sound to a specific viewer, you're never going to hear a neighbor complaint from street vendors or pedestrians. The whole idea is to spare other people."
Holosonics has partnered with a cable network once before, when Court TV implemented the technology to promote its "Mystery Whisperer" in the mystery sections of select bookstores. Mr. Pompei said the company also has tested retail deployments in grocery stores with Procter & Gamble and Kraft for customized audio messaging. So a customer, for example, looking to buy laundry detergent could suddenly hear the sound of gurgling water and thus feel compelled to buy Tide as a result of the sonic experience.
Mr. Pompei contends that the technology will take time for consumers to get used to, much like the lights on digital signage and illuminated billboards did when they were first used. The website Gawker posted an item about the billboard last week with the headline "Schizophrenia is the new ad gimmick," and asked "How soon will it be until in addition to the do-not-call list, we'll have a 'do not beam commercial messages into my head' list?"
"There's going to be a certain population sensitive to it. But once people see what it does and hear for themselves, they'll see it's effective for getting attention," Mr. Pompei said.
More disruptions A&E's $3 million to $5 million campaign for "Paranormal" includes other more disruptive elements than just the one audio ad in New York. In Los Angeles, a mechanical face creeps out of a billboard as if it's coming toward the viewer, and then recedes. In print, the marketing team persuaded two print players to surrender a full editorial page to their ads, flipping the gossip section in AM New York upside down and turning a page in this week's Parade into a checkerboard of ads for "Paranormal." AM New York's gossip page got turned upside down as promo. AM New York's gossip page got turned upside down as promo.
It's not the network's first foray into supernatural marketing, having launched a successful viral campaign for "Mind Freak" star Criss Angel earlier this year that allowed users to trick their friends into thinking Mr. Angel was reading their mind via YouTube.
"We all know what you need to do for one of these shows is get people talking about them," said Guy Slattery, A&E's exec VP-marketing. "It shouldn't be pure informational advertising. When we were talking about marketing the show, nearly everyone had a connection with a paranormal experience, and that was a surprise to us. So we really tried to base the whole campaign on people's paranormal experiences."
So was it a ghost or just an annoyed resident who stole the speaker from the SoHo billboard twice in one day last week? Horizon Media, which helped place the billboard, had to find a new device that would prevent theft from its rooftop location. Mr. Pompei only takes it as a compliment that someone would go to the trouble of stealing his technology, but hopes consumer acceptance comes with time. "The sound isn't rattling your skull, it's not penetrating you, it's not doing anything nefarious at all. It's just like having a flashlight vs. a light bulb," he said.
I think the first line actually sounds like "Tear in my brain" which makes more sense I think.
Great song. The phrase "A drunken salesman" is unclear to me yet stood out. Wonder if that means that a drunken salesman might say too much or not be as smooth or as convincing to sell you on something or an idea? They might misread social cues that you are uninterested in their sales pitch? IDK...thoughts?
I think my favorite lines are when Thom sings "They say you're getting better....But you don't feel any better" So true. People sometimes, for lack of what to say to a very ill person, will tell you that you look or seem better...but you may be or at least feel the opposite.
The lyrics remind me of holosonic technology. Here's an excerpt from an article:
"What has long been rumored within the conspiracy and ufology communities went public a few years ago (though a variant of the technology was discussed for use even earlier during the Waco siege) and is quickly infiltrating the market of ideas and real world applications. Holosonic sound technologies project a high pitched directional beam of ultrasound audio to an exact location, usually where the target audience’s head will be. The victim will hear a voice, music, advertisement, or whatever the beams controller would like, inside their head. No-one around them would be able to hear it, unless they could drag someone to that exact spot and hope the beam was still trained on the same location."
I think Thom had this in mind when he wrote the lyrics.
Considering that hearing voices in your head is one of the hallmarks of schizophrenia, this is a terrifying bit of technology since the target would feel as though he/she were going insane.
Considering that hearing voices in your head is one of the hallmarks of schizophrenia, this is a terrifying bit of technology since the target would feel as though he/she were going insane.
I totally agree this song is about that. If you research it, there is a lot of technology that is able to project a directional beam of ultra sound audio - into some ones head. If you dont believe me then check out these two articles - http://adage.com/article/news/hear-voices-ad/122491/
I totally agree this song is about that. If you research it, there is a lot of technology that is able to project a directional beam of ultra sound audio - into some ones head. If you dont believe me then check out these two articles - http://adage.com/article/news/hear-voices-ad/122491/
http://www.wired.com/2007/06/darpas_sonic_pr/
http://www.wired.com/2007/06/darpas_sonic_pr/