A Question of Degree

sounds as if Colin's expressing a sense of depersonalization or disassociation: that things seem unreal, or that he does not identify himself with his body.

the following is probably only a mental association I have, because "do you tremble inside?" was a question commonly asked of patients in LSD research. but the verse beginning, "I hide my shaking..." reminds me of someone who's tripping hard...but making an effort to appear normal, to others.

Then (from "gathering myself and spreading it around") it sounds like a description of "ego death," often accompanied by the sense that the boundaries of the self expand to include everything...and that this unified totality is as alive and conscious as yourself. after such an experience, the person typically feels they've always been a part of this ultimate reality, but has rarely (if ever) been aware of it.

probably I'm taking this all a bit too seriously. I mean: if you've been thrown at great speed from a car, would your first thought be to say, "don't touch my luggage"? Wire having an image as serious artistes, their sense of humor is overlooked I think.