Set Me On Fire

Tear you at the seams Set me on fire Can't afford to wake up Can't afford not to either I think this part describes the duality of man in terms of the concious and unconscious. 'Tear me at the seams'- open me up, see the full inside both abysmal and beatiful (Dionysian and Apollinian), 'set me on fire'- Let it out, bring it all that is unconscious to the surface. 'cant afford to wake up'- remain in the dream state where the unconscious life is uninhibited and archetypal expressions arise more easily. this is important in self actualization. 'Cant afford not to either'- you exist in reality and thus must remain capable of functioning through your concious mind, so you must suppress some unconcious impulses so as not to get overwhelmed while functioning in the real world.

'In this busted town, in this busted room, bled out clean'- broken down and able to see inside. As often in suffering can we best see whats within. 'Dance on the ropes, an elephant, hunt ivory'- reminds me of the tightrope walk in Nietche's Thus spoke Zarathustra. 'And the girls their eyes piano wire'- I think of Carl Jungs anima, the divine feminine. Often used as a guide in the process of self-actualization. 'Scream set me on fire '- Rebirth cannot occur without a death, so kill your current self and return as a higher self (will make more sense once you read whats below). Set me on fire

'While I rock the boat'- while you undergoe this transcendant function (integrate unconcious material into conciousness), that is attempt to harmonize your psyche 'Sing to me' 'We'll close our eyes a spell so dangerously'- its dangerous to look within the unconcious as within it, theres many things man would like to beleive do not lie within him. It can be overwhelming. 'Inside the hole inside your heart a diamond key'- The most important part, in this abysmal side, through realization of the darkness within ourselves and the other elements of our unconcious lives, we take this material and integrate it with our concious life. The product is a higher level of conciousness, discovery of our own true inner potential higher than ever imagined- or as Carl Jung would have it, Self-realization (the diamond key), or Nietzche's Superman. 'Unlock your door, climb your stairs, watch you sleep'- This pretty much describes the reflections once you have undergone self-realization (unlocking the door and climbing the stairs) . When you look back on yourself, the way you were beforehand, you will realize you were asleep inside, as half your life wasnt activated. 'While my criminal stood to retire'- Criminal= your smaller self, the man before, naive and unaware, doubtful of his potential, dependant on external means (posseesions, appraise, creeds, the state) of acquiring internal value. He the criminal, hes leaving now that you have found the diamond key. 'Screams set me on fire' - let this process take place! The the rebirth of a higher self take place! Set me on fire

About love and feeling of depression. I dont think his songs are about mental illness but the feelings during different periods of his life about things in the world while having bipolar disorder

To me this song is about someone who is depressed and how they see the world. How nothing matters, how you feel nothing, and then there is a person there that gives momentary, beautiful peace from that.