Paper Scratcher

Are you kidding me? I mean, it is likely that this came out of his drug addiction & the shitty life that ensues as a dumpster diver, but read it more closely for a moment.

shuffle from can to can - nobody gives a damn about the homeless but I'm proud that I can at least take care of myself in this sad state that I must now live I'm scrougy as can be, all you regular people are looking down at me. Come take a look at my life.

My life's messed up, but at least I understand myself And I believe the rest of the world of the normal people can grow, be introspective & be empathetic with others & help us out

Fridays are always fresh days (for food)

Screamin' at the sun, I don't care what you have done (how you hurt me) I don't believe in God and a world as one (I don't believe that God & the world are one & the same--because the world treats me so badly, contrary to how God is good) So I'll ramble through the weeds (I'll crawl off) and I'm gonna sleep beneath your trees (bed time for the homeless)

And on the day we (homeless/druggies) all die, Thank God our souls will be released (free from this crappy life)

I've seen all your lies and I've seen all your faces Can you tell me honestly that you wanna be free (are you sure you want to have the license that got me into this place? OR, are you sure you want to understand my side of things? If so,) Then look in my eyes, I've been lots of places (listen to me, learn from my experience) Can you tell me honestly that you'd want to be me?

This is just one of his many songs that sounds pretty introspective to his life as a drug addict, desperately desiring out & for others to understand him. While I love his music & lyrical talent (and not knowing anything about his background), it sounds like Hoon really had a bad, scarring childhood that might've drove him to the "answer" of drugs. Check out others like Holy Man which confirm this. Just trying to escape a terrible reality and bad past. There are better ways though! As a hint (coming from Hoon), don't center life around selfish you, center it around others!

Shannon wrote this tune about a homeless guy he knew. He's relating his own life- his abnormality, his unideal yet free lifestyle- to the homeless guy's. From a lot of Blind Melon's other songs, Tones of Home, Change, and Galaxie, you can tell Shannon knew he was misunderstood. He was a little wild in his life, which caused him to feel separated from the average world like a homeless man would feel.

talk about your all time stoner songs...

this is about being viewed differently from the outside world. i see it as someone who does drugs, and everyone around looks down or can't figure out why, much like anyone that does drugs.

Argh, the program stripped away text I enclosed in greater-than/less-than symbols. So, read on again.

(Now, I do have an acoustic guitar copy of this song, and this helps b/c Hoon sings the song a tad differently & so that he removes the narrarator. This version of the song is as follows; parens enclose my comments)

Screamin' at the sun, I don't care what you have done (how you hurt me) I don't believe in God and a world as one (I don't believe that God & the world are one & the same--because the world treats me so badly, contrary to how God is good) So I'll ramble through the weeds (I'll crawl off) and I'm gonna sleep beneath your trees (bed time for the homeless)

And on the day we (homeless/druggies) all die, Thank God our souls will be released (free from this crappy life)

I've seen all your lies and I've seen all your faces Can you tell me honestly that you wanna be free (are you sure you want to have the license that got me into this place? OR, are you sure you want to understand my side of things? If so,) Then look in my eyes, I've been lots of places (listen to me, learn from my experience) Can you tell me honestly that you'd want to be me?

This is just one of his many songs that sounds pretty introspective to his life as a drug addict, desperately desiring out & for others to understand him. While I love his music & lyrical talent (and not knowing anything about his background), it sounds like Hoon really had a bad, scarring childhood that might've drove him to the "answer" of drugs. Check out others like Holy Man which confirm this. Just trying to escape a terrible reality and bad past. There are better ways though! As a hint (coming from Hoon), don't center life around selfish you, center it around others!

wow Phat Daddy great post.........great song.

I actually agree with Phat Daddy and Chipper1048.

This song seems to portray a man(or Hoon) where he feels different than everyone else. 'The normals' being regular people in society who have a 9-5 kind of job. The writer depicts the 'homeless' as a free living soul without responsibility except to himself.

This would be my interpretation.

Very nice song.

The title itself is an invitation to view Hoon’s life

Paper Scratcher > Paper means Hoon's words/lyrics

Important line > I'll SCRATCH a hole in my life

RIP Shannon :(

"Can you tell me honestly that you wanna be free?"

To be free of society's conventions, you must adopt the life of the homeless. Do you really want that?

This Song Is Reffering to a Homeless Guy Near where Shannon once Lived. The Guy would sit at the bus stop and Scratch pieces of paper with his fingernails. Shannon took a great deal of interest in the guy. This song is Shannon's Comparison of Himself to the Homeless Guy, and how he felt Equally Abnormal. The guy the Song was written about can be seen on the Cover of Their Single CD for the Song "Change"