Coping

I think this song is quite literally about coping using dissociative/day-dreaming methods and living in his own ideal world. But I will delve into the lyrics.

'primal, evil what am I? Tongue-tied till' the day I die' the words primal and evil suggest that Damon's feeling inner conflict/guilt towards himself and the phrase 'tongue-tied till' the day I die' shows that Damon is having difficulty expressing his feelings and he believes he will never be able to express them.

The lyrics 'theres no love made with mermaids it's just distraction so they say' is to me Damons unrealistic expectations/ daydreams getting shut down and he's getting told that it's just a method of Disillusionment/maladaptive day-dreaming with superficial ideas of LOVE in this instance.

The lyrics 'and I'm too tired to care about it, can't you see this in my face?' also makes me think that when you are dissociating/day-dreaming you usually have an unavailable/distracted expression on your face and it is normally quite obvious to tell when someone is doing that. Especially when the lyric 'the emphasis is on coping' comes after, it sort of confirms my idea of the dissociating/maladaptive day-dreaming coping method Damon has inhabited. It also suggests that Damon is waiting for someone to notice his pain even if it is unspoken.

'when I feel this strange, can I go through this again?' shows the feeling of being overwhelmed and disoriented. The repetition of these lyrics show how much he is worrying about it and that he is dreading going through emotional turmoil like this again. It's a question of endurance, can he withstand another round of feeling trapped in his mind?

'Its a sorry state your getting in the same excuse is wearing thin' the sorry state is obviously Damon's current state of emotional turmoil and despair. The 'same excuse' is Damon getting tired of explaining or justifying his struggles, or probably just denying it and lying that he's okay. It's also as if he's tired of his own excuses of not being able to 'cope' better.

'Theres no self control left in me, what was not will never will be.' where damon references to 'no self control' he is possibly referring to his inability to manage his thoughts of behaviours. And the last bit is a bleak acknowledgement that certain things (love) may never materialize. It speaks to a sense of defeat or resignation.

'Could I be dreaming? Or am I just coping?' the final line is Damon slowly coming to terms that he is living in a state of unreality (maladaptive daydreaming) or if he is merely coping- not surviving. He is unsure if he is even present in his own life anymore, the blurred line between reality and his coping mechanisms creates a sense of existential confusion.

Overall this song highlights the ideas of Disillusionment, mental fatigue, isolation and coping vs reality.

No comments? Really? This is one of my favourite Blur songs.

Same!

I think the explaination is in the title:a very clear cut blur tune methinks (unlike the other ones on MLIR)

I think this song is about his girlfriend breaking up with him and he feels strange on his own (when i feel this strange) And he wonders if that happens to him again if he can go through it (can i go through this again) and he's stressed and tired (i'm too tired to care about it) and he's wondering if maybe it's a dream or he's just trying to cope with bein' alone (could I be dreaming or just coping) oh and at the end of the song doesn't he say could i be dreaming or just coping?

well....does sound like he's going thru stress...

the title is a jab a Julian Cope