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Digital Lyrics

Feel it closing in
Feel it closing in
The fear of whom I call
Every time I call
I feel it closing in
I feel it closing in
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out

I feel it closing in
As patterns seem to form
I feel it cold and warm
The shadows start to fall
I feel it closing in
I feel it closing in
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out

I'd have the world around
To see just whatever happens
Stood by the door alone
And then it's fade away
I see you fade away
Don't ever fade away
I need you here today
Don't ever fade away
Don't ever fade away
Don't ever fade away
Don't ever fade away
Fade away. Fade away
Fade away. Fade away
Fade away. Fade away
Fade away.
Song Info
Submitted by
typo On Jan 12, 2002
29 Meanings

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Cover art for Digital lyrics by Joy Division

This was the last song Joy Division ever played. It was at their final gig - Birmingham University, May 1980.

Cover art for Digital lyrics by Joy Division

I'm not sure if Ian Curtis was diagnoses bipolar, but i know his wife thought he sort-of was.

It really does fuck me off that people continue to shout 'suicide' and 'epilepsy' at every Joy Division song. Curtis was epileptic untli after this song was written (and recorded i think) and he wasn't in a particularly bad frame of mind either if accounts are to be believed.

I've always considered it ot be about paranoia, but I confess I don't really know what it's about. Except that it's not about epilepsy.

MeX

Cover art for Digital lyrics by Joy Division

Can I start by having a bit of a rant?

Can people stop slandering people for relating this song to suicide and epilepsy? It's not difficult to see how they'd come to such a conclusion and if you don’t have a better idea on what the song means then I’d suggest you be quite to avoid looking arrogant and closed minded. It was suggested somewhere (and I believe it to be true) that this (as well as a lot of the songs on unknown pleasures) are Curtis' social commentary on the working industrial state he found himself drowning in. Childish dreams for all of us slowly close in until we loose all hope of them coming true, I think Curtis was talking about that hope when he said "don't ever fade away" but then, we can't exactly ask him now can we...

You’re more than welcome to point out my flaws as long as you’ve got a counter-argument.

You make some good points Danzig, however, if you go through all the Joy Division songs on this site, every single song people claim are about epilepsy and sucide. Is every song Ian Curtis wrote about epilepsy or suicide? Was he not capable of thinking about anything else? It gets old. It has nothing to do with being arrogant and close minded. Actually it's open-minded to think that maybe Ian wrote some songs about other subjects, and the most arrogant post that I've read under this song, is the post written by you.

This is the most reasonable and coherent meaning I've read for this superb song.

Cover art for Digital lyrics by Joy Division

"You know, I find that kind of odd, because I always had an association between this song and suicide. I don't think I can explain it without coming off as an attention whoring melodramatic emo kid, though. Sorry."

People are always afraid of sounding "emo" nowadays. I've always associated it with suicide too - almost as if he's telling himself not to fade away. The line "Don't ever fade away" has always got to me.

Cover art for Digital lyrics by Joy Division

Media I think early take on how it can bring you up and take you down just a guess

Cover art for Digital lyrics by Joy Division

[Edit: Changed mind]

Negative
Subjective
Fear
Disgust
Technology
Fear Of Obsolescence
Social Impact
Cover art for Digital lyrics by Joy Division

wow minor disturbance, i never knew that, but now that you mention it, i think it may have been done purposely (being the final song they ever played). I think it's a 3rd person perspective of himself, first verse, hes describing the point before his seizure. in the second hes describing the depression, and in the third he is detached, he doesnt care so much what happens anymore, and is just fed up with the repetitive cycle that is his life (day in, day out, day in, day out), which is also ingrained into the music, it's a whirlwind of mixed emotions.

At the point he wrote this song, he already made the decision of dying, because of this, he then asks himself not to fade away. Considering his epileptic condition (most likely temporal-lobe epilepsy) he most probably also suffered symptoms of depersonalization: the surreal feeling of being outside of ones own mind/body. This song is ian, telling himself not to fade away from the rest of the world, like he wanted himself to live on after death, i personally think he has. What do you think?

he wrote it in 78 he wasn't thinking about killing himself then i think it could be a bit about drugs As patterns seem to form I feel it cold and warm The shadows start to fall I feel it closing in I feel it closing in Day in, day out Day in, day out Day in, day out Day in, day out Day in, day out

when i said he wrote it i meant the lyrics

He wasn't a drug addict. And if you mean medicine I'm pretty sure it's not about it. His epilepsy started in 1979 and the song was written long before. I think it's just about the heavy atmosphere of Manchester these days, all the days were identical and they merged into a grey mass of gloom. and to emphasize there is a constant kind of refren "day in/day out"

Cover art for Digital lyrics by Joy Division

You know, I find that kind of odd, because I always had an association between this song and suicide. I don't think I can explain it without coming off as an attention whoring melodramatic emo kid, though. Sorry.

Cover art for Digital lyrics by Joy Division

Why "Digital"?

named after the recording equipment hannett used sort of a homage i guess

Cover art for Digital lyrics by Joy Division

I'm not sure about the suicide interpretation (I've always thought of it as a pretty jaunty little number, at least by their standards), but I can tell you that this song dates back to at least mid-1978, well before he had "made the decision of dying." It certainly SOUNDS closer to paranoia or claustrophobia to me than it does depression or suicide.

 
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