On candystripe legs the spiderman comes
Softly through the shadow of the evening sun
Stealing past the windows of the blissfully dead
Looking for the victim shivering in bed
Searching out fear in the gathering gloom and
Suddenly!
A movement in the corner of the room!
And there is nothing I can do
When I realise with fright
That the spiderman is having me for dinner tonight!
Quietly he laughs and shaking his head
Creeps closer now
Closer to the foot of the bed
And softer than shadow and quicker than flies
His arms are all around me and his tongue in my eyes
"Be still be calm be quiet now my precious boy
Don't struggle like that or I will only love you more
For it's much too late to get away or turn on the light
The spiderman is having you for dinner tonight"
And I feel like I'm being eaten
By a thousand million shivering furry holes
And I know that in the morning I will wake up
In the shivering cold
And the spiderman is always hungry...
Robert Smith has often said that many of his songs (including most songs on the album The Head on the Door) were inspired by nightmares.
This discussion about "Lullaby" is found here: grammy.com/news/nightmares-of-the-cures-robert-smith
Meanwhile, devotees of the Cure continue to debate the source of the song's subject matter, which feels like a hallucinogenic take on Mary Howitt's early 19th century poem, "The Spider And The Fly" (an inspiration Smith makes explicit when he whispers something reminiscent of the poem's opening line near the end of the song).
While Smith most often attributes "Lullaby" to childhood nightmares, fans have speculated that it's actually a metaphor for everything from depression to addiction and abuse. The latter interpretation was further fueled by a portion of an MTV interview where Smith talks about the song. "One particular night, my uncle burst through the window, and he did unspeakable things," said Smith, before adding with a laugh, "He didn't really."
Pope [the director of the music video] is quick to point out that his friend and collaborator's knack for imaginative storytelling often spills over into real life. "He's one of the hugest liars, but in a lovely cuddly sort of way," he says. "He frames his story however he wants to. So maybe that's one of his, shall we say, slightly made-up stories."
This song is about Sexual Abuse regardless of what Rob Smith says, the way the song describes these sensations is comparable to rape.
i was almost 100% sure this song was about fearing sex with a woman as female sex could be compared to a spider, or a shivering hole. But as i read your opinion i agree it could definitely be about rape.
i was almost 100% sure this song was about fearing sex with a woman as female sex could be compared to a spider, or a shivering hole. But as i read your opinion i agree it could definitely be about rape.
Regardless of what Smith said? He was the one who wrote it, was he not? I'm pretty sure he would know what he was thinking and feeling when he wrote this...
Regardless of what Smith said? He was the one who wrote it, was he not? I'm pretty sure he would know what he was thinking and feeling when he wrote this...
I have to go with Mediocremurphy. He is the one who wrote it after all.
I have to go with Mediocremurphy. He is the one who wrote it after all.
You don't have to take Smith's word for it, a song can have many meanings even if the writer didn't intend them. Trust the tale not the teller.
You don't have to take Smith's word for it, a song can have many meanings even if the writer didn't intend them. Trust the tale not the teller.
I believe Robert Smith when he says it's just about his arachnophobia. But I like to think it's about sexual abuse cause it seems to fit so well with that interpretation.
I believe Robert Smith when he says it's just about his arachnophobia. But I like to think it's about sexual abuse cause it seems to fit so well with that interpretation.
was my initial reaction too Ramtek - too many parallels.
was my initial reaction too Ramtek - too many parallels.
@Ramtek37 I have a feeling that just about everything is about sexual abuse/rape to you.
@Ramtek37 I have a feeling that just about everything is about sexual abuse/rape to you.
robert wrote this about a recurring nightmare he would have as a child.
I think it's about Robert Smith's creepy dining experience with Peter Parker's alter-ego.
child molestation. predatory imagery. anyone can take any meaning from a song, it's neither right or wrong. the artist's intent isn't always met. but this one sounds like it's either subconsciously or consciously about child abuse.
@thesoftboys That's just in your subconscious. Smith was a heroin addict. That's what this song is about. You'd have to very dim not to see that.
@thesoftboys That's just in your subconscious. Smith was a heroin addict. That's what this song is about. You'd have to very dim not to see that.
I absolutely love the arrangement of this song. It sounds extremely eerie and intense. I definitely recommend listening to it :0)
dude you guys are funny. if the person who wrote/performed the song says it's about a nightmare he had, why can't you accept that it IS about a nightmare he had? no, he didn't base it on that poem, though they are similar. you can find the video on Yahoo Launch. launch.yahoo.com (you'll need to be a member of yahoo to view more than 1 or 2 videos).
it's definitely somewhat based on the poem. at the end of the song you can hear robert whisper "so come into my parlor said the spider to the fly, i have a little something here" and he usually sings that line when they play it live. that's definitely sort of borrowed from the poem.
it's definitely somewhat based on the poem. at the end of the song you can hear robert whisper "so come into my parlor said the spider to the fly, i have a little something here" and he usually sings that line when they play it live. that's definitely sort of borrowed from the poem.
I can definitely see the drug addiction thing (or any addiction in general), the nightmare notion, the depression idea, and the alien abduction perspective was also interesting. But, personally I always though it was about rape/ molestation… possibly incest because maybe this is not the first time it’s happened, the boy seems to be waiting in shear terror expecting this abuse, hoping that it won‘t happen again, but then realizing (as if it’s something new) that he was just lying to himself and that it will happen again when he sees the movement in the corner of the room . The little boy (the victim) lying in his bed at night waiting for the man (the spiderman) to come and take advantage of him, and really there is nothing he can do about it, he is helpless. He will be “devoured” (the spiderman is having me for dinner tonight) by him. "Be still, be calm, be quiet now my precious boy ,Don't struggle like that or I will only love you more" .Though he resists and tries to fight him off, that only makes the guy want him more, since he gets off on the power and control, and if the boy was willing it would make him less desirable. But maybe that’s just my twisted mind’s interpretation. Anyway, love this song! It’s eerie, heavy, and sick… but just sounds so beautiful!
to me this song is about spider-man and him trying to get rid of the symbiote that eventually becomes venom. if you're a nerd like me you'll get it.
The song has an entrancing melody that seems to suck listeners in, giving you the feeling of being pulled apart slowly with drawn-out lyrics and almost panting-like breaths. Lullaby is definitely a masterpiece with twisted, goosebump-inducing, ambiguous lyrics.
Whatever interpretation you may have of this song is neither correct nor incorrect. The artist, Robert Smith has already given the meaning to Lullaby, which you may agree or disagree with. This is the beauty of art, everyone's opinion is equally interesting and helps us maximize our appreciation for songs.
Personally, I have multiple interpretations of the meaning behind Lullaby. However, I've come to consider more after reading everyone's comments.