Three inches above the floor
Man in a box wants to burn my soul
And I'm tired
"Is that the truth?" he says
The pain is easy
Too many words, too many words
And I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em, I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em
If you’re hearing screams
Come back, child, come back
My hands are dry
But I know they're gonna make it just one more night
Too many words, too many words
And I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em, I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em
[Instrumental Bridge]
And I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em, I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em
Man in a box wants to burn my soul
And I'm tired
"Is that the truth?" he says
The pain is easy
Too many words, too many words
And I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em, I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em
Come back, child, come back
My hands are dry
But I know they're gonna make it just one more night
Too many words, too many words
And I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em, I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em, I can hear 'em
And I can hear 'em
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I was thinking the man in a box was a TV And the narrator is just overwhelmed with the horrible images he sees of the world, kind of a portrait of modern ennui or something....maybe
Maybe a hellfire televangelist, flashing images of God's supposed judgement.
Maybe a hellfire televangelist, flashing images of God's supposed judgement.
i just finished watching both entire seasons of twin peaks and then listened to this song and it makes it even more haunting. i think it fits most david lynch projects. what it's about? who knows, but it's weird and good.
"man in a box wants to burn my soul"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witness_box
For me the narrator is standing in a court room. What @laurelinwyntre noted about the witness box is brilliant. So, the witness is accusing the narrator of a crime he never committed "Is that the truth he says". His hands are "dry" of blood, he's innocent, but "they’re gonna make it", in the end all they need is time to convict him. "If you're hearing screams Come back child, come back" For me this verse refers to the "crime scene". All he wanted to do was to help whoever was screaming. He advises us not to do the same, as he was accused of the crime. All in all, the whole song seems like a metaphor for our world. A world where atrocities are committed and the innocent man is the one to blame. The narrator has reached a point of despair; he's tired of living in a world like this. At least this is what I think. There is room for much interpretation with this song.
This really makes my skin creep. I've been trying to find some sort of interpretation, but their lyrics are so personal...very hard to do.
I reckon it's a nightmare..
Guys, it's both: It's a TV preacher. The man who wants to burn his soul is in a box, one of those old cabinet-mounted sets.
I really wish what they meant by "my hands are dry".
Like somebody else said, this album is very much about hell (on earth).
I always thought that the end of the first v erse was :
"Is that the truth?" he says/"that pain is easy to put in words/to put in words".
A quick google reveals that I am the only person on the internet with this opinion, but the verse seems to make a lot more sense that way, and is a lot more beautiful.
...I think.
yep dri-ft, makes sense, but their official site says it's "too many words".
well I've listened to it many times and I now am 100% sure that the first time it is "that pain is easy to put in words", but that then he says "too many words" afterwards. It's still a really great line that way, I think.