Darklands

To me, this song is written from a perspective of a man/woman suffering severe psychological problems.

I'm going to the darklands To talk in rhyme With my chaotic soul (a psychotherapeutical session where you talk about everything in your life that might have caused you pain, i.e. the "Darklands")

As sure as life means nothing And all things end in nothing And heaven I think Is too close to hell (Feelings of a depressed person, no faith anymore in society and/or religion; sense of life?)

I want to move I want to go I want to go (I think almost everyone suffering from depressions wants to do just "anything". However, in most cases they fail and stick to doing nothing or even taking drugs (alcohol, other stuff). The seemigly unfitting "doo-doodoob-doob-doob-doo" very much illustrates that: You know you should do something but you don't. You just sit there and think: Well, fuck it, better days'll come and then I will have the energy to do anything, but until then I'll just sit here (maybe with my glass of beer) and let time pass by.

Oh something won't let me (As a non-native English speaker I have always thought they'd sing "I... suffered a lot, babe", which might also very well fit in here, as I think. ;-) Anyway, depressions, you got the idea...) Go to the place Where the darklands are (It takes a lot of overcoming to seek treatment for depressions...)

And I awake from dreams To a scary world of screams And heaven I think Is too close to hell (daydreaming I think is quite common if you're depressed. You think or dream of a better world/society or also a better self and then you wake up and everything seems messed up from your perspective)

I want to move I want to go I want to go Take me to the dark Oh god I get down on my knees And I feel like I could die By the river of disease And I feel that I'm dying And I'm dying I'm down on my knees Oh I'm down I want to go I want to stay I want to stay (This stanza really pisses me off, although I think musically it's the best in the whole song. Hard to interpret it. Maybe... "Take me into the dark" --> Again therapeutical session."Get down on my knees" --> Maybe he/she is seeking treatment for his/her sufferings and wants to do just everything to get loose of his/her problems..."river of disease" --> His/her life is completely fucked up and everything he/she does seems wrong "I'm dying" --> Suicidal thoughts you might experience when you're depressed and/or you feel your own self degenerating... "I want to go, I want to stay" --> On the one hand, you want to change your lifestyle, but on the other hand you just feel comfortable in your current situation, pitying yourself. Could also allude to ambiguous suicidal thoughts ("I want to go" --> Kill yourself "I want to stay" --> Not kill yourself because you're afraid of death or causing pain to the people you love once you have left))

Just my two cents. Comments/replies welcome.

BTW: I don't mean to insult any people suffering from depressions with this post. So, my interpretation is just written from MY point of view :-)

It's true that JAMC's songs are filled with oral/other sexual references, but I think that interpreting this one in a totally sexual way really cheapens it. I think that more than anything, William uses this song to pretty much state his purpose in making music, with the "Darklands" being his depressed state of mind necessary to write good songs.

candytalking Hit the nail on its head!

The Darklands is a state/place William has to go to to "Talk in Rhyme" or write songs. It is a dark and chaotic place where it could go either way (heaven = pretty love songs or hell = nasty songs).

Love it even more! Classic Rock 'n Roll

I think this song is about nihilism and how deep down life seems dark and meaningless. I first heard it as a teenager and immediately identified with it. It changed my musical taste from liking naive happy Beatles songs to showing how souls can be dark and chaotic - just like mine.

ni·hil·ism - the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless

I'm listening to this song even as I type this. I love this album, if only for a few particularly awesome songs. I love the J&MCs' early works far more than their latter stuff. In my opinion, this album was superior by far to "Honey's Dead".

I'm tired of people trying to find sexual references in EVERY Jesus & Mary Chain song.

For me, It's about a sleep disorder named Night terror ("Pavor nocturnus", sleep terror disorder), that's a abrupt awakening from sleep with behavior consistent with terror.

Also, all these things, perhaps, are related with the soul entering and exploring other world (dreams world) which there are several entities and things, etc.

Oral sex, oral sex, oral sex. There are stories, many apocryphal, about the Jesus and Mary Chain writing songs about other topics, but most of these have been debunked and the rest are in reference to covers of other bands' songs.

Witness: "I'm down on my knees, oh I'm down, I want to go I want to stay."

"And Heaven, I think, is too close to hell."

"Oh, something won't let me go to the place where the darklands are."

"And I awake from dreams to a scary world of screams." And the double entendre reaches a fever pitch!

"Oh God, I get down on my knees, and feel like I could die by the river of disease." Disgusting, you say? Lest we forget, "eating up the scum is the hardest thing for me to do" in "Just Like Honey."