Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Watching my window I was led like a
Child
As the roadway lamplight's
Misguided my mind through the night
A shadow of limits
We were racing the rain
My hands held the wheel
My eyes tried to hold their place
There must have been a time
When I thought that you were
Watching
It had to be when my senses lost
Control
I thought I'd slipped away
I thought I could still feel us
Moving
It must have been a cloud
No bigger than a man's hand
Every reason I risk my life
To come back to you
Is locked behind your door
You're my immunity
Outside I watched you burn
Heavy hearts were bleeding
A cry for help, a familiar voice
My melting hands streaked the glass
As I walked away
I wondered what had really
Happened
Had I run out of time
Did I push myself too far
As my last step fell
I felt my hands upon the wheel
Had I come back to life
Or did I ever leave at all
In higher lives
We seem to be
Always a moment too late
We're past the time
When we looked on
Now we're
The ones who help to
Set the sun
This time for real
I locked the door behind me
My mind was still a wreck
From what I saw
For when my hands are still
I'll recognize the message
Never again will my senses lose
Control
In higher lives
We seem to be
Always a moment too late
We're past the time
When we looked on
Now we're
The ones who help to
Set the sun
Child
As the roadway lamplight's
Misguided my mind through the night
A shadow of limits
We were racing the rain
My hands held the wheel
My eyes tried to hold their place
There must have been a time
When I thought that you were
Watching
It had to be when my senses lost
Control
I thought I'd slipped away
I thought I could still feel us
Moving
It must have been a cloud
No bigger than a man's hand
Every reason I risk my life
To come back to you
Is locked behind your door
You're my immunity
Outside I watched you burn
Heavy hearts were bleeding
A cry for help, a familiar voice
My melting hands streaked the glass
As I walked away
I wondered what had really
Happened
Had I run out of time
Did I push myself too far
As my last step fell
I felt my hands upon the wheel
Had I come back to life
Or did I ever leave at all
In higher lives
We seem to be
Always a moment too late
We're past the time
When we looked on
Now we're
The ones who help to
Set the sun
This time for real
I locked the door behind me
My mind was still a wreck
From what I saw
For when my hands are still
I'll recognize the message
Never again will my senses lose
Control
In higher lives
We seem to be
Always a moment too late
We're past the time
When we looked on
Now we're
The ones who help to
Set the sun
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More Featured Meanings
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
John Petrucci was interviewed about this song saying that it's about about a guy driving late at night who is starting to fall asleep behind the wheel. The character then slips into a dream that only lasts a moment, but in his dream he sees how his love ones would be affected by his death. By the end of the song he snaps back into consciousness and as JP puts it: "gets his shit together."
Kevin Moore plays a beautiful intro.
My favorite song on "When Dream and Day Unite."
I think this song's about witnessing losing someone dear to you, then having all these thoughts about them afterwards. Just my basic opinion
One of the best song-intros I have ever heard. But...the whole song is way too "power metal" for me after it. It's not really a bad song, but it's like the intro of it has nothing to do with the song itself. It loses the magic and tragic it has at the start. Am I the only one who thinks so?
I agree with Crusher about the intro. I really like the song, possibly the best off the album, but the intro is fantastic in it's own way and doesn't really suit the song. Sometimes I find myself listening to the intro alone.
I miss Kevin Moore & DT.
It is a nice sounding intro, but I like the whole song as well. I just don't like the singing.
I agree with Coleio about the meaning of the song. It isn't that hard to see when you listen to the lyrics very well.
have any of you been in a really bad wreck? the song is written from the perspective of a survivor. when one happens, it feels like a slap in the face, and the intro leading into the song fits it quite well. the intro DOES fit the song, musically AND thematically.
The hardest song on the album to interpret. It could be about witnessing the loss of things and not knowing that it's your fault that they're leaving. At the same time, it could be about prioritizing your life after a long period of realizing how bad things have been. Trying to find the faults in what you've been doing and how to improve upon yourself. Becoming important.
In the beginning, the character gets into the car during a storm and is driving somewhere. The weird guitar/synth noises could be the actual crash. The synthy sound afterwards is the immediate aftermath, representing the character in a daze of sorts. The rest of the song is him reflecting. Sounds simple the way I put it, but this makes sense to me.