In this song, our hero Rael has mentally transported himself from his state of "almost death" limbo to re-imagining his street tough life in NYC. He longs for his life again and in his dream he sees himself as he imagined himself: a remorseless street kid with no weak sentimentality. Screaming against the city, he describes how tough and cool he is and how heroin makes him feel supreme.
The porcupine he cuddles is his heroin. It has pin-pricks but makes him feel warm and loved. He takes it everywhere. Shaving the hairs from his heart has plenty of interpretations, but perhaps the most direct is Rael's desperation to extricate himself from limbo. The hairs are the frustrations and difficulties that prevent him from seeing clearly and understanding his harrowing situation. If he can shave the hairs, he'll have a pure heart to face this mess he's stuck in.
The porcupine he cuddles is his heroin. It has pin-pricks but makes him feel warm and loved. He takes it everywhere. Shaving the hairs from his heart has plenty of interpretations, but perhaps the most direct is Rael's desperation to extricate himself from limbo. The hairs are the frustrations and difficulties that prevent him from seeing clearly and understanding his harrowing situation. If he can shave the hairs, he'll have a pure heart to face this mess he's stuck in.