This song is about self-reflection regarding a deceitful lifestyle. It can be generally placed under the umbrella of simple existential thought. For those of you unaware, when Layne writes/sings:
'My pain is self-chosen
At least, so The Prophet says',
he is referring to the book "The Prophet" by Khalill Gibran. The Prophet is about a man's journey toward enlightenment on the meaning of existence on this planet, in this realm, for this time. He is met with several of life's characters, they who have been impacted by his very existence, and begins to understand why and how a person is impacted upon and impacts upon others with just his or her very existence. it's a great read, and given Layne's penchant for philosophical study (toward the end of the 1990s, he began to read quite extensively on existential philosophy and the expansion of thought), it's a wonderful idea for a song. The Prophet is worth your time, and I believe you'll understand the song's meanings (line for line, they're brilliant in their references to thought and life's purpose) once you complete the book. Of course, that isn't the only influential tome in the song, but The Prophet is obviously quite a large influence.
This song is about self-reflection regarding a deceitful lifestyle. It can be generally placed under the umbrella of simple existential thought. For those of you unaware, when Layne writes/sings: 'My pain is self-chosen At least, so The Prophet says', he is referring to the book "The Prophet" by Khalill Gibran. The Prophet is about a man's journey toward enlightenment on the meaning of existence on this planet, in this realm, for this time. He is met with several of life's characters, they who have been impacted by his very existence, and begins to understand why and how a person is impacted upon and impacts upon others with just his or her very existence. it's a great read, and given Layne's penchant for philosophical study (toward the end of the 1990s, he began to read quite extensively on existential philosophy and the expansion of thought), it's a wonderful idea for a song. The Prophet is worth your time, and I believe you'll understand the song's meanings (line for line, they're brilliant in their references to thought and life's purpose) once you complete the book. Of course, that isn't the only influential tome in the song, but The Prophet is obviously quite a large influence.