First of all let me say that this song has the ability to grow on someone, because I paid no attention to it at first, but now I really enjoy it.
This idea just came to me this morning while reading the lyrics. I think this song is somehow connected to the song Afterglow. For some reason the first two lines:
"No one makes a loop around me
No one 'round here makes a decision"
made me think he was referring to religion or morality or something like that. So then going from there it seemed that he is referencing life and death and some sort of afterlife possibly. He mentions angels, and millions of people leaving before us.
I think the end of the song helps explain the rest. He is describing current life as being incredibly confusing and paradoxical; icicles are flames - "everything is what it is not." It seems that this current life of paradox is somewhat troubling to him and more importantly that he actually thinks "life" is to come. Hence the lyric in "Afterglow" that says "Death before life".
All of that is just a quick observation by me. Some of it is confusing in itself, but I do think there is a correlation between the two songs. Also I think that John is not in any way referring to religion - but simply the current state of contradictory being and some other place where millions have gone before us; this place actually being "life". The only reason I mentioned religion is because like I said, the first two lines inexplicably made me think of a controlling idea such as religion/morality and from there I thought I started to understand the rest of the song better.
First of all let me say that this song has the ability to grow on someone, because I paid no attention to it at first, but now I really enjoy it.
This idea just came to me this morning while reading the lyrics. I think this song is somehow connected to the song Afterglow. For some reason the first two lines: "No one makes a loop around me No one 'round here makes a decision" made me think he was referring to religion or morality or something like that. So then going from there it seemed that he is referencing life and death and some sort of afterlife possibly. He mentions angels, and millions of people leaving before us.
I think the end of the song helps explain the rest. He is describing current life as being incredibly confusing and paradoxical; icicles are flames - "everything is what it is not." It seems that this current life of paradox is somewhat troubling to him and more importantly that he actually thinks "life" is to come. Hence the lyric in "Afterglow" that says "Death before life".
All of that is just a quick observation by me. Some of it is confusing in itself, but I do think there is a correlation between the two songs. Also I think that John is not in any way referring to religion - but simply the current state of contradictory being and some other place where millions have gone before us; this place actually being "life". The only reason I mentioned religion is because like I said, the first two lines inexplicably made me think of a controlling idea such as religion/morality and from there I thought I started to understand the rest of the song better.