I read in The Cure's biography that this song's lyrics were actually written by Lol Tolhurst and the lines were originally longer, but then Robert shortened them so they only contained the start of each sentence. And it's apparently about 'apathy and decay'. It could be interpreted literally as being about the world coming to an end, but more likely it represents a state of mind, a person not caring any more to the extent that their world comes to a grinding halt, as in it no longer means anything for them.
I read in The Cure's biography that this song's lyrics were actually written by Lol Tolhurst and the lines were originally longer, but then Robert shortened them so they only contained the start of each sentence. And it's apparently about 'apathy and decay'. It could be interpreted literally as being about the world coming to an end, but more likely it represents a state of mind, a person not caring any more to the extent that their world comes to a grinding halt, as in it no longer means anything for them.