I think this song is about obsessive-compulsive disorder (neurosis). Ian McCulloch suffered from OCD himself during his childhood, and so I do (still suffer from it). The "ups and downs" refer, I think, to the mood swings that OCD sufferers often experience, or maybe just even to the ups and downs of the life of someone with mental issues. "Listen to the sound they make" would be a metaphore then for "see what the disorder causes and brings you", whereas the "don't you scream when it gets loud" could be the anxiety coming in. I could be very wrong about this, but to me Crocodiles has always felt like an OCD anthem.
I think this song is about obsessive-compulsive disorder (neurosis). Ian McCulloch suffered from OCD himself during his childhood, and so I do (still suffer from it). The "ups and downs" refer, I think, to the mood swings that OCD sufferers often experience, or maybe just even to the ups and downs of the life of someone with mental issues. "Listen to the sound they make" would be a metaphore then for "see what the disorder causes and brings you", whereas the "don't you scream when it gets loud" could be the anxiety coming in. I could be very wrong about this, but to me Crocodiles has always felt like an OCD anthem.