Wow, after reading what some other people have thought, especially G-Farb, I have a much different take than I did before. I originally had a more shallow view of the song, thinking that the speaker was pleading to a girl to stop letting a man hold her down and to free herself, but now instead of it being "a" man, I think it's about "THE" man. This song is a plea to all of us to be true to ourselves.
The song starts out by reminding us how we're social animals and dreamers by nature, but many of us sell out. Life might actually be easier, simpler, and seemingly more carefree for those who don't worry about "selling out" and that type of thing and are able to just live and conform, but this song is pleading with us to dare and not take that easy route.
The song goes on to describe a benevolent "fool" who sort of forgoes her ideals and takes the easy, "ordinary" route in life and tries to convince herself that all is well; the song then again, telling her it has seen all the life sucked out of her, pleads to its target to forget the "ordinary" life and live the way she has always wanted.
Wow, after reading what some other people have thought, especially G-Farb, I have a much different take than I did before. I originally had a more shallow view of the song, thinking that the speaker was pleading to a girl to stop letting a man hold her down and to free herself, but now instead of it being "a" man, I think it's about "THE" man. This song is a plea to all of us to be true to ourselves.
The song starts out by reminding us how we're social animals and dreamers by nature, but many of us sell out. Life might actually be easier, simpler, and seemingly more carefree for those who don't worry about "selling out" and that type of thing and are able to just live and conform, but this song is pleading with us to dare and not take that easy route.
The song goes on to describe a benevolent "fool" who sort of forgoes her ideals and takes the easy, "ordinary" route in life and tries to convince herself that all is well; the song then again, telling her it has seen all the life sucked out of her, pleads to its target to forget the "ordinary" life and live the way she has always wanted.