I always thought that this song tied in with their other song Sleep, which was made around the same time. He seeks escape in sleep, which only reminds him of his existence in reality. Maybe referring as to his mother as a stranger means that they are growing distant, and this fear is being made prevalent through his dream.
I can buy the part about being helpless. In 1992, Blake had throat surgery to remove polyps, and novacaine is commonly used to numb the face and throat. When I had my wisdom teeth out, the doctor said that my face would feel extremely wide because of the numbness. Blake might be describing that with the line "Why is my face so wide? Cheek to cheek is almost chin to eye".
So, during recovery, Blake felt helpless and angry, and sleep offered no solace. I'm probably reading way too much into this, and it's probably really about losing a mix tape he really liked or something.
The only thing I've never figured out is the title. Maybe a reference to the Velvet Underground's Peel Slowly and See?
I always thought that this song tied in with their other song Sleep, which was made around the same time. He seeks escape in sleep, which only reminds him of his existence in reality. Maybe referring as to his mother as a stranger means that they are growing distant, and this fear is being made prevalent through his dream.
I can buy the part about being helpless. In 1992, Blake had throat surgery to remove polyps, and novacaine is commonly used to numb the face and throat. When I had my wisdom teeth out, the doctor said that my face would feel extremely wide because of the numbness. Blake might be describing that with the line "Why is my face so wide? Cheek to cheek is almost chin to eye".
So, during recovery, Blake felt helpless and angry, and sleep offered no solace. I'm probably reading way too much into this, and it's probably really about losing a mix tape he really liked or something.
The only thing I've never figured out is the title. Maybe a reference to the Velvet Underground's Peel Slowly and See?