Friction Lyrics

Lyric discussion by envika 

Cover art for Friction lyrics by Television

nothing is exactly as it seems

I think this is the essence of the meaning of this song. And I agree with Rocas that it's about the inevitable tension between youth and approaching adulthood and a wish to preserve some of the innocence of youth, or at least not be as much of a hypocrite as "growing up" seems to require. He notices that the constant activity surrounding him seems very unnatural, and from there he realizes that there are forces at work directing everything that happens around him. I think the "ventriloquist" refers to authority figures who have such tight control...