i'm kinda surprised no one mentioned all the references to pictures. it seems like he wrote this after looking through some old photos. i have a feeling they're pictures of himself, but it's not really clear, and they could easily be of anyone he cared about.
it seems like he's bored and looking back, and just can't figure out why he's been so sad for so long. i think the mention of "silhouette" and "bleeding color" are both referring to an old photo. and the imagery ("gone to black," "dying") he uses just help accentuate the sadness in the picture and in his heart.
the part about the one trapped in his head is interesting ("With the one I keep where it never fades
In the safety of a pitch black mind"). i'm not sure what picture he's specifically thinking of. maybe it's just a memory of himself in a really hard time that he can't let go of. it almost seems like he wants to hold on to his sadness, since he mentions "safety" of his mind. he doesn't want too let go of that image, even though it seems so depressing.
maybe the last lines about, "If you get a feeling the next time you see me/ Do me a favor and let me know" are to himself. Meaning, if my happy self comes around, come on in. I think he's tired of being so sad, even though he does like to cling to his depression at times. As he says, "It's hard to say/ Oh well, okay." I think this just means it's hard for him to always feel so depressed and apathetic about life and to be surrounded by so much melancholy, in his heart and in old photos.
I feel the same way. I miss you, Elliott. RIP
I agree with your ideas to a great extent. I have been trying to figure out this song for a long time, and I think you are on the right track. In order to understand "the safety of a pitch black mind," you kind of have to think of a dark room. He's comparing his mind to a dark place, where a photograph or piece of film is safe from being exposed. All of the imagery fits pretty well into this metaphor. He might be looking at one specific photo in the first verse (an old one that he's just...
I agree with your ideas to a great extent. I have been trying to figure out this song for a long time, and I think you are on the right track. In order to understand "the safety of a pitch black mind," you kind of have to think of a dark room. He's comparing his mind to a dark place, where a photograph or piece of film is safe from being exposed. All of the imagery fits pretty well into this metaphor. He might be looking at one specific photo in the first verse (an old one that he's just now developed) where he's trying to figure out why he looks so unhappy, but can't remember. "Stopped for a spell and stayed that way," seems to be talking about how a photo can preserve a state of being or a moment in existence, and how he is like a photo in that way. He never changes. He tells him self that he likes it that way ("oh well, okay"). In the second verse, he seems to be looking through a multitude of posed pictures of him smiling or something. The whole time he's doing this, he's bored, and keeps the image of his true self (or how he sees himself) in his mind, safe from the light. It will never change; he will always feel horrible; the film will never leave the dark cannister of his mind and be developed or manipulated. He tries to feel okay about this grim prediction ("oh well, okay"). As for the last verse, it seems to be him finally accepting that he doesn't want to be miserable forever. He's asking for help, even though he knows it won't do any good. So he reassures himself again.
i'm kinda surprised no one mentioned all the references to pictures. it seems like he wrote this after looking through some old photos. i have a feeling they're pictures of himself, but it's not really clear, and they could easily be of anyone he cared about.
it seems like he's bored and looking back, and just can't figure out why he's been so sad for so long. i think the mention of "silhouette" and "bleeding color" are both referring to an old photo. and the imagery ("gone to black," "dying") he uses just help accentuate the sadness in the picture and in his heart. the part about the one trapped in his head is interesting ("With the one I keep where it never fades In the safety of a pitch black mind"). i'm not sure what picture he's specifically thinking of. maybe it's just a memory of himself in a really hard time that he can't let go of. it almost seems like he wants to hold on to his sadness, since he mentions "safety" of his mind. he doesn't want too let go of that image, even though it seems so depressing.
maybe the last lines about, "If you get a feeling the next time you see me/ Do me a favor and let me know" are to himself. Meaning, if my happy self comes around, come on in. I think he's tired of being so sad, even though he does like to cling to his depression at times. As he says, "It's hard to say/ Oh well, okay." I think this just means it's hard for him to always feel so depressed and apathetic about life and to be surrounded by so much melancholy, in his heart and in old photos.
I feel the same way. I miss you, Elliott. RIP
I agree with your ideas to a great extent. I have been trying to figure out this song for a long time, and I think you are on the right track. In order to understand "the safety of a pitch black mind," you kind of have to think of a dark room. He's comparing his mind to a dark place, where a photograph or piece of film is safe from being exposed. All of the imagery fits pretty well into this metaphor. He might be looking at one specific photo in the first verse (an old one that he's just...
I agree with your ideas to a great extent. I have been trying to figure out this song for a long time, and I think you are on the right track. In order to understand "the safety of a pitch black mind," you kind of have to think of a dark room. He's comparing his mind to a dark place, where a photograph or piece of film is safe from being exposed. All of the imagery fits pretty well into this metaphor. He might be looking at one specific photo in the first verse (an old one that he's just now developed) where he's trying to figure out why he looks so unhappy, but can't remember. "Stopped for a spell and stayed that way," seems to be talking about how a photo can preserve a state of being or a moment in existence, and how he is like a photo in that way. He never changes. He tells him self that he likes it that way ("oh well, okay"). In the second verse, he seems to be looking through a multitude of posed pictures of him smiling or something. The whole time he's doing this, he's bored, and keeps the image of his true self (or how he sees himself) in his mind, safe from the light. It will never change; he will always feel horrible; the film will never leave the dark cannister of his mind and be developed or manipulated. He tries to feel okay about this grim prediction ("oh well, okay"). As for the last verse, it seems to be him finally accepting that he doesn't want to be miserable forever. He's asking for help, even though he knows it won't do any good. So he reassures himself again.