According to spfc.org, a demo tape of Siamese Dream songs had the title "Quiet and other songs, . . ", indicating that Billy Corgan may have considered the lyrics of Quiet to be somewhat central to the album's theme(s). I think of it as an introduction to the album's discussion (with parents) about a difficult childhood ("Be ashamed of the mess you made"). It starts with something that a child might hear from a parent who works late at night and sleeps during the day - "Quiet, I am sleeping!", but I think the idea is to turn that phrase around to refer to an abused child experiencing only silence about it all around ("Couldn't tell a soul", "Jesus, are you listening", "deny") and tuning out ("I've been sleeping", "I can't hear you"). But the painful memory remains ("my eyes never forget"), even without any sound. It is ironic that a song called "Quiet" is played very loudly, but I think the volume is meant to represent finally speaking out loud about the past, breaking the "awful sound of nothing". I particularly like the falling snow metaphor - it reminds me of waking up as a child in a northern, urban area and knowing that it had snowed heavily overnight because of the unusual "quiet" outside.
you're right. corgan's dad worked at night and his stepmother was a severe enforcer. "Be ashamed of the mess you made" = bedwetting and is often a symptom that children with emotional problems have (esp. ones that come from abusive homes).
you're right. corgan's dad worked at night and his stepmother was a severe enforcer. "Be ashamed of the mess you made" = bedwetting and is often a symptom that children with emotional problems have (esp. ones that come from abusive homes).
According to spfc.org, a demo tape of Siamese Dream songs had the title "Quiet and other songs, . . ", indicating that Billy Corgan may have considered the lyrics of Quiet to be somewhat central to the album's theme(s). I think of it as an introduction to the album's discussion (with parents) about a difficult childhood ("Be ashamed of the mess you made"). It starts with something that a child might hear from a parent who works late at night and sleeps during the day - "Quiet, I am sleeping!", but I think the idea is to turn that phrase around to refer to an abused child experiencing only silence about it all around ("Couldn't tell a soul", "Jesus, are you listening", "deny") and tuning out ("I've been sleeping", "I can't hear you"). But the painful memory remains ("my eyes never forget"), even without any sound. It is ironic that a song called "Quiet" is played very loudly, but I think the volume is meant to represent finally speaking out loud about the past, breaking the "awful sound of nothing". I particularly like the falling snow metaphor - it reminds me of waking up as a child in a northern, urban area and knowing that it had snowed heavily overnight because of the unusual "quiet" outside.
you're right. corgan's dad worked at night and his stepmother was a severe enforcer. "Be ashamed of the mess you made" = bedwetting and is often a symptom that children with emotional problems have (esp. ones that come from abusive homes).
you're right. corgan's dad worked at night and his stepmother was a severe enforcer. "Be ashamed of the mess you made" = bedwetting and is often a symptom that children with emotional problems have (esp. ones that come from abusive homes).
agree
agree