This song starts off with a "boy" who is dependent on this relationship that serves as his addiction. An addiction that is merely damaging him more and is also only covering up his true state of unhappiness within himself ("afraid to take control of my own life"). This also goes along with "Detouring the now" which presents the idea of time and how he is unable to focus on the present state not as a part of the relationship, but as an individual who yet again is "afraid to take control." Instead of assessing and dealing with his fear and loneliness on his own, he uses the relationship which provides him with a "routine bread comfort."
As the song progresses and the relationship deteriorates (he characterizes it as a drug addiction which is lethal), we see a boy who becomes enlightened on his own and of his lack of freedom through his dependence on a relationship. He acknowledges that he is "crazy for holding" on as well as that "losing her is killing [him]" but it is also "teaching [him] to live." Although this does not apply to all cases, this song provides a perfect example of how an addiction and attachment to a relationship also serves to enlighten an individual. Overall, this song and the experience within it is aimed at providing others with this same consciousness of dependency on illusory relationships.
Along with the idea of freedom is the line "only the lonely resent angels for flying." This line is a self reflection that he successfully arrives at after the end of the relationship. At first he indicates that he wanted her to be as involved in the relationship as he was, making it her life. He presents the "slavery" aspect of relationships as one not only relating to power trips but also to "masochistic relationships." In short, he basically illustrates that his reasons for making her as absorbed by the relationship by giving her "guilt trips" and such are because he is "lonely." ("Only the free resent the angels for flying.") Thus, although he initially 'enslaved' her with him and "chained her by the ankle" into this relationships, as the song goes on he sets her free (fly free- my angel). The name of the song "Paradise" is similar to the "Americanized relationships," for both are commonly and continuously romanticized when in fact both are illusions.
This song is mainly referring to the illusion of love that individuals have of "The average American, romanticized relationship." In the song they talk about the tendency of those in a relationship to become attached to one another. The best way I can try to characterize this dependence is for instance through the fact that a lot of people are scared of being lonely and also place their happiness IN other people. Thus, those in a relationship believe they are "fill[ing] the void" through their relationship which provides them with "feeling he can't create all on his own." However, placing ones happiness in others is a false sense of security that only leads to attachment, addiction, and a covering up of the true self; that is, a self that is free, complete, and unattached. It is through becoming conscious of the fact that we do not actually have a void within ourselves but are rather individually complete (happiness included), that we can be content and free.
Simply put, "Heaven ain’t something someone else can give – it’s all inside of me." This quote brings to light the fact that he is free from the illusions of a "romanticized relationship" and at a deeper understanding of himself. He no longer [chains] his partners in a relationship, but rather allows himself and his counterpart to be free.
Finally, the song ends with the repetition of he question "There’s so much world to see, what’s stoppin’ me from flyin’ free?" However, he has already provided us with an account of what is obstructing his individual freedom. In that case, this question is for each person who is listening to his song .
"There's so much world to see, what's stopping YOU from flyin' free?"
This song starts off with a "boy" who is dependent on this relationship that serves as his addiction. An addiction that is merely damaging him more and is also only covering up his true state of unhappiness within himself ("afraid to take control of my own life"). This also goes along with "Detouring the now" which presents the idea of time and how he is unable to focus on the present state not as a part of the relationship, but as an individual who yet again is "afraid to take control." Instead of assessing and dealing with his fear and loneliness on his own, he uses the relationship which provides him with a "routine bread comfort."
As the song progresses and the relationship deteriorates (he characterizes it as a drug addiction which is lethal), we see a boy who becomes enlightened on his own and of his lack of freedom through his dependence on a relationship. He acknowledges that he is "crazy for holding" on as well as that "losing her is killing [him]" but it is also "teaching [him] to live." Although this does not apply to all cases, this song provides a perfect example of how an addiction and attachment to a relationship also serves to enlighten an individual. Overall, this song and the experience within it is aimed at providing others with this same consciousness of dependency on illusory relationships.
Along with the idea of freedom is the line "only the lonely resent angels for flying." This line is a self reflection that he successfully arrives at after the end of the relationship. At first he indicates that he wanted her to be as involved in the relationship as he was, making it her life. He presents the "slavery" aspect of relationships as one not only relating to power trips but also to "masochistic relationships." In short, he basically illustrates that his reasons for making her as absorbed by the relationship by giving her "guilt trips" and such are because he is "lonely." ("Only the free resent the angels for flying.") Thus, although he initially 'enslaved' her with him and "chained her by the ankle" into this relationships, as the song goes on he sets her free (fly free- my angel). The name of the song "Paradise" is similar to the "Americanized relationships," for both are commonly and continuously romanticized when in fact both are illusions.
This song is mainly referring to the illusion of love that individuals have of "The average American, romanticized relationship." In the song they talk about the tendency of those in a relationship to become attached to one another. The best way I can try to characterize this dependence is for instance through the fact that a lot of people are scared of being lonely and also place their happiness IN other people. Thus, those in a relationship believe they are "fill[ing] the void" through their relationship which provides them with "feeling he can't create all on his own." However, placing ones happiness in others is a false sense of security that only leads to attachment, addiction, and a covering up of the true self; that is, a self that is free, complete, and unattached. It is through becoming conscious of the fact that we do not actually have a void within ourselves but are rather individually complete (happiness included), that we can be content and free.
Simply put, "Heaven ain’t something someone else can give – it’s all inside of me." This quote brings to light the fact that he is free from the illusions of a "romanticized relationship" and at a deeper understanding of himself. He no longer [chains] his partners in a relationship, but rather allows himself and his counterpart to be free.
Finally, the song ends with the repetition of he question "There’s so much world to see, what’s stoppin’ me from flyin’ free?" However, he has already provided us with an account of what is obstructing his individual freedom. In that case, this question is for each person who is listening to his song .
"There's so much world to see, what's stopping YOU from flyin' free?"