I think Dixeychik is on the ball here. The song seems to have to do with heroin, the "spiritual" state it creates, and crucially the acceptance of that state and the balance within it. The "all things" line illustrates the idea it isn't just one element of his life, it is the overbearing state through which all else is experienced, the good bad, highs and lows. In sickness and in health as it were.
The song isn't about blame, if not comfort in the situation then it has a certain degree of acceptance, and the feeling of being close to the end. The dreams, the changing shape are experiences heroin can offer in peace and exclusion from life and redefinition of yourself within the bubble it offers. I can't see in tone or lyrical content how the song would specifically be about crack. Crack is more chaotic, more of a distraction and too fleeting, even if the use of that particular drug plays into the lifestyle the focus of the emotion in this track couldn't be acheived through it. Crack is imbalance, heroin on the other hand has the capacity for balance and even some kind of objectivity through detachment.
It still isn't completely at peace and includes thoughts like "one hit...", the thoughts that go through a junkie's head, but delivered with not ironic darkness like the line "the fix is in" in Alameda, but acceptance they have a place in all of this, and a sense that even when he's fooling himself, he knows what it is.
I think a lot of you have some good ideas about this song and I reckon a lot of them may play into it in some capacity, its a rich song in that regard, Elliott's generally are.
I think Dixeychik is on the ball here. The song seems to have to do with heroin, the "spiritual" state it creates, and crucially the acceptance of that state and the balance within it. The "all things" line illustrates the idea it isn't just one element of his life, it is the overbearing state through which all else is experienced, the good bad, highs and lows. In sickness and in health as it were.
The song isn't about blame, if not comfort in the situation then it has a certain degree of acceptance, and the feeling of being close to the end. The dreams, the changing shape are experiences heroin can offer in peace and exclusion from life and redefinition of yourself within the bubble it offers. I can't see in tone or lyrical content how the song would specifically be about crack. Crack is more chaotic, more of a distraction and too fleeting, even if the use of that particular drug plays into the lifestyle the focus of the emotion in this track couldn't be acheived through it. Crack is imbalance, heroin on the other hand has the capacity for balance and even some kind of objectivity through detachment.
It still isn't completely at peace and includes thoughts like "one hit...", the thoughts that go through a junkie's head, but delivered with not ironic darkness like the line "the fix is in" in Alameda, but acceptance they have a place in all of this, and a sense that even when he's fooling himself, he knows what it is.
I think a lot of you have some good ideas about this song and I reckon a lot of them may play into it in some capacity, its a rich song in that regard, Elliott's generally are.
Peace CC