Cure for Optimism Lyrics

Lyric discussion by kiiabby 

Cover art for Cure for Optimism lyrics by Porcupine Tree

I interpret this song as about the music industry again.... the mountain possibly referring to the famous bands whilst SW feels he is achieving nothing in his ocean. I can imagine the band having their photo taken feeling kinda dispirited not knowing if it's going to be worth it.

The next part does seem to be about perhaps a mental institution or maybe about feeling caged in like some kind of animal.

"They can plead and beg but don't let them fix your head" I suffer from bi-polar disorder and I believe it is both a blessing and a curse. Some of my greatest pieces of writing have been when I have been feeling one extreme or the other.

The final lines make me think of PR/management types...

"A serpent with a mobile phone Sweet talks me"

Hmmm. I'm just not sure. I do enjoy how ambiguous PTs music is. Makes it much more fun :)

If we're going with the music industry interpretation I guess the serpent could be the producer.