The pennies in the eyes reference is (imho) not speaking to the fact that he sees only money. I accept your theory of the song being about leaving behind one's past (or childhood, if you will), but the pennies reference is definitely an allusion to the ancient tradition of placing coins in the eyes of the recently departed (side note: this tradition was shared among many of the ancient cultures with different variants on the specifics of the reasoning for doing so).
Also, it's not about reincarnation, although I understand the logic behind that theory. The real key to understanding that point is knowing where he is speaking literally as opposed to figuratively. His "return" is not the symbolic or metaphorical part of the statement, but rather the "bones" (as a symbol for memories, which he goes on to clarify.) Plus, none of the rest of the song has a d--n thing to do with reincarnation.
"I held my hand in the fire, burned me down to the wires" basically means he has knowingly put himself in an uncomfortable situation, but didn't realize it would reveal his true colors, expose his bare inner makings.
Also, another note about the pennies in the eyes thing: the monkeys are not necessarily placing the pennies on his eyes. These lines simply say that the monkeys (which I contend are the connections to his old life -- friends, habits, things that we attach ourselves to) will "fly" (flee, scatter, run off), and leave him (or his old self) dead and ready to pass to the next completely different life (or stage of life).
The second verse I've always had a little trouble deciphering, mainly because the images differ so much from those in the rest of the song. My best guess is that he's simply trying to convey a feeling or way of seeing things here. Blood suckers and black fumes sound scary, but the bleeding of the skin with a leech in non-western medicine is sometimes the only remedy (particularly for toxins transmitted in the bloodstream, i.e. a snake bite). The cat on his chest (and I can see the cat as a symbol for every-day pressure, possibly) while he's sleeping would seem uncomfortable and unbearable at first, but to me he seems to take comfort in it being there (or else he would be sleepless with a cat on his breast) and in the fact that it shortens his breath, calms his heart, keeps him grounded perhaps.
The pennies in the eyes reference is (imho) not speaking to the fact that he sees only money. I accept your theory of the song being about leaving behind one's past (or childhood, if you will), but the pennies reference is definitely an allusion to the ancient tradition of placing coins in the eyes of the recently departed (side note: this tradition was shared among many of the ancient cultures with different variants on the specifics of the reasoning for doing so).
Also, it's not about reincarnation, although I understand the logic behind that theory. The real key to understanding that point is knowing where he is speaking literally as opposed to figuratively. His "return" is not the symbolic or metaphorical part of the statement, but rather the "bones" (as a symbol for memories, which he goes on to clarify.) Plus, none of the rest of the song has a d--n thing to do with reincarnation.
"I held my hand in the fire, burned me down to the wires" basically means he has knowingly put himself in an uncomfortable situation, but didn't realize it would reveal his true colors, expose his bare inner makings.
Also, another note about the pennies in the eyes thing: the monkeys are not necessarily placing the pennies on his eyes. These lines simply say that the monkeys (which I contend are the connections to his old life -- friends, habits, things that we attach ourselves to) will "fly" (flee, scatter, run off), and leave him (or his old self) dead and ready to pass to the next completely different life (or stage of life).
The second verse I've always had a little trouble deciphering, mainly because the images differ so much from those in the rest of the song. My best guess is that he's simply trying to convey a feeling or way of seeing things here. Blood suckers and black fumes sound scary, but the bleeding of the skin with a leech in non-western medicine is sometimes the only remedy (particularly for toxins transmitted in the bloodstream, i.e. a snake bite). The cat on his chest (and I can see the cat as a symbol for every-day pressure, possibly) while he's sleeping would seem uncomfortable and unbearable at first, but to me he seems to take comfort in it being there (or else he would be sleepless with a cat on his breast) and in the fact that it shortens his breath, calms his heart, keeps him grounded perhaps.