It really is inspired by John Merrick. I read the same thing. It's about how he wasn't even HUMAN to people. He was just a side-show freak. Something to be pointed at and laughed at, and then forgotten. Not as a person, but as a thing. People used him to boost sales, to make money, to start conversation. Forget that he had emotions. Forget that he had hope and expectations.
The chorus is basically about his isolation. No one ever cared enough to get down on a personal level with him. "Haven't slept in years, haven't talked to anybody else."
But Merrick was just the inspiration. This song is a tribute to people who have been mistreated and made to feel like they were less than everyone else. It was very generous of Matt to write it, when you think about it.
It really is inspired by John Merrick. I read the same thing. It's about how he wasn't even HUMAN to people. He was just a side-show freak. Something to be pointed at and laughed at, and then forgotten. Not as a person, but as a thing. People used him to boost sales, to make money, to start conversation. Forget that he had emotions. Forget that he had hope and expectations.
The chorus is basically about his isolation. No one ever cared enough to get down on a personal level with him. "Haven't slept in years, haven't talked to anybody else."
But Merrick was just the inspiration. This song is a tribute to people who have been mistreated and made to feel like they were less than everyone else. It was very generous of Matt to write it, when you think about it.