I don't think this song has anything to do with Florida really. I think it has to do with drugs.
When he says he's leaving Florida, I think he means that's a euphemism as getting high.
"Although we often wondered
It was no thing of wonder
The shit that flew from our minds"
Perhaps referring to a psychedelic like LSD or peyote? The wonder and awe one might experience can easily later be described as nothing more than an effect of the drug.
"While wearing stains of fresh fruit
And riding on shoes of horse glue
On this ridiculous climb"
How obvious can he be? Horse glue is a metaphor for drugs. "On this ridiculous climb" is describing the ascent of a drug high.
"With great tunnel vision
We built ourselves a mission
To ride our motives design"
He's saying they took the drugs with purpose; they got high for the sake of getting high--that was the mission, the goal.
"It was always worth it
That's the part I seem to hide"
He's saying for all the downsides to his drug use, it was worth it in the end for the positive experiences he had.
"And the busy ant empire
Put up the closing sign"
Busy ant empire meaning society. Needing to function in this "ant empire" requires sobriety.
"I wasn't always cargo
I was once kind of my own
I guess I'll pack up my mind"
He wasn't always controlled (or carried) by the drugs, he was once sober. Packing up his mind is a euphemism for getting high, letting the drugs take him (cargo) away.
"It took so much effort
Not to make an effort
Oh, what a flawless design"
It takes a lot of work to get high and do nothing.
"Even as I left Florida
Far enough, far enough
Wasn't far enough
Couldn't quite seem to escape myself"
He's saying he couldn't ever get high enough.
"I stood on my heart's porch thinking
"Oh my God, I'll probably have to carry this whole load"
I couldn't remember if I tried
I couldn't remember if I took my brain out
Threw it so directly at the goal
I couldn't remember if I
I could have my mind erased
And still not know exactly what I don't already know"
I think this describes introspective struggles of a psychedelic trip perfectly. He wonders if he has to "carry this whole load" meaning a very large dose; he doesn't know if his mind can handle it. Heart's porch is a metaphor for caring about oneself.
I don't think this song has anything to do with Florida really. I think it has to do with drugs.
When he says he's leaving Florida, I think he means that's a euphemism as getting high.
"Although we often wondered It was no thing of wonder The shit that flew from our minds"
Perhaps referring to a psychedelic like LSD or peyote? The wonder and awe one might experience can easily later be described as nothing more than an effect of the drug.
"While wearing stains of fresh fruit And riding on shoes of horse glue On this ridiculous climb"
How obvious can he be? Horse glue is a metaphor for drugs. "On this ridiculous climb" is describing the ascent of a drug high.
"With great tunnel vision We built ourselves a mission To ride our motives design"
He's saying they took the drugs with purpose; they got high for the sake of getting high--that was the mission, the goal.
"It was always worth it That's the part I seem to hide"
He's saying for all the downsides to his drug use, it was worth it in the end for the positive experiences he had.
"And the busy ant empire Put up the closing sign"
Busy ant empire meaning society. Needing to function in this "ant empire" requires sobriety.
"I wasn't always cargo I was once kind of my own I guess I'll pack up my mind"
He wasn't always controlled (or carried) by the drugs, he was once sober. Packing up his mind is a euphemism for getting high, letting the drugs take him (cargo) away.
"It took so much effort Not to make an effort Oh, what a flawless design"
It takes a lot of work to get high and do nothing.
"Even as I left Florida Far enough, far enough Wasn't far enough Couldn't quite seem to escape myself"
He's saying he couldn't ever get high enough.
"I stood on my heart's porch thinking "Oh my God, I'll probably have to carry this whole load" I couldn't remember if I tried I couldn't remember if I took my brain out Threw it so directly at the goal I couldn't remember if I I could have my mind erased And still not know exactly what I don't already know"
I think this describes introspective struggles of a psychedelic trip perfectly. He wonders if he has to "carry this whole load" meaning a very large dose; he doesn't know if his mind can handle it. Heart's porch is a metaphor for caring about oneself.
By the time this album came out Isaac was supposedly sober after a long history of drug use (The last album had "The Good Times are Killing Me").
By the time this album came out Isaac was supposedly sober after a long history of drug use (The last album had "The Good Times are Killing Me").
I think you might be right about Florida as a euphemism for drugs, but in the wrong sense. He's trying to get away and keep away from Florida (drugs).
I think you might be right about Florida as a euphemism for drugs, but in the wrong sense. He's trying to get away and keep away from Florida (drugs).
The ridiculous climb and the "whole load" he has to carry sounds more like the struggle to get clean than the rise of a high.
The ridiculous climb and the "whole load" he has to carry sounds more like the struggle to get clean than the rise of a high.