Listened to this more a few months on and I've figued it out, it's even better than I thought. The first half of the song is fairly easy to understand if you can relate to the mindset they're commenting on- He's old, he understands how fucked the world is and wants to help it but he has no idea how to do so. He's continued walking down the same path all his life, the only path available to him because of the western society he lives in. He's seen how happy people who ignore the real world are and is struggling with the idea of surrendering his principles.
Now, the part that I and Edboy totally mis-understood starts with
"Can you see them? Do you want to be the one who's creeping on the floor?
Could it be forever? Could it all be lies?
The chaos is a killer and he knows who will fall"
This is someone talking to him of fear and paranoia- the way the Media and society in general try to make you follow their rules through fear, telling you it's best to live an easy, simple life, don't take any risks and you'll be fine. There's also an important religious part- early on in the song he says that he is an echo that won't return, in other words that there is no afterlife. This person that is trying to scare him says "Could it be forever? Could it all be lies?" To try and convince them that God exists and there is an afterlife- because that is an easier stance to take, even though it is not logical. The part about creeping on the floor is the person talking to him saying that intelligent but lost people like he is are insects creeping on the floor- below everyone else's standards and pathetic.
After that he starts crying out
"Help me - I need some help
Now is there someone out there
What are you waiting for
You're on the road to nowhere
The only way I know"
The first part Help to for is about God- he's given in and he's crying out for God to help him find his purpose in life. The last part is an observation about the fact that he's on a pointless path to nowhere, that at this rate he'll spend his life working away and get nothing from it. It's most likely his own mind talking to him in that part, in fact the person scaring him before may have been his own mind.
"Maybe I'm wrong, I haven't got a clue
Don't know where I belong - tell me what is true"
This is simple. This is him surrendering individual responsibility for his thoughts and wishing someone else to tell him what to think.
Now he cries this alot;
"Oh won't you come to heal me - hear me "
This is him calling to God to help him, it becomes obvious because of the last two words "hear me", he's still uncertain that God is out there and whether his prayers will be heard. Of course, heal me itself is a sort-of reference to Christian so-called faith healings.
"Are you out there?
Won't you help me?
Don't know where I would go
Is there real life... forevermore?"
This part is real simple, just him talking to God, pondering his existence.
"And remember... "Keep smiling... Jesus loves you!"
That's what they say...
Can you cry forever?
It's just a matter of taste
But you say, "Do you, do you know what the truth is?"
This part, because of "that's what they say.." is evidence that he's still uncertain, but also that he's slowly giving into society's pressure- because he's thinking about the keep smiling Jesus loves you mentality. "Can you cry forever?" is about how pointless his life was beforehand and about the (false) hope that maybe if he takes up God he can make a difference. He says it's a matter of taste- evidence that it's his opinion that some people will think differently to others and there is no objective truth. But that's a very intelligent thought and someone instead says to him "Do you now what the truth is?" In other words, offering him a much easier to accept, simple truth that requires no thought.
"Think don't think - what can you see"
Is a summary of the last few verses, about his struggle to decide whether he should think or not.
"Our life is just a fantasy of someone we will never see
Therefore I break down in laughter"
This is him giving into Religion- saying that all our lives are just made up on a whim by God, and we'll never even meet God. He breaks down in laughter because of how ridiculous this situation is, but even though he knows how ridiculous it is, he wont' go back to thinking about it, he'll just accept it as true. Sign that he is still intelligent, he's just ignoring his intelligence.
"Now as I change my point of view
There's nothing left to make me blue - never again - no more"
Basically, ignorance is bliss. Nothing too complicated about this part.
"Come on in my friend and join the ball
Everything is beautiful - even the band - it's magic
Imagine you're superstar you gonna fly
You gonna go far - so far"
This part seems to be the person from earlier that scared him into believing in God now telling him to fully join their shall we say "sheeple" ranks and stop thinking. He tells him to imagine he's a super star he's gonna fly, he's gonna go far- in other words giving him false hope, making him dream of riches that he'll never achieve, because he's too busy dreaming.
After that he starts crying out to God again, having fully given into society's pressure and stopped thinking. He just wants to depend on God to craft his life for him.
Listened to this more a few months on and I've figued it out, it's even better than I thought. The first half of the song is fairly easy to understand if you can relate to the mindset they're commenting on- He's old, he understands how fucked the world is and wants to help it but he has no idea how to do so. He's continued walking down the same path all his life, the only path available to him because of the western society he lives in. He's seen how happy people who ignore the real world are and is struggling with the idea of surrendering his principles.
Now, the part that I and Edboy totally mis-understood starts with
"Can you see them? Do you want to be the one who's creeping on the floor? Could it be forever? Could it all be lies? The chaos is a killer and he knows who will fall"
This is someone talking to him of fear and paranoia- the way the Media and society in general try to make you follow their rules through fear, telling you it's best to live an easy, simple life, don't take any risks and you'll be fine. There's also an important religious part- early on in the song he says that he is an echo that won't return, in other words that there is no afterlife. This person that is trying to scare him says "Could it be forever? Could it all be lies?" To try and convince them that God exists and there is an afterlife- because that is an easier stance to take, even though it is not logical. The part about creeping on the floor is the person talking to him saying that intelligent but lost people like he is are insects creeping on the floor- below everyone else's standards and pathetic.
After that he starts crying out
"Help me - I need some help Now is there someone out there What are you waiting for You're on the road to nowhere The only way I know"
The first part Help to for is about God- he's given in and he's crying out for God to help him find his purpose in life. The last part is an observation about the fact that he's on a pointless path to nowhere, that at this rate he'll spend his life working away and get nothing from it. It's most likely his own mind talking to him in that part, in fact the person scaring him before may have been his own mind.
"Maybe I'm wrong, I haven't got a clue Don't know where I belong - tell me what is true"
This is simple. This is him surrendering individual responsibility for his thoughts and wishing someone else to tell him what to think.
Now he cries this alot; "Oh won't you come to heal me - hear me "
This is him calling to God to help him, it becomes obvious because of the last two words "hear me", he's still uncertain that God is out there and whether his prayers will be heard. Of course, heal me itself is a sort-of reference to Christian so-called faith healings.
"Are you out there? Won't you help me? Don't know where I would go Is there real life... forevermore?"
This part is real simple, just him talking to God, pondering his existence.
"And remember... "Keep smiling... Jesus loves you!" That's what they say... Can you cry forever? It's just a matter of taste But you say, "Do you, do you know what the truth is?" This part, because of "that's what they say.." is evidence that he's still uncertain, but also that he's slowly giving into society's pressure- because he's thinking about the keep smiling Jesus loves you mentality. "Can you cry forever?" is about how pointless his life was beforehand and about the (false) hope that maybe if he takes up God he can make a difference. He says it's a matter of taste- evidence that it's his opinion that some people will think differently to others and there is no objective truth. But that's a very intelligent thought and someone instead says to him "Do you now what the truth is?" In other words, offering him a much easier to accept, simple truth that requires no thought.
"Think don't think - what can you see" Is a summary of the last few verses, about his struggle to decide whether he should think or not.
"Our life is just a fantasy of someone we will never see Therefore I break down in laughter" This is him giving into Religion- saying that all our lives are just made up on a whim by God, and we'll never even meet God. He breaks down in laughter because of how ridiculous this situation is, but even though he knows how ridiculous it is, he wont' go back to thinking about it, he'll just accept it as true. Sign that he is still intelligent, he's just ignoring his intelligence.
"Now as I change my point of view There's nothing left to make me blue - never again - no more" Basically, ignorance is bliss. Nothing too complicated about this part.
"Come on in my friend and join the ball Everything is beautiful - even the band - it's magic Imagine you're superstar you gonna fly You gonna go far - so far" This part seems to be the person from earlier that scared him into believing in God now telling him to fully join their shall we say "sheeple" ranks and stop thinking. He tells him to imagine he's a super star he's gonna fly, he's gonna go far- in other words giving him false hope, making him dream of riches that he'll never achieve, because he's too busy dreaming.
After that he starts crying out to God again, having fully given into society's pressure and stopped thinking. He just wants to depend on God to craft his life for him.
So I way off before. It makes perfect sense now.