The title of this song most likely comes from the book "The Jungle Book," in which the main character is Mowgli, the "man-cub" who has been abandoned as a baby in the forest and brought up by wolves.
The animated movie of the same name is the story of Mowgli living as a creature of the forest and discovering his true roots as a child of Man. It is determined that he must return to the "man village" to be safe from the tiger Shere Khan, but Mowgli does not want to go. He then goes through a period of events in which he attempts to follow his own path (staying in the jungle) while his friends continually attempt to convince him to go to the "man village" where it is safe, and where he can be brought up with his own kind. Meanwhile, there are many dangers that Mowgli experiences in the jungle.
//Ten silver spoons coming after me,
One life with one dream on repeat,
I'll escape if I try hard enough,
Till, King of the Jungle calls my bluff//
"Ten silver spoons" may refer to being born into a life of luxury (according to the old phrase "born with a silver spoon in his mouth").
This stanza may refer to having a dull, repetitive life of opulence that the narrator wishes to break free from, but in methods that may be foiled by the very powers/authorities that are helping him. In the movie, Mowgli wishes to escape the fate of being sent to live in the "man village" and King Louie, an orangutan, offers to help him stay in the jungle if he makes fire. Mowgli, having been brought up by wolves, does not know how to make fire, and pretending that he can constitutes his bluff.
//Oh Lord, (Oh Lord)
I have been told, (I have been told)
I must take the unforsaken road (Forsaken road)//
This stanza explains that people are pressuring the narrator to take the "safe road," much like Mowgli is pressured to flee to safety in the "man village." This may also hearken back to Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken," in which the narrator must choose to go down either of two roads, one of which has been less traveled.
//There's a fork in the road,
I'll do as as I am told,
Well, I don't know, (Don't know don't know don't know don't know)
Who I want to be.//
This stanza says that when made to decide between two options, the narrator will do what others are advising her to do, since she does not know what choice she alone wants to make.
In the movie, Mowgli is torn between wanting to follow his friends' advice to go to the "man village" and staying with his friends in the jungle.
//You say Y-E-S to everything,
Will that guarantee you a win?
Do you think you will be good enough,
To love others and to be loved?//
In this stanza, the narrator may be speaking to herself or repeating what someone else has told her. She expresses her confusion about whether following other people's advice blindly is fine for her future, and if what others think is best for her actually is what is best. She also questions whether following others' suggestions blindly will develop her as an individual who is worthy of loving and being loved.
//Oh Lord, (Oh Lord)
Now I can see, (Now I can see)
The cutlery will keep on chasing me, (Forsaken road)//
"Cutlery" can either refer to only knives, or the whole set of knives, forks, and spoons. In this case, it may refer back to the "ten silver spoons" in the first stanza, and as seen in the next stanza, other types of silverware as well. This verse indicates a sort of menace and fear that comes from being chased by the cutlery. The narrator comes to the realization that no matter what she does, her past/the people giving her counsel/her responsibilities/her fears will continue to be a constant in her life, no matter what road she takes.
//We are the spoons, they're telling me
We scooped our way into your dreams,
To knock the knives out bloody cold,
And lead you down the unforsaken road.//
In this stanza, those that are counseling the narrator are convincing her that their advice is best for her, and that their advice can save her from some sort of injury or harm that going down the forsaken road will bring her.
In the movie, Mowgli's friends insist to him that staying in the "man village" will keep him safe from the dangers of the jungle.
//There's a fork in the road,
I'll do as as I am told,
Well, I don't know, (Don't know don't know don't know don't know)
Who I want to be.//
The constant return to the chorus implies that she still does not know what she wants to do, but will follow the advice of her counselors nonetheless.
The title of this song most likely comes from the book "The Jungle Book," in which the main character is Mowgli, the "man-cub" who has been abandoned as a baby in the forest and brought up by wolves.
The animated movie of the same name is the story of Mowgli living as a creature of the forest and discovering his true roots as a child of Man. It is determined that he must return to the "man village" to be safe from the tiger Shere Khan, but Mowgli does not want to go. He then goes through a period of events in which he attempts to follow his own path (staying in the jungle) while his friends continually attempt to convince him to go to the "man village" where it is safe, and where he can be brought up with his own kind. Meanwhile, there are many dangers that Mowgli experiences in the jungle.
//Ten silver spoons coming after me, One life with one dream on repeat, I'll escape if I try hard enough, Till, King of the Jungle calls my bluff//
"Ten silver spoons" may refer to being born into a life of luxury (according to the old phrase "born with a silver spoon in his mouth").
This stanza may refer to having a dull, repetitive life of opulence that the narrator wishes to break free from, but in methods that may be foiled by the very powers/authorities that are helping him. In the movie, Mowgli wishes to escape the fate of being sent to live in the "man village" and King Louie, an orangutan, offers to help him stay in the jungle if he makes fire. Mowgli, having been brought up by wolves, does not know how to make fire, and pretending that he can constitutes his bluff.
//Oh Lord, (Oh Lord) I have been told, (I have been told) I must take the unforsaken road (Forsaken road)//
This stanza explains that people are pressuring the narrator to take the "safe road," much like Mowgli is pressured to flee to safety in the "man village." This may also hearken back to Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken," in which the narrator must choose to go down either of two roads, one of which has been less traveled.
//There's a fork in the road, I'll do as as I am told, Well, I don't know, (Don't know don't know don't know don't know) Who I want to be.//
This stanza says that when made to decide between two options, the narrator will do what others are advising her to do, since she does not know what choice she alone wants to make.
In the movie, Mowgli is torn between wanting to follow his friends' advice to go to the "man village" and staying with his friends in the jungle.
//You say Y-E-S to everything, Will that guarantee you a win? Do you think you will be good enough, To love others and to be loved?//
In this stanza, the narrator may be speaking to herself or repeating what someone else has told her. She expresses her confusion about whether following other people's advice blindly is fine for her future, and if what others think is best for her actually is what is best. She also questions whether following others' suggestions blindly will develop her as an individual who is worthy of loving and being loved.
//Oh Lord, (Oh Lord) Now I can see, (Now I can see) The cutlery will keep on chasing me, (Forsaken road)//
"Cutlery" can either refer to only knives, or the whole set of knives, forks, and spoons. In this case, it may refer back to the "ten silver spoons" in the first stanza, and as seen in the next stanza, other types of silverware as well. This verse indicates a sort of menace and fear that comes from being chased by the cutlery. The narrator comes to the realization that no matter what she does, her past/the people giving her counsel/her responsibilities/her fears will continue to be a constant in her life, no matter what road she takes.
//We are the spoons, they're telling me We scooped our way into your dreams, To knock the knives out bloody cold, And lead you down the unforsaken road.//
In this stanza, those that are counseling the narrator are convincing her that their advice is best for her, and that their advice can save her from some sort of injury or harm that going down the forsaken road will bring her.
In the movie, Mowgli's friends insist to him that staying in the "man village" will keep him safe from the dangers of the jungle.
//There's a fork in the road, I'll do as as I am told, Well, I don't know, (Don't know don't know don't know don't know) Who I want to be.//
The constant return to the chorus implies that she still does not know what she wants to do, but will follow the advice of her counselors nonetheless.