this song (or at least the way i relate to it anyway) isn't just a calming melody, and it's not "fake" happy either. it's somewhere in between. he is more or less hinting at how he copes with his internal feelings of pain. everyone experiences pain and sorrow, and it doesn't always just go away, so you gotta find ways of living in the mean time.
the first lines actually tell you the speaker's motivation for writing the song -- so he doesn't have to feel alone. the impending "onslaught" is the terrifying future.
also, the oxymorons in the song reflect the mixed feelings towards the present state of things. he feels deep down that the world is fucked up, so he tries to find joy in as many places as he can.
the lines about god...well, that's pretty obvious. it relates to the whole idea of coping. some people get through life on their religious beliefs, but that's not what this guy does. in place of faith, he has a sense of optimism. look on the bright side of things now, and get excited about things to come. that's his god.
so yes, there is a disparity between the speaker's "joy" and his "panic," but i wouldn't say he's trying to fool anyone. the world makes him feel lonely and scared, so he creates his own world...which is basically what every single person in the world does, to some extent. i'd say he's just more in touch with himself than most others.
this song (or at least the way i relate to it anyway) isn't just a calming melody, and it's not "fake" happy either. it's somewhere in between. he is more or less hinting at how he copes with his internal feelings of pain. everyone experiences pain and sorrow, and it doesn't always just go away, so you gotta find ways of living in the mean time.
the first lines actually tell you the speaker's motivation for writing the song -- so he doesn't have to feel alone. the impending "onslaught" is the terrifying future.
also, the oxymorons in the song reflect the mixed feelings towards the present state of things. he feels deep down that the world is fucked up, so he tries to find joy in as many places as he can.
the lines about god...well, that's pretty obvious. it relates to the whole idea of coping. some people get through life on their religious beliefs, but that's not what this guy does. in place of faith, he has a sense of optimism. look on the bright side of things now, and get excited about things to come. that's his god.
so yes, there is a disparity between the speaker's "joy" and his "panic," but i wouldn't say he's trying to fool anyone. the world makes him feel lonely and scared, so he creates his own world...which is basically what every single person in the world does, to some extent. i'd say he's just more in touch with himself than most others.