I agree with a lot of the interpretations here--abortion, pseudo-masichism, etc. I'm also fairly certain that the second verse of the song is mostly about Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest." For those who don't know, Ratched was the cruel, manipulative head nurse in the novel's hospital who used electroshock therapy, water therapy, and lobotomy to torture and control patients instead of as actual therapy. Why I think this:
"Matron droid milking the cogs"--Nurse Ratched put on a matronly (motherly) facade, and I believe this exact word is used in the books. The main character (a scizofrenic) hallucinated that there were cogs and machinery all over the institution, and that Ratched controlled them. This is a metaphor for her manipulation of the patients, nurses, and doctors in the hospital.
"Hatred welds them back again"--may refer to Ratched's lackeys--for lack of a better word--the Black Boys. The main character describes how Ratched manipulates the Black Boys' hate to be used against the paitents.
"Beating dead hearts through a glassy cage"--May refer to the broken-spirited patients "caged" in the hospital.
"Voice of dog barking the hoax"--may refer to McMurphy, a new patient who sees through Ratched and tries to get the other patients to stand up to her.
"Brain dead machine drives the corpse"--A patient after a lobotomy, literally brain-dead and somewhat robotic. Most likely refers to McMurphy after his lobotomy.
Anyway, that's what I think. Sorry that was craptastically long.
I agree with a lot of the interpretations here--abortion, pseudo-masichism, etc. I'm also fairly certain that the second verse of the song is mostly about Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest." For those who don't know, Ratched was the cruel, manipulative head nurse in the novel's hospital who used electroshock therapy, water therapy, and lobotomy to torture and control patients instead of as actual therapy. Why I think this:
"Matron droid milking the cogs"--Nurse Ratched put on a matronly (motherly) facade, and I believe this exact word is used in the books. The main character (a scizofrenic) hallucinated that there were cogs and machinery all over the institution, and that Ratched controlled them. This is a metaphor for her manipulation of the patients, nurses, and doctors in the hospital.
"Hatred welds them back again"--may refer to Ratched's lackeys--for lack of a better word--the Black Boys. The main character describes how Ratched manipulates the Black Boys' hate to be used against the paitents.
"Beating dead hearts through a glassy cage"--May refer to the broken-spirited patients "caged" in the hospital.
"Voice of dog barking the hoax"--may refer to McMurphy, a new patient who sees through Ratched and tries to get the other patients to stand up to her.
"Brain dead machine drives the corpse"--A patient after a lobotomy, literally brain-dead and somewhat robotic. Most likely refers to McMurphy after his lobotomy.
Anyway, that's what I think. Sorry that was craptastically long.