I have a feeling, and maybe it's just me looking too far into the lyrics, but that the song may be about Shakespeare's 'King Lear'.
I do have my reasons though!
For one, a great quote given by Lear to his daughters Goneril and Regan during their rejection of him is "I Gave You All...". Then looking at the lyrics, there are several images that could also represent parts of the play. The play's underlying themes include vision, "Close my eyes for a while/The Blind Man sleeps in the doorway, his home," (which could also be a reference to Lear or Gloucester having been kicked to the doorstep of his own home. Lear in being blind-sighted throughout the play that he can not see Cordelia's love for him or the false affection given by the two other daughters, or the fact that Gloucester has his eyes ripped out later in the play), self-examination, "If only I had an enemy bigger than my apathy, I could've won", patience and acceptance, "Draw from the world a patient smile".
The lines "But you rip it from my hands and you swear it's all gone/But you rip out all I have just to say that you've won" could refer to Goneril and Regan's treatment of Lear, or Edmund's treatment of Gloucester.
The first verse may all refer to Lear's late insanity and could be meant to convey a message from him to Cordelia as they meet near the close of the play. And the first two lines may refer to Lear's outrage at being rejected or having his own men taken from him, and possibly his interaction with Kent in the line "Shoulder to shoulder, we carry no arms."
And of course, "And now you've won" could be a sarcastic comment over the ending of the play, where basically no one benefits from all the fighting and the majority of those involved die.
Well, that's my guess anyway. I may be well off, but I know at least Marcus knows his literature, so I wouldn't be too surprised if I got it right.
I have a feeling, and maybe it's just me looking too far into the lyrics, but that the song may be about Shakespeare's 'King Lear'. I do have my reasons though!
For one, a great quote given by Lear to his daughters Goneril and Regan during their rejection of him is "I Gave You All...". Then looking at the lyrics, there are several images that could also represent parts of the play. The play's underlying themes include vision, "Close my eyes for a while/The Blind Man sleeps in the doorway, his home," (which could also be a reference to Lear or Gloucester having been kicked to the doorstep of his own home. Lear in being blind-sighted throughout the play that he can not see Cordelia's love for him or the false affection given by the two other daughters, or the fact that Gloucester has his eyes ripped out later in the play), self-examination, "If only I had an enemy bigger than my apathy, I could've won", patience and acceptance, "Draw from the world a patient smile".
The lines "But you rip it from my hands and you swear it's all gone/But you rip out all I have just to say that you've won" could refer to Goneril and Regan's treatment of Lear, or Edmund's treatment of Gloucester.
The first verse may all refer to Lear's late insanity and could be meant to convey a message from him to Cordelia as they meet near the close of the play. And the first two lines may refer to Lear's outrage at being rejected or having his own men taken from him, and possibly his interaction with Kent in the line "Shoulder to shoulder, we carry no arms."
And of course, "And now you've won" could be a sarcastic comment over the ending of the play, where basically no one benefits from all the fighting and the majority of those involved die.
Well, that's my guess anyway. I may be well off, but I know at least Marcus knows his literature, so I wouldn't be too surprised if I got it right.
"And the first two lines may refer to Lear's outrage..." should say 'of the second verse' in there, sorry!
"And the first two lines may refer to Lear's outrage..." should say 'of the second verse' in there, sorry!
That is a very interesting observation MatchstickLee!
That is a very interesting observation MatchstickLee!
I haven't read King Lear, but I definitely get what you're saying...
I haven't read King Lear, but I definitely get what you're saying...
I looked at it from a completely different perspective... My interpretation is above in a reply to someone else's post :)
I looked at it from a completely different perspective... My interpretation is above in a reply to someone else's post :)
Haha! I actually just finished King Lear, and thought of this song, and came here to see if anyone else had had the same idea. Yep. King Lear.
Haha! I actually just finished King Lear, and thought of this song, and came here to see if anyone else had had the same idea. Yep. King Lear.