I'm going to add my interpretation here, as I have to two other site so far. I spent about an hour on it, not including the times I was distracted by the awesomeness of the other In Flames songs that I had playing while writing.
I think this song is about the narrator's understanding of life and who he is as a person, and where he fits into the world. He is unsure and unconfident of himself. He perceives others to be extremely sure of who they are and solid, unchanging, plastic.
It seems like throughout school, he had an idea of who he was, and what life was about. He felt like he was where he belonged; he knew his place and was in it. Afterwards, he was lost. Ideas that he believed were major parts of life no longer applied to his new reality.
After this, I think the narrator finds that he cannot quite pinpoint an exact meaning to life, and is instead a man made of clay; always changing and adapting.
He is probably being shaped by his perceived level of acceptance by his peers: the aforementioned plastic people. Perhaps at times he feels invincible when he thinks he has found a meaning or image for himself, but the confidence it instills eventually weakens. Gradually, the confidence this self-image instills within him weans, as he stops getting signs of confirmation from his peers: “I need someone to break the silence before it all falls apart. I need something to cling onto.”
Alternatively, for the previous paragraph only, perhaps the fact that he is an ever-adapting clay sculpture is what makes him feel invincible all the time. Either way, maybe this survival tactic is his “supernatural art,” and that is what he wishes to teach to the world, especially people who feel lost and alone in life.
After reading some comments here though, I'm more certain of my final paragraph.
I'm going to add my interpretation here, as I have to two other site so far. I spent about an hour on it, not including the times I was distracted by the awesomeness of the other In Flames songs that I had playing while writing.
I think this song is about the narrator's understanding of life and who he is as a person, and where he fits into the world. He is unsure and unconfident of himself. He perceives others to be extremely sure of who they are and solid, unchanging, plastic.
It seems like throughout school, he had an idea of who he was, and what life was about. He felt like he was where he belonged; he knew his place and was in it. Afterwards, he was lost. Ideas that he believed were major parts of life no longer applied to his new reality.
After this, I think the narrator finds that he cannot quite pinpoint an exact meaning to life, and is instead a man made of clay; always changing and adapting.
He is probably being shaped by his perceived level of acceptance by his peers: the aforementioned plastic people. Perhaps at times he feels invincible when he thinks he has found a meaning or image for himself, but the confidence it instills eventually weakens. Gradually, the confidence this self-image instills within him weans, as he stops getting signs of confirmation from his peers: “I need someone to break the silence before it all falls apart. I need something to cling onto.”
Alternatively, for the previous paragraph only, perhaps the fact that he is an ever-adapting clay sculpture is what makes him feel invincible all the time. Either way, maybe this survival tactic is his “supernatural art,” and that is what he wishes to teach to the world, especially people who feel lost and alone in life.
After reading some comments here though, I'm more certain of my final paragraph.