The cave by the creek allegory is about people who are chained up, heads forward, and made to watch shadows all day. The shadows would be cast by people walking past a fire behind them, each holding an object.
The idea was that after a while they'd be incapable of recognizing the actual object, they'd be too used to the shadows and not make the connection.
This song, to me, is about a man with social anxiety who spends his days watching others interact and thinks about the things he did in the past to alienate himself. He was used to seeing others interact (seeing the shadows) but got so used to watching others that he only knew how to pretend to be sociable.
The cave by the creek allegory is about people who are chained up, heads forward, and made to watch shadows all day. The shadows would be cast by people walking past a fire behind them, each holding an object.
The idea was that after a while they'd be incapable of recognizing the actual object, they'd be too used to the shadows and not make the connection.
This song, to me, is about a man with social anxiety who spends his days watching others interact and thinks about the things he did in the past to alienate himself. He was used to seeing others interact (seeing the shadows) but got so used to watching others that he only knew how to pretend to be sociable.
My 2 cents.