Steven Wilson spoke in a few interviews preceding the release of Grace for Drowning about the meaning of the term. He mentioned that as he grows older (hell, he's almost 45), he's found that a lot of the things that the world seemed to revolve around don't matter after all. Things like popularity, fashion, views of society - all these things that we are raised to rely on are ephemeral, fleeting concepts. They change in and out with the seasons, with the decades, the millennia.
He mentions Grace for Drowning as his most "out-there" album, mainly because he has stopped caring about what others think. His main goal was to produce an album that he could meet his own standards, not one that would struggle to meet the needs of the mass population.
With that large pretext out of the way, I believe this song is a direct address to the "generic person." Show a teenager or adult this album and they would probably laugh and say it isn't even music. Then they'd show it to their like-minded friends to reinforce their own opinions and biases.
But Steven Wilson doesn't care any more. The older he gets, the less relevant the public "eye" is. The big eye is always watching..but that's all it can do. It has no arms, no legs, no mouth..nothing to stop him from doing what he wants to. All it can do is watch.
I think almost everyone holds themselves back in everyday life, afraid of this eye. When you want to burst into song on the side of the street, but you're afraid of being judged. Or perhaps you head to the dance floor of a club but you don't want to look "stupid." We worry so much about making good impressions, appearing likeable to the majority. All of these fears, these judgements..in the end, they don't matter after all.
Steven Wilson's realized this, and that all you can really do is just continue to live your life as you wish, one step at a time..let the judgemental voice of society fall upon deaf ears, and stare up at the sky. Breathe in, now...breathe out now.
Steven Wilson spoke in a few interviews preceding the release of Grace for Drowning about the meaning of the term. He mentioned that as he grows older (hell, he's almost 45), he's found that a lot of the things that the world seemed to revolve around don't matter after all. Things like popularity, fashion, views of society - all these things that we are raised to rely on are ephemeral, fleeting concepts. They change in and out with the seasons, with the decades, the millennia.
He mentions Grace for Drowning as his most "out-there" album, mainly because he has stopped caring about what others think. His main goal was to produce an album that he could meet his own standards, not one that would struggle to meet the needs of the mass population.
With that large pretext out of the way, I believe this song is a direct address to the "generic person." Show a teenager or adult this album and they would probably laugh and say it isn't even music. Then they'd show it to their like-minded friends to reinforce their own opinions and biases.
But Steven Wilson doesn't care any more. The older he gets, the less relevant the public "eye" is. The big eye is always watching..but that's all it can do. It has no arms, no legs, no mouth..nothing to stop him from doing what he wants to. All it can do is watch.
I think almost everyone holds themselves back in everyday life, afraid of this eye. When you want to burst into song on the side of the street, but you're afraid of being judged. Or perhaps you head to the dance floor of a club but you don't want to look "stupid." We worry so much about making good impressions, appearing likeable to the majority. All of these fears, these judgements..in the end, they don't matter after all.
Steven Wilson's realized this, and that all you can really do is just continue to live your life as you wish, one step at a time..let the judgemental voice of society fall upon deaf ears, and stare up at the sky. Breathe in, now...breathe out now.