At first, it sounds like it's about an older brother/relative/friend(?) that died young. The line "We all, we all, we all turn on, we all, we all, we all turn off" seems to be about the idea that everyone dies eventually, which Gourley also discusses in other songs and on other albums. Can't say anything about the gorillas or spacemen.
But then, the part "Of all us he had to know he'd never grow / He'd never climb, he'd never love like the love I know" makes it sound like it was a suicide rooted in hopelessness or low self-esteem, etc. Particularly low-self esteem because "of all us" makes it sound like the thought of never growing or changing is only seen in the mind of that person.
The lines "In time, saw your future is not burning so bright / But if we live too long you'll live less like mine" explains the logic behind a suicide. The person might have killed themselves because they couldn't cope with the idea that they would never achieve their dreams or meet their own standards. This type of thinking could easily be attributed to low self-esteem or learned helplessness.
Specifically, "But if we live too long you'll live less like mine" can be simplified to "Your dreams will only drift further away the longer you live." Once again, this is the logic attributed to the suicide, as thought by the victim.
I wouldn't say it was suicide when the person in question was 10 (and Gourley was 2), but Gourley is just pointing out the age difference when he says "When you were ten and I was two." Really, that could just be a device for the purpose of writing good lyrics, instead of simply saying "oh hey, he was eight years older than me." If it is about suicide, it probably would have happened later.
Just speculation really, but I think it makes some sense.
At first, it sounds like it's about an older brother/relative/friend(?) that died young. The line "We all, we all, we all turn on, we all, we all, we all turn off" seems to be about the idea that everyone dies eventually, which Gourley also discusses in other songs and on other albums. Can't say anything about the gorillas or spacemen.
But then, the part "Of all us he had to know he'd never grow / He'd never climb, he'd never love like the love I know" makes it sound like it was a suicide rooted in hopelessness or low self-esteem, etc. Particularly low-self esteem because "of all us" makes it sound like the thought of never growing or changing is only seen in the mind of that person.
The lines "In time, saw your future is not burning so bright / But if we live too long you'll live less like mine" explains the logic behind a suicide. The person might have killed themselves because they couldn't cope with the idea that they would never achieve their dreams or meet their own standards. This type of thinking could easily be attributed to low self-esteem or learned helplessness.
Specifically, "But if we live too long you'll live less like mine" can be simplified to "Your dreams will only drift further away the longer you live." Once again, this is the logic attributed to the suicide, as thought by the victim.
I wouldn't say it was suicide when the person in question was 10 (and Gourley was 2), but Gourley is just pointing out the age difference when he says "When you were ten and I was two." Really, that could just be a device for the purpose of writing good lyrics, instead of simply saying "oh hey, he was eight years older than me." If it is about suicide, it probably would have happened later.
Just speculation really, but I think it makes some sense.