I always felt it was about 12 step programs and relapse. The lines "Theres commoners and kings And everyones a prisoner of Paper and glue And a decent pair of scissors", to me, mean anyone of any social status can be affected by addiction, and the meetings have bulletin boards and meeting props consisting of head-lines, collages, hand-made motivational quotes, etc. (paper and glue). The decent pair of scissors has a double meaning to me: one, they're used to make the collages and props and whatnot, and, two, the feeling attendees have that their lives are being cut into and shredded.
How does all this relate to the rest of the song? Well, I think the characters are all in that seedy world that is the result of unchecked addiction, low self-esteem, and lack of decency - seedy people taking advantage of an insecure woman who goes along with their not so gentle prodding - doing things she hates doing, which destroys her self-esteem, leading to her chemical addictions requiring the help of 12 step programs, and, then, a vicious cycle.
I always felt it was about 12 step programs and relapse. The lines "There
s commoners and kings And everyones a prisoner of Paper and glue And a decent pair of scissors", to me, mean anyone of any social status can be affected by addiction, and the meetings have bulletin boards and meeting props consisting of head-lines, collages, hand-made motivational quotes, etc. (paper and glue). The decent pair of scissors has a double meaning to me: one, they're used to make the collages and props and whatnot, and, two, the feeling attendees have that their lives are being cut into and shredded.How does all this relate to the rest of the song? Well, I think the characters are all in that seedy world that is the result of unchecked addiction, low self-esteem, and lack of decency - seedy people taking advantage of an insecure woman who goes along with their not so gentle prodding - doing things she hates doing, which destroys her self-esteem, leading to her chemical addictions requiring the help of 12 step programs, and, then, a vicious cycle.