"Off she trots to the psychiatric hospital
All she's got is the memory of a girl that used to laugh a lot
Now she's very angry 'cause they say she's lost the plot
And she's laughing in the mirror at her paper dress
Because she has a troubled mind, a troubled mind"
Here Marina opens in describing a girl who seems to have some kind of mental/emotional disorder, likely depression. This girl used to he happy ("girl who used to laugh a lot") but now she is like this no more and is angry at everyone telling her how she is not the same and depressed. Then she does actually laugh, but ironically laughs at her paper dress (hospital gown).
"Rosie Black, she walked up in here wired up on crack
It's for the kids who have low self esteem
They've got no concept of reality
Living their lives inside a fantasy
Coz they have troubled minds, troubled minds"
Now Marina is describing another patient at this hospital, a crack addict. She then talks about the tragedy of these young people who are so depressed and have such low self esteem that they create this fantasy world to live in (through drugs or otherwise) because their reality is so bleak.
"Wipe the white golden dust into these broken hands
Must depend on a friend that will understand
Like the glitter making love to the gleam
Just remember things aren't always what they seem"
Now I think that the chorus is meant to show this idea of this fantasy world. The "white golden dust" reminds a listener of possibly pixie dust or something magical (this works in with the peter pan lines later) that these children are trying to put into their tragic lives (symbolized by their "broken hands" or brokenness they feel). The "must depend on a friend that can understand" is probably echoing what so many doctors, therapists, etc tell patients with problems with depression, etc- that they need someone "safe" in whom they can confide so things do not get out of hand. The speaker is trying to find this person because she believes she "must." Next come the lines "Like glitter making love to the gleam, just remember things aren't always what they seem." I'm not sure on these but I was thinking and I believe that you just have to think about how glitter does not itself radiate light, but when light is cast on it, it "makes love with the gleam" when it reflects this light . This reflected light creates an effect and makes the glitter more than just a regular object. The glitter then seems bright but is not really like this, this is just a reflection of the light and not an innate glowing. This could represent that the patients may seem a certain way to people at a glance but if they were taken out of their circumstances you could see how they really are.
"Peter Pan could not admit he had become a man
He smashed the mirror into a million bits
Now all he seems to do is stare and sit
Painting pictures of a life that he'll never find
Inside his troubled mind, troubled minds"
This verse strongly connects back to the fantasy idea of this song. Peter Pan does not want to leave this childlike fantasy and enter the harsh, real world. He destroys his mirror, symbolizing his rejection of himself. Now he is broken and numb, staring and sitting like someone who is extremely depressed. He just imagines these fantasy worlds to escape his own.
"There's a sweet little guy called Mars
Each night he cries, this ain't the place I'm meant to be
He hides his dreams deep within a wooden box
He hides his secrets deep within his woolen socks
Life will pass him by
Inside his troubled mind, troubled minds"
These lines talk about another patent to this hospital. The listener becomes very sad here because the "sweet little guy" Mark cries every night. We do not want him to be so sad if he is so kind so this elicts an emotional response from the listener. Mark buries his sadness deep inside in order to be sweet on the outside during the day, hence the lines about him hiding his "secrets" and "demons." Since he also is not really living in reality, life will pass him by without him really enjoying it. The speaker (possibly the girl from the first verse) feels she is okay and does not identify with these people who seem so much crazier than her. (Remember she got angry when people told her she had become disconnected with herself? She does not want to believe this,)
"We can kill for the dust we need to fill these hands
Can't depend on a friend that will understand
Hate the glitter, we have murdered the dream
Just remember things are always what they seem"
These lines directly follow the chorus and I think this is to highlight the contrast between what the speaker was feeling for much of the song and what she has not realized. She now realizes that people who have a tragic life often end up harming themselves or others in their insistence to say in this fantasy world (represented again by the golden dust) and avoid reality. The speaker now realizes that you cannot find anyone to truly count on to understand you. She hates this fantasy world because the darkness of reality has ruined it. She has become cynical and realizes that these crazy people are just that-crazy. Even through you can rationalize why they are like this, at the end of the day- they seem crazy and they are. She she is one of them.
"Off she trots to the psychiatric hospital All she's got is the memory of a girl that used to laugh a lot Now she's very angry 'cause they say she's lost the plot And she's laughing in the mirror at her paper dress Because she has a troubled mind, a troubled mind" Here Marina opens in describing a girl who seems to have some kind of mental/emotional disorder, likely depression. This girl used to he happy ("girl who used to laugh a lot") but now she is like this no more and is angry at everyone telling her how she is not the same and depressed. Then she does actually laugh, but ironically laughs at her paper dress (hospital gown).
"Rosie Black, she walked up in here wired up on crack It's for the kids who have low self esteem They've got no concept of reality Living their lives inside a fantasy Coz they have troubled minds, troubled minds" Now Marina is describing another patient at this hospital, a crack addict. She then talks about the tragedy of these young people who are so depressed and have such low self esteem that they create this fantasy world to live in (through drugs or otherwise) because their reality is so bleak.
"Wipe the white golden dust into these broken hands Must depend on a friend that will understand Like the glitter making love to the gleam Just remember things aren't always what they seem" Now I think that the chorus is meant to show this idea of this fantasy world. The "white golden dust" reminds a listener of possibly pixie dust or something magical (this works in with the peter pan lines later) that these children are trying to put into their tragic lives (symbolized by their "broken hands" or brokenness they feel). The "must depend on a friend that can understand" is probably echoing what so many doctors, therapists, etc tell patients with problems with depression, etc- that they need someone "safe" in whom they can confide so things do not get out of hand. The speaker is trying to find this person because she believes she "must." Next come the lines "Like glitter making love to the gleam, just remember things aren't always what they seem." I'm not sure on these but I was thinking and I believe that you just have to think about how glitter does not itself radiate light, but when light is cast on it, it "makes love with the gleam" when it reflects this light . This reflected light creates an effect and makes the glitter more than just a regular object. The glitter then seems bright but is not really like this, this is just a reflection of the light and not an innate glowing. This could represent that the patients may seem a certain way to people at a glance but if they were taken out of their circumstances you could see how they really are.
"Peter Pan could not admit he had become a man He smashed the mirror into a million bits Now all he seems to do is stare and sit Painting pictures of a life that he'll never find Inside his troubled mind, troubled minds" This verse strongly connects back to the fantasy idea of this song. Peter Pan does not want to leave this childlike fantasy and enter the harsh, real world. He destroys his mirror, symbolizing his rejection of himself. Now he is broken and numb, staring and sitting like someone who is extremely depressed. He just imagines these fantasy worlds to escape his own.
"There's a sweet little guy called Mars Each night he cries, this ain't the place I'm meant to be He hides his dreams deep within a wooden box He hides his secrets deep within his woolen socks Life will pass him by Inside his troubled mind, troubled minds" These lines talk about another patent to this hospital. The listener becomes very sad here because the "sweet little guy" Mark cries every night. We do not want him to be so sad if he is so kind so this elicts an emotional response from the listener. Mark buries his sadness deep inside in order to be sweet on the outside during the day, hence the lines about him hiding his "secrets" and "demons." Since he also is not really living in reality, life will pass him by without him really enjoying it. The speaker (possibly the girl from the first verse) feels she is okay and does not identify with these people who seem so much crazier than her. (Remember she got angry when people told her she had become disconnected with herself? She does not want to believe this,)
"We can kill for the dust we need to fill these hands Can't depend on a friend that will understand Hate the glitter, we have murdered the dream Just remember things are always what they seem" These lines directly follow the chorus and I think this is to highlight the contrast between what the speaker was feeling for much of the song and what she has not realized. She now realizes that people who have a tragic life often end up harming themselves or others in their insistence to say in this fantasy world (represented again by the golden dust) and avoid reality. The speaker now realizes that you cannot find anyone to truly count on to understand you. She hates this fantasy world because the darkness of reality has ruined it. She has become cynical and realizes that these crazy people are just that-crazy. Even through you can rationalize why they are like this, at the end of the day- they seem crazy and they are. She she is one of them.