Lyric discussion by Majeure 

Cover art for I'd Rather Be Man lyrics by Alan Parsons Project, The

The firebird hides in shadow when you wake up=-In the historical record, the phoenix "could symbolize renewal in general as well as the sun, time, the empire, metempsychosis, consecration, resurrection, life in the heavenly Paradise, Christ, Mary, virginity, the exceptional man, and certain aspects of Christian life Your golden hair is black You don't fool me with your easy lies and fables=Bible You won't see me in ten buck furs and sables=God The wine is real but the glass is fake=The wine is in a religious prop Blame it on the apple tree but you don't fool me=There you go with the big reveal. Blaming Eve for all the hardships in our lives. She ate the apple, and now we must suffer Alan is calling bullshit on that fable. He's blaming God himself. The album is titled "EVE" and the models are each wearing a chalice. This is a verbal attack at God. How anyone can deduce that this song is about a boy/girl or man/woman relationship is beyond me.

My Interpretation