This song seems to me to be a story of sorts about someone having values drastically different from their society, and forking them over to feel connected to people somehow, and perhaps also having to choose between a small group of people who agree with them and the vast majority of people(hence the name "subculture").
"I like walking in the park
when it gets late at night
I move round in the dark
and leave when it gets light"
When we're in the park, we roam freely. The subject of this song, at first, freely thinks about, talks about or acts upon their own values under the cover of night, or secrecy.
"I sit around by day
wrapped up in chains so tight
these crazy words of mine
so wrong they could be (right?)"
I feel like this is about how the subject pretends to have the same values of their society, but through parroting these beliefs they fear that they will become corrupted, or feel a temptation to give in and believe(or pretend to believe to themselves as well) these things.
"What do I get out of this? I always try, I always miss"
The subject tries and tries to find some sort of connection or feeling of actually belonging to their culture, but they never feel it completely.
"one of these days you'll go back to your home
you won't even notice that you are alone"
though they never truly feel connected, the subject manages to deceive themself into thinking that they do.
"one of these days when you sit by yourself
you'll realize you can't shaft without someone else"
The subject has forfeited their ability to go forward without the permission of others, needing their approval to do anything even slightly outside of the norm.
"In the end you will submit"
In the end the subject will have to forfeit their own values for the larger culture, become one of the stream of meaningless lives that come and go, and remain forever unhappy, if they keep trying to fit in.
"It's got to hurt a little bit"
They can't really be happy, even if they pretend to be.
"I like talking in my sleep"
I think this is continuing the theme of night = secret. They enjoy talking in secret with the few people who share their beliefs, possibly getting pleasure out of the secrecy itself.
"when people work so hard
they need what they can('t?) keep
a choice that leaves them scarred"
The artist here criticizes how people work so hard for things that won't last, like the superficial connections created by faking your ideals.
"a room without a view
reveals the truth so soon"
and when the sun goes down
you've lost what you had"
This verse could be about how only in brief moments of introspection, likely when we're falling asleep at night, we remember how hurt we are. A view distracts us from what's inside our room, so it could be that we only see the truth of how tortured our mind is when we're alone. The next part could also be about how when we delve back into our own thoughts, we lose contact with the outer world.
I think this song could be a warning to us, to follow what we believe, and not what society tells us to. Like a parable set to music.
This song seems to me to be a story of sorts about someone having values drastically different from their society, and forking them over to feel connected to people somehow, and perhaps also having to choose between a small group of people who agree with them and the vast majority of people(hence the name "subculture").
"I like walking in the park when it gets late at night I move round in the dark and leave when it gets light"
When we're in the park, we roam freely. The subject of this song, at first, freely thinks about, talks about or acts upon their own values under the cover of night, or secrecy.
"I sit around by day wrapped up in chains so tight these crazy words of mine so wrong they could be (right?)"
I feel like this is about how the subject pretends to have the same values of their society, but through parroting these beliefs they fear that they will become corrupted, or feel a temptation to give in and believe(or pretend to believe to themselves as well) these things.
"What do I get out of this? I always try, I always miss"
The subject tries and tries to find some sort of connection or feeling of actually belonging to their culture, but they never feel it completely.
"one of these days you'll go back to your home you won't even notice that you are alone"
though they never truly feel connected, the subject manages to deceive themself into thinking that they do.
"one of these days when you sit by yourself you'll realize you can't shaft without someone else"
The subject has forfeited their ability to go forward without the permission of others, needing their approval to do anything even slightly outside of the norm.
"In the end you will submit"
In the end the subject will have to forfeit their own values for the larger culture, become one of the stream of meaningless lives that come and go, and remain forever unhappy, if they keep trying to fit in.
"It's got to hurt a little bit"
They can't really be happy, even if they pretend to be.
"I like talking in my sleep"
I think this is continuing the theme of night = secret. They enjoy talking in secret with the few people who share their beliefs, possibly getting pleasure out of the secrecy itself.
"when people work so hard they need what they can('t?) keep a choice that leaves them scarred"
The artist here criticizes how people work so hard for things that won't last, like the superficial connections created by faking your ideals.
"a room without a view reveals the truth so soon" and when the sun goes down you've lost what you had"
This verse could be about how only in brief moments of introspection, likely when we're falling asleep at night, we remember how hurt we are. A view distracts us from what's inside our room, so it could be that we only see the truth of how tortured our mind is when we're alone. The next part could also be about how when we delve back into our own thoughts, we lose contact with the outer world.
I think this song could be a warning to us, to follow what we believe, and not what society tells us to. Like a parable set to music.