To me, this spoken word song (really more of a poem recitation) is about a person who is casually asked "how are you?" and he responds to the question in the usual manner: "I am doing well"." He is not really doing well but doesn't want to bring this up in casual conversation. In fact, modern life has tormented him to the point where he feels despair - not unlike the figure in Edvard Munch's "The Scream". The dreamlike images may even be images (real or imagined) from the painting itself or just feelings evoked by the painting. The click beetles referenced are the type who lay their eggs to feast on the carcasses of the dead, a reminder of the inevitability of death. The birds flying with capes of solid chrome are symbols of militarization, industrialization and mechanization that crush the human spirit and rob of us of our ability to live out an idyllic existence - eating from the "tree of life".
At the conclusion of the song, the first well is what he reflexively first said in response to the question "how are you". The second well is saying ...well, there really is more to it than that and either I don't want to bring you down by telling you how I am really feeling, or I can't put it into words.
To me, this spoken word song (really more of a poem recitation) is about a person who is casually asked "how are you?" and he responds to the question in the usual manner: "I am doing well"." He is not really doing well but doesn't want to bring this up in casual conversation. In fact, modern life has tormented him to the point where he feels despair - not unlike the figure in Edvard Munch's "The Scream". The dreamlike images may even be images (real or imagined) from the painting itself or just feelings evoked by the painting. The click beetles referenced are the type who lay their eggs to feast on the carcasses of the dead, a reminder of the inevitability of death. The birds flying with capes of solid chrome are symbols of militarization, industrialization and mechanization that crush the human spirit and rob of us of our ability to live out an idyllic existence - eating from the "tree of life".
At the conclusion of the song, the first well is what he reflexively first said in response to the question "how are you". The second well is saying ...well, there really is more to it than that and either I don't want to bring you down by telling you how I am really feeling, or I can't put it into words.