Amazingly written song. As many others have said, it's primarily about Tom's friendship with Richard Hell. It sets itself up as this recalling of memories about when they were young, hanging out in New York and how he felt in those days with each verse progressively getting more negative.
At first everything is "bright" and "Alive" then Tom talks about laughing with a friend and feeling "like" he's on a drug. The drug line ironically means that the song has nothing to do with drugs since he's basically saying that hanging out with his friend makes him feel like he's high. Then the final verse talks about how he no longer holds the illusions he had in the first two verses and he turns down his friend when he tells them he wants to impersonate cops. The implication is that he's just grown out of the immature behavior while his friend has not.
The chorus is brilliant to this song. It's basically Tom being asked if he is saddened that he no longer is friends with Richard Hell. To which he replies that it doesn't mean anything to him and claiming he fell right into the arms of Venus de Milo. Venus de Milo is a famous statue that has no arms... So essentially he is lying to these people because he wants everyone to think he's okay even though he's really not.
Really neat song about keeping losing a friendship and keeping a poker face even though you really feel like shit.
Amazingly written song. As many others have said, it's primarily about Tom's friendship with Richard Hell. It sets itself up as this recalling of memories about when they were young, hanging out in New York and how he felt in those days with each verse progressively getting more negative.
At first everything is "bright" and "Alive" then Tom talks about laughing with a friend and feeling "like" he's on a drug. The drug line ironically means that the song has nothing to do with drugs since he's basically saying that hanging out with his friend makes him feel like he's high. Then the final verse talks about how he no longer holds the illusions he had in the first two verses and he turns down his friend when he tells them he wants to impersonate cops. The implication is that he's just grown out of the immature behavior while his friend has not.
The chorus is brilliant to this song. It's basically Tom being asked if he is saddened that he no longer is friends with Richard Hell. To which he replies that it doesn't mean anything to him and claiming he fell right into the arms of Venus de Milo. Venus de Milo is a famous statue that has no arms... So essentially he is lying to these people because he wants everyone to think he's okay even though he's really not.
Really neat song about keeping losing a friendship and keeping a poker face even though you really feel like shit.