Journo: The first single of the album, ‘Looking Too Closely’, advises someone not to look too closely for the truth in order to prevent pain. Should we close our eyes to reality?
Fink: Yeah, you absolutely nailed it. It is about the relationship you have with yourself. About NOT looking too closely. Sometimes it is best to do it this way to remain positive. You can be obsessed with details.
I don't think anything needs to be added, since the man himself has settled all arguments, but I'm going to anyway.
To me there are six lines in pairs that tell the whole story:
This is a song about somebody else, So don’t worry yourself, worry yourself
Look away, folks, nothing to see here, I'm not talking about myself, but a "friend".
The devil’s right there right there in the details, And you don’t wanna hurt yourself, hurt yourself ... [by] Looking too closely
I think the implied "by" is very important, but easy to miss. Look too closely, see the details, and you'll hurt yourself. But, it's worth noting that he's talking to someone else at this point. So he's told them to look away because if they look at him closely, they'll only end-up hurting themselves. I see depression in that. You hide your despair from others to save them from being dragged down into the pit of despair you inhabit.
Put your arms around somebody else, Don’t punish yourself, punish yourself
Don't hug me to console me, you're only going to make your life worse. Really, just run from me, I'm toxic.
Truth is like blood underneath your fingernails, And you don’t wanna hurt yourself, hurt yourself ... [by] Looking too closely
Again, don't hurt yourself by looking into my life. Truth is unpleasant, just like a murderer with bloody fingernails, if you look closely and see these truths, you're going to be shocked, disappointed, even hurt by the toxicity that oozes from me, in my despair, that I am.
AND THEN, third verse, he goes with the meaning he describes above:
It’s you right there, right there in the mirror, And you don’t wanna hurt yourself, hurt yourself ... [by] Looking too closely
He's now talking about those prone to an excess of self-examination and self-criticism, because there lies the path to depression, which is true. People totally satisfied with their lives don't succumb to non-biochemical depression, it's those of us who do look too closely, who do fret and worry about every little "shameful" thing we did this morning, the way we missed hair #28,465 or the way we greeted that person while distracted. We burn ourselves with out laser-focus ... and you don't wanna hurt yourself ... by looking too closely. So, he implies, stop it.
@aragond such a great Interpretation. Thank you. This was eye opening for me in a very deep and meaningful way. Just saw Fink and his band in concert. It was beautiful.
@aragond such a great Interpretation. Thank you. This was eye opening for me in a very deep and meaningful way. Just saw Fink and his band in concert. It was beautiful.
Journo: The first single of the album, ‘Looking Too Closely’, advises someone not to look too closely for the truth in order to prevent pain. Should we close our eyes to reality? Fink: Yeah, you absolutely nailed it. It is about the relationship you have with yourself. About NOT looking too closely. Sometimes it is best to do it this way to remain positive. You can be obsessed with details.
I don't think anything needs to be added, since the man himself has settled all arguments, but I'm going to anyway. To me there are six lines in pairs that tell the whole story:
This is a song about somebody else, So don’t worry yourself, worry yourself Look away, folks, nothing to see here, I'm not talking about myself, but a "friend".
The devil’s right there right there in the details, And you don’t wanna hurt yourself, hurt yourself ... [by] Looking too closely I think the implied "by" is very important, but easy to miss. Look too closely, see the details, and you'll hurt yourself. But, it's worth noting that he's talking to someone else at this point. So he's told them to look away because if they look at him closely, they'll only end-up hurting themselves. I see depression in that. You hide your despair from others to save them from being dragged down into the pit of despair you inhabit.
Put your arms around somebody else, Don’t punish yourself, punish yourself Don't hug me to console me, you're only going to make your life worse. Really, just run from me, I'm toxic.
Truth is like blood underneath your fingernails, And you don’t wanna hurt yourself, hurt yourself ... [by] Looking too closely Again, don't hurt yourself by looking into my life. Truth is unpleasant, just like a murderer with bloody fingernails, if you look closely and see these truths, you're going to be shocked, disappointed, even hurt by the toxicity that oozes from me, in my despair, that I am.
AND THEN, third verse, he goes with the meaning he describes above:
@aragond : We‘llwritten interpretation that works for me and is in line with what I see in lyrics, Finn‘s voice and the atmosphere of the song!
@aragond : We‘llwritten interpretation that works for me and is in line with what I see in lyrics, Finn‘s voice and the atmosphere of the song!
@aragond such a great Interpretation. Thank you. This was eye opening for me in a very deep and meaningful way. Just saw Fink and his band in concert. It was beautiful.
@aragond such a great Interpretation. Thank you. This was eye opening for me in a very deep and meaningful way. Just saw Fink and his band in concert. It was beautiful.