The song is about the mind/ego. The hardest thing you’ll ever do is go within and observe yourself and your thoughts and then take responsibility for the troubles in your life experience. Harder still is observing self and understanding what your attachments are. Letting go of the ego and mind is very painful. We create the conflicts by way of our own desire and our ego/mind can be cunning in the way it tricks you into believing false truths about life/others/your own motivations...when we form attachments, in whatever form..in this case a relationship perhaps, we take on the shape of the pain that others need in their experience also...in this way we embody each other’s ego’s/desires/attachments so that we can learn the lessons of attachment and pain. Eckart Tolle calls this the ‘pain body,’ but most of these concepts lie in the teachings of Buddha and Buddhism.
In short; this song is about the pain of attachment and trying to enter the state of ‘I am’ or achieve enlightenment by letting go of the desire or attachment that continues to lead us into suffering.
‘Somebody stepped inside your soul’: This could be the ego itself or a partner or probably both. Attachment to anything allows pain to enter your being. The somebody could be a person with whom ego is attached. ‘Little by little they robbed and stole.’ The ego always wants more, it’s never satisfied. ‘Til someone else was in control.’ The someone else is the ‘I am.’ When higher consciousness enters and takes over being, the pain goes away.’
‘You think it’s easier to put your finger on the trouble, when the trouble is you.’ Observing the mind, without the mind is literally the most challenging aspect to self awareness. ‘And you think it’s easier to know your own tricks, well it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do.’ Again talks about the ego mind and how cunning it is at hiding truth. Most our lives, experiences and beliefs are based on false perceptions and cultural ideals, not ultimate truth. Going beyond the mind and seeing the actual reality of existence is the hardest thing we will ever do...most don’t and never will in this lifetime.
‘You think it’s easier to give up on the trouble, if the trouble is destroying you.’ Every desire causes suffering. You would think it would be easy to give up suffering, however suffering is caused by desire so it would require giving up everything you believe to make you happy. Sex? Relationships? Addiction? Delicious food? Not easy to give up, however these things are the source of pain. Not so easy. ‘And you think it’s easier but before you throw me a rope it was the one thing I could hold on to.’ Again, talking about the ego desire to have attachments. Attachments are the ropes we hold on to that don’t allow us to let go for fear of dying (ego death).however, nothing compares to the feeling of serenity, when we are truly conscious and aware in the state of ‘I am.’ Enlightenment is the true source of all joy, because it is free of pain. Letting go of the rope of false reality is scary.
‘I have a will for survival, so you can hurt me and hurt me some more. I can live with denial, but you’re not my trouble anymore.’ The will for survival is again the ego mind. When we are unconscious we fear death. The drive to survive is innate in our mind and ego and it’s primary function. We can live in this state and still exist and live, it’s denial of the ultimate truth though and painful. In this context he is saying that he has chosen to not live this way any longer, ‘but you’re not my trouble anymore.’ He is choosing to not stay there and hurt, even if it means losing what he is attached to.
‘God knows it’s not easy, taking on the shape of someone else’s pain.’ Pretty self explanatory and I spoke on this earlier. When we form attachments to others, we take on each others pain. The ego often running the show in relationships and never being satisfied. ‘God now you can see me, I’m naked and I’m not afraid, my body is sacred and I’m not ashamed.’ Here he has let go of his mind and in the state of ‘I am’ the consciousness beyond the thoughts and mind. He has let go of his attachments, fear, shame being the result of those, because he has awoken to a higher truth..to the truth.
This is my interpretation:
The song is about the mind/ego. The hardest thing you’ll ever do is go within and observe yourself and your thoughts and then take responsibility for the troubles in your life experience. Harder still is observing self and understanding what your attachments are. Letting go of the ego and mind is very painful. We create the conflicts by way of our own desire and our ego/mind can be cunning in the way it tricks you into believing false truths about life/others/your own motivations...when we form attachments, in whatever form..in this case a relationship perhaps, we take on the shape of the pain that others need in their experience also...in this way we embody each other’s ego’s/desires/attachments so that we can learn the lessons of attachment and pain. Eckart Tolle calls this the ‘pain body,’ but most of these concepts lie in the teachings of Buddha and Buddhism. In short; this song is about the pain of attachment and trying to enter the state of ‘I am’ or achieve enlightenment by letting go of the desire or attachment that continues to lead us into suffering.
‘Somebody stepped inside your soul’: This could be the ego itself or a partner or probably both. Attachment to anything allows pain to enter your being. The somebody could be a person with whom ego is attached. ‘Little by little they robbed and stole.’ The ego always wants more, it’s never satisfied. ‘Til someone else was in control.’ The someone else is the ‘I am.’ When higher consciousness enters and takes over being, the pain goes away.’
‘You think it’s easier to put your finger on the trouble, when the trouble is you.’ Observing the mind, without the mind is literally the most challenging aspect to self awareness. ‘And you think it’s easier to know your own tricks, well it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do.’ Again talks about the ego mind and how cunning it is at hiding truth. Most our lives, experiences and beliefs are based on false perceptions and cultural ideals, not ultimate truth. Going beyond the mind and seeing the actual reality of existence is the hardest thing we will ever do...most don’t and never will in this lifetime.
‘You think it’s easier to give up on the trouble, if the trouble is destroying you.’ Every desire causes suffering. You would think it would be easy to give up suffering, however suffering is caused by desire so it would require giving up everything you believe to make you happy. Sex? Relationships? Addiction? Delicious food? Not easy to give up, however these things are the source of pain. Not so easy. ‘And you think it’s easier but before you throw me a rope it was the one thing I could hold on to.’ Again, talking about the ego desire to have attachments. Attachments are the ropes we hold on to that don’t allow us to let go for fear of dying (ego death).however, nothing compares to the feeling of serenity, when we are truly conscious and aware in the state of ‘I am.’ Enlightenment is the true source of all joy, because it is free of pain. Letting go of the rope of false reality is scary.
‘I have a will for survival, so you can hurt me and hurt me some more. I can live with denial, but you’re not my trouble anymore.’ The will for survival is again the ego mind. When we are unconscious we fear death. The drive to survive is innate in our mind and ego and it’s primary function. We can live in this state and still exist and live, it’s denial of the ultimate truth though and painful. In this context he is saying that he has chosen to not live this way any longer, ‘but you’re not my trouble anymore.’ He is choosing to not stay there and hurt, even if it means losing what he is attached to.
‘God knows it’s not easy, taking on the shape of someone else’s pain.’ Pretty self explanatory and I spoke on this earlier. When we form attachments to others, we take on each others pain. The ego often running the show in relationships and never being satisfied. ‘God now you can see me, I’m naked and I’m not afraid, my body is sacred and I’m not ashamed.’ Here he has let go of his mind and in the state of ‘I am’ the consciousness beyond the thoughts and mind. He has let go of his attachments, fear, shame being the result of those, because he has awoken to a higher truth..to the truth.