I think 9/11 is a metaphor for a grand distraction (even well-timed tragedy) that "covers" the scars this person resents having to deal with head on. I could see the protagonist hoping something terrible could happen to give them an easy exit out of a relationship. This doesn't happen, however, which leads the protagonist to stay in the relationship and never address the scars at all (they rearrange themselves to be outwardly affectionate, even). The last part of the song is kind of a dream sequence where the true shallow parts come out. The line of "bad things never happen to the beautiful" compares, incredibly delusionally, the protagonist's plight as worse than that of the fashion models who were gifted a convenient tragedy. Not sure if this is 100% accurate, but if it is it surely lives up to the album title.
I think 9/11 is a metaphor for a grand distraction (even well-timed tragedy) that "covers" the scars this person resents having to deal with head on. I could see the protagonist hoping something terrible could happen to give them an easy exit out of a relationship. This doesn't happen, however, which leads the protagonist to stay in the relationship and never address the scars at all (they rearrange themselves to be outwardly affectionate, even). The last part of the song is kind of a dream sequence where the true shallow parts come out. The line of "bad things never happen to the beautiful" compares, incredibly delusionally, the protagonist's plight as worse than that of the fashion models who were gifted a convenient tragedy. Not sure if this is 100% accurate, but if it is it surely lives up to the album title.