I always thought this song was about LA, and that whole 'life of fame-and-fortune'.
Kowalczyk mentions "is it money, is it fame? Or where they always THIS lame?".
To me it speaks of the excesses of Hollywood, and how 'the high life' is so far from what he imagined it to be.
He refers to the 'rattlesnake', and, as Kowalczyk is religious, it always seemed to me to be a metaphor for the 'serpent' in the Garden of Eden (he chooses the rattlesnake because it's about California, and the desert - hence the serpent comes in the form of a rattlesnake).
The song seems to be a cautionary tale of "be careful what you wish for"; that for all the excesses of fame, a price must be paid to the devil; that, by eating of the fruit, you must submit to the devil inside; you must sacrifice something of your soul...and even your body to the devil.
I'm an Atheist, but that's how I always interpreted the song.
I always thought this song was about LA, and that whole 'life of fame-and-fortune'.
Kowalczyk mentions "is it money, is it fame? Or where they always THIS lame?".
To me it speaks of the excesses of Hollywood, and how 'the high life' is so far from what he imagined it to be.
He refers to the 'rattlesnake', and, as Kowalczyk is religious, it always seemed to me to be a metaphor for the 'serpent' in the Garden of Eden (he chooses the rattlesnake because it's about California, and the desert - hence the serpent comes in the form of a rattlesnake).
The song seems to be a cautionary tale of "be careful what you wish for"; that for all the excesses of fame, a price must be paid to the devil; that, by eating of the fruit, you must submit to the devil inside; you must sacrifice something of your soul...and even your body to the devil.
I'm an Atheist, but that's how I always interpreted the song.