In this song, I see a man who is, as far as I know, the only human on planet earth to discover, acknowledge, and speak the truth, no matter the consequences.
When he does this, perhaps he, here in the gregorian 21st century, maintains a website where he writes about his observations. Like writing a review, if you will. But the people and organizations, governments, cartels, institutions don't like what he's writing. His mere observations, let alone his opinions about the people and acts he observes, reveal a treachery and heinousness ("world's a blister") so deep and complete, no one wants to admit to it, and in fact, the government would definitely want to eliminate such a person ("they're chasing me," "they're at my door"). Especially when that person has an uncanny ability to persuade people away from lies to the truth. Not just lies of the government here, but lies we tell everyday to ourselves and one another just to maintain status quo. Example: santa claus. Lies are what help keep those in power in their positions of power. They keep the wealthy rich and the poor poor. They keep children subdued, homosexuals closeted, races divided, sexes at war.
The unfortunate truth is that the truth really makes everybody look bad. We're all liars and crooks, and honestly, no one wants to admit when they're wrong ("no one listens"). It is extremely rare for a person to admit to lying or living a lie, especially when admitting the truth would lose them their social status, so they bury their head in the sand, deny, and make counter-accusations ("no one listens"). But this man, he's not out to save the world or anything. Each of us is only responsible for ourselves. He does not consider it his responsibility to restore sanity. Neither is he compelled to entertain it ("but I'm okay with it"). Sure, it would be nice to have friends, someone to talk to about all this stuff, but his family and friends reject the truth, and him along with it, because maybe they're afraid of the pain, maybe they're incurable racists. Even his girlfriend ignores the truth that is in plain black and white in front of her for her own selfish and immature reasons. He is truly and utterly alone ("lonely").
In the process of being confronted with the truth, especially when it challenges their beliefs and/or makes them look bad, people generally raise their voice ("you shout at me"). When family members hear him speak his views and even just associate with him, they become afraid of losing their social status. They try to convince him to step in line, maintain status quo, to sacrifice the truth in favor of lies. He won't do it, and it is, in fact, an unpleasant experience that makes him not want to be around them ("let me go").
These rhetorical questions ("what if I was there? What if I was scared?") point to the fact that he'd still be miserable leading a pointless existence if he was there and scared. The answer is that if he was there, and scared, there would be no one out in the "here" (vs "there") giving hope to the human race for a harmonious existence. He asks these questions to help us see that without him, things would be hopeless.
The government is definitely trying to kill him: he's been poisoned by fluoride, a tree exploded (not fell over but was detonated) on the apartment where he lived, he's been shot with microwave weapons, poisoned with Venomous Agent X, been nearly hit by cars multiple times, so yeah, he's got an eye out for enemies ("patrolling for enemies"). This guy though, he's been ordained by god himself. He's not afraid to die because he believes in reincarnation ("i'll be back again").
Even if you'd rather believe this is a work of fiction, imagine the character. The only man in the world who acknowledges the truth, and the government is trying to kill him to stop him from spreading the truth. His family, friends, and girlfriend have all rejected him to varying degrees and have even gone so far as to kick dirt in his face, metaphorically speaking. Imagine how it must make this guy feel. Imagine how it would make you feel. A little like holding a grudge, no? ("Don't touch me") and maybe angry and frustrated at times to the point of sarcasm ("don't trust me").
In this song, I see a man who is, as far as I know, the only human on planet earth to discover, acknowledge, and speak the truth, no matter the consequences.
When he does this, perhaps he, here in the gregorian 21st century, maintains a website where he writes about his observations. Like writing a review, if you will. But the people and organizations, governments, cartels, institutions don't like what he's writing. His mere observations, let alone his opinions about the people and acts he observes, reveal a treachery and heinousness ("world's a blister") so deep and complete, no one wants to admit to it, and in fact, the government would definitely want to eliminate such a person ("they're chasing me," "they're at my door"). Especially when that person has an uncanny ability to persuade people away from lies to the truth. Not just lies of the government here, but lies we tell everyday to ourselves and one another just to maintain status quo. Example: santa claus. Lies are what help keep those in power in their positions of power. They keep the wealthy rich and the poor poor. They keep children subdued, homosexuals closeted, races divided, sexes at war.
The unfortunate truth is that the truth really makes everybody look bad. We're all liars and crooks, and honestly, no one wants to admit when they're wrong ("no one listens"). It is extremely rare for a person to admit to lying or living a lie, especially when admitting the truth would lose them their social status, so they bury their head in the sand, deny, and make counter-accusations ("no one listens"). But this man, he's not out to save the world or anything. Each of us is only responsible for ourselves. He does not consider it his responsibility to restore sanity. Neither is he compelled to entertain it ("but I'm okay with it"). Sure, it would be nice to have friends, someone to talk to about all this stuff, but his family and friends reject the truth, and him along with it, because maybe they're afraid of the pain, maybe they're incurable racists. Even his girlfriend ignores the truth that is in plain black and white in front of her for her own selfish and immature reasons. He is truly and utterly alone ("lonely").
In the process of being confronted with the truth, especially when it challenges their beliefs and/or makes them look bad, people generally raise their voice ("you shout at me"). When family members hear him speak his views and even just associate with him, they become afraid of losing their social status. They try to convince him to step in line, maintain status quo, to sacrifice the truth in favor of lies. He won't do it, and it is, in fact, an unpleasant experience that makes him not want to be around them ("let me go").
These rhetorical questions ("what if I was there? What if I was scared?") point to the fact that he'd still be miserable leading a pointless existence if he was there and scared. The answer is that if he was there, and scared, there would be no one out in the "here" (vs "there") giving hope to the human race for a harmonious existence. He asks these questions to help us see that without him, things would be hopeless.
The government is definitely trying to kill him: he's been poisoned by fluoride, a tree exploded (not fell over but was detonated) on the apartment where he lived, he's been shot with microwave weapons, poisoned with Venomous Agent X, been nearly hit by cars multiple times, so yeah, he's got an eye out for enemies ("patrolling for enemies"). This guy though, he's been ordained by god himself. He's not afraid to die because he believes in reincarnation ("i'll be back again").
Even if you'd rather believe this is a work of fiction, imagine the character. The only man in the world who acknowledges the truth, and the government is trying to kill him to stop him from spreading the truth. His family, friends, and girlfriend have all rejected him to varying degrees and have even gone so far as to kick dirt in his face, metaphorically speaking. Imagine how it must make this guy feel. Imagine how it would make you feel. A little like holding a grudge, no? ("Don't touch me") and maybe angry and frustrated at times to the point of sarcasm ("don't trust me").
[Edit: Formatting]