Helpless Automaton Lyrics

Lyric discussion by DaveCCK 

Cover art for Helpless Automaton lyrics by Men at Work

My take was this was a person who, after a breakup, develops a dangerous obsession with his paramour. "Love me or I'll kill myself - or you!" He has a gun (machinery) in his pocket, and he waits outside her apartment but turns away at the last moment. His analyst is no help - "You're not a machine, but you're an untrustworthy human, and you're behaving in an emotionally immature manner," words unheard by someone who feels controlled by outside forces. Ultimately, the endangered lover seeks a restraining order, or some other such conveyance which calls upon the "automaton" to appear in court ("docket").

OR it's a 1980s dystopian theme, with common imagery in use at the time LOL

[Edit: better word choice]