what the lyrics mean
by n.dru

recently it seems, a lot of people (bandmates, friends, fans) have been asking me what my lyrics mean, what inspired me to write a particular song, or if "such and such" a line is a reference to a specific person or event. so, grudgingly, i've convinced myself that it's time to address the issue and clear up and misconceptions anyone may have. unfortunately, in doing so, i think i may just make the answers all that much more obfuscated and obscure. but so be it.

(yes, i said "obfuscated".)

i don't really like to get into discussions about the "meaning" of my lyrics, because i honestly think that half of the meaning in any form of art is how it is interpreted by the listener or the viewer. i might have had one thing in mind when i wrote it, but the person listening might have a completely different take on the words. they interpret it to make it meaningful to them. if i give away what i was thinking at the time (assuming i even remember what i was thinking) then it ruins the song the way that movies ruin books.

when you read a good book, there are no images associated with it (remember, i said "good book" here folks). so you fill in the gaps with your own. your mind builds the characters as you see them, creates the settings the words make you think of, and things play out for reasons you've imagined. the book only guides you in creating your own sort of storyline. of course, inevitably, some asshole will go and make a movie out of it. impose his own interpretations on you, chop up the story, and ruin everything for you. i choose not to let that happen.

no two people will interpret a book exactly the same. that's why there are so many discussion groups and english classes centered around literature. the same thing goes for art. and, to me, the same concepts apply to music and lyrics.

basically all my lyrics these days are intentionally abstract and vague. i write them so they can be interpreted in any number of ways by any number of people. i don't have one thing or one person in mind when i write them. a lot of it is fictional situations, based on fictional people, living fictional lives, and written from a 3rd person perspective. it's rarely about me, my life, or my point of view.

i just put myself in the shoes of an imaginary person, in an imaginary situation, and write about what's going through their head from their point of view. it's more of a challenge to do things that way, and if you do it right then it's more meaningful to more people. you know, all 6 people that listen to our records.

some people will find personal meaning in the songs, others may interpret them on a religious, social or political level. it's always been amazing to me the multitude of ways in which people have interpreted my lyrics. some of it is so far from what i originally had in mind that it's just stunning. but i can't say it's wrong either.

if you look at an ink blot, or a piece of abstract art, chances are, you're going to see things much differently than the person next to you. you might see a fluffy bunny rabbit, the person next to you will see the face of the devil. meanwhile, the artist himself may be snickering in the corner because all he sees are blobs of paint he hurled at a piece of canvass.

obviously some songs are more social or political and the meaning is more cut and dry and less abstract. like the fallout e.p. but even then i tried to be non-specific and write songs that could apply to any corrupt world leaders at any point in history. but the "corrupt world leader" part is still obvious.

of course, i can only speak for myself here. p4wl has contributed some lyrics to this album, and maybe his lyrics are more like an architect's sketch to him than an abstract piece of art. they seem to be written in more of a "narrative" format to me, but i don't know. you'll have to ask him.

hopefully, this answers some of the questions people have been asking or have maybe wanted to ask. in saying as much as i have here i'm already afraid that i've ruined things a little bit, but sometimes that's the price you have to pay.

\m/ -_- \m/

06.28.08

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