| Pink Floyd – Brain Damage Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
I have a lot of ideas over what this song means. I love Pink Floyd because they deal with something that I think still is not dealt with enough and that is metal illness. I recently read a couple of essays from a book called Speak To Me: The Legacy Of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon. Again, I do not any finite interpretations of this song. However, I thought it interesting that the book talked a lot about the anti-psychiatry movement. Specifically it mentioned the ideas of such figures as R.D Laing and Thomas Szasz who are both well known for there unique view on mental illness and the entire field of psychiatry. I also found it very interesting that the members of Pink Floyd actually went to R.D. Laing himself to see if he could help Syd Barret. This leads to believe that the members were no doubt influenced by R.D Laing's ideas. Laing was very critical of psychiatry. He did not believe that people suffering from mental illness were really suffering from any illness at all. Rather, he believed that the people who society is quick to call "insane" and throw into an institution, lobotomize, or give a pill too were really people who were suffering from some existential crises. Laing further asserted that it should be the ultimate goal of psychiatry to help a patient find the root of this crises. I don't want to go any further for I feel like I don't no so much about Laing as to feel confident in explaining his unique view of mental illness. I will give those who might be interested in his views a link to a Wikipedia explanation of the anti-psychiatry movement and another link to R.D. Laing in particular even though Laing never identified himself with the anti-psychiatry movement. Nevertheless, form my own interpretation of The Dark Side Of The Moon I do think the album is asking an interesting question. What right do "sane" people have to call other people "insane"? I think Waters really wanted to bring to light how the people who deem themselves "sane" might be even more insane than the "insane". Furthermore, it just might be the "insane" who are more "sane" for not being able to live in the place that Roger Waters lives amongst himself, in his case England. A modern industrialized world where people strive to be fulfilled through money ("Money") or making enemies to win wars ("Us And Them")as they live their lives in conformity watching the time fly by ("Time") never daring to be an individual to seek a deeper and more lasting fulfillment. I am with Roger in thinking that the masses have no right to call those who never conform "insane". If you look at the way most people live their lives in my country of America as well as his country England I would never want to be considered "sane". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-psychiatry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_David_Laing |
|
| Dave Matthews Band – The Best of What's Around Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Places and material objects don't amount to much when you compare them to friends. | |
| Staind – So Far Away Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| This song to me is about one thing, being yourself and not being ashamed to be that true self around other people. As people I think we spend our lives hiding who we really are. The speaker of this song has obviously overcame this obstacle though. His days of shame are "so far away" and he feels as if he is now sleeping because he is amazed at how he can finally show his true colors to the world without hesitance. | |
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.