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Go without
'Til the need seeps in
You low animal
Collect your novel petals for the stem
And glow
Glow
Melt and flow
Eviscerate your fragile frame
And spill it out in the ragged floor
A thousand different versions of yourself
And if the old guard still offend
They got nothing left on which you depend
So enlist every ounce
Of your bright blood
And off with their heads
Jump from the hook
You're not obliged to swallow anything you despise
See, those unrepenting buzzards want your life
And they got no right
As sure as you have eyes
They got no right
Just put yourself in my new shoes
And see that I do what I do
Because the old guard still offend
Their pudgy hearts and slimy hands
They've got nothing left on which we depend
So enlist every ounce
Of your bright blood
And off with their heads
Jump from the hook
You're not obliged to swallow anything that you despise
'Til the need seeps in
You low animal
Collect your novel petals for the stem
And glow
Glow
Melt and flow
Eviscerate your fragile frame
And spill it out in the ragged floor
A thousand different versions of yourself
And if the old guard still offend
They got nothing left on which you depend
So enlist every ounce
Of your bright blood
And off with their heads
Jump from the hook
You're not obliged to swallow anything you despise
See, those unrepenting buzzards want your life
And they got no right
As sure as you have eyes
They got no right
Just put yourself in my new shoes
And see that I do what I do
Because the old guard still offend
Their pudgy hearts and slimy hands
They've got nothing left on which we depend
So enlist every ounce
Of your bright blood
And off with their heads
Jump from the hook
You're not obliged to swallow anything that you despise
Lyrics submitted by heyheyhey111, edited by RamuneDrink
Track duration: 03:58
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It's basically saying 'You don't have to follow anything you despise'
Go with your heart, don't follow the crowd, society (the book) if you don't agree.
Shine and glow as your true self and don't be afraid to show all the different version of yourself (happines/anger etc)
Be your own person and be proud.
Love this song and it's meaning (to me)
Perhaps Mercer equates this yearning to be "a thousand different versions" of ourselves with dreams. Our dreams, be they fabulous or terrifying, give us small tastes of a life free of barriers and the impositions others put on us. And much as literal insomnia keeps us rooted in stark reality, a metaphorical insomnia might have the same effect of preventing us from just shattering our fragile yet rigid frames, and letting our true selves flow out.
But sometimes, the need to indulge our basic animal instincts and urges, be they creative, intellectual, sexual, or spiritual, force us to break free, and tell all those who would have us kept in our gray prisons of quiet conformity to go f#$% themselves.
For me it is about breaking free from rules, commitments, people, pretty much anything... Living free, not caring what other people say.
I was feeling a parent, more specifically a father figure, and almost a figurative conversation with the bread winner of the family.
Jump from the hook
You're not obliged to swallow anything you despise
-See, those unrepenting buzzards want your life
And they got no right
As sure as you have eyes
They got no right
Like a father who just lived in the muddled middle. Never did anything memorable or remotely successful in his career. And completely expected nothing of himself until he realized earning accolades from your day job mean absolutely nothing.
They've got nothing left on which we depend
So enlist every ounce
Of your bright blood
And off with their heads
Jump from the hook
You're not obliged to swallow anything that you despise
Like I'm picturing American Beauty, and seeing Death a better option then being a mundane, disenchanted role model.
I'm sure I'm completely off. And it's not personal, because I had no father/step/grandfather to relate this to.
Just came to me like someone trying so hard to impress his family at any means and failing miserably. And then the failure was the greatest thing/realization that ever happened to him.
The business men drink my wine.
It's about throwing away the ideals our owners want us to embrace and to live life free from trivial pursuits of happiness. He can't sleep because he spends all night with thoughts racing about why he can't attain what's unattainable. He needs to just let go and be happy with who he is, what he's done, and what he's doing, and maybe he'll be able to sleep better.
I remember reading that mercer was suffering from insomnia when he wrote this album.
Look up Arcade Fire's Modern Man for similar expressions.