of Montreal – Death Isn't a Parallel Move

• 0
  Song Meaning:To me, this song is clearly about overcoming drug addiction, specifically painkillers (heroin, oxycodone, etc)
  
  "all of my thoughts are from a foreign host" - cravings for drugs aren't thoughts one would normally have
  
  "I'm only poisoning you, not going to stab you" - not going to stab himself but will treat himself poorly due to consuming drugs.
  
  "I must nod" - when you take get high on opiates you nod in and out of consciousness -> "This fractured consciousness, This soft abuse"
  
  "The identity I composed out of terror has become oppressive now" - using drugs went from fun to an addiction and now it's "oppressive"
  
  I could be wrong but this is how I interpret it.

  Flag treborron September 26, 2010   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:My guess is that it isn't about the foreign hosts being teachers, media etc. Kevin Barnes has stated himself that he has alter egos to write songs, so I assume that maybe after he's written a song or lived in the mind of that alternate personality, he feels like a ghost afterwards because all of his "thoughts come from a foreign host."

  Flag SouthernBelleon May 22, 2009   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:"All of my thoughts come from a foreign host
  Now I feel just like a ghost"
  
  TRUTH.
  
  Everything we've ever learned we gained from teachers, parents, peers, books, movies. We are just the ghost of information from sources other than ourselves.

  Flag hulelamon April 03, 2009   Link

  • 1 Reply Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
    0

    My guess is that it isn't about the foreign hosts being teachers, media etc. Kevin Barnes has stated himself that he has alter egos to write songs, so I assume that maybe after he's written a song or lived in the mind of that alternate personality, he feels like a ghost afterwards because all of his "thoughts come from a foreign host." That's just my interpretation though :)

    Flag SouthernBelleon April 12, 2009  
• 0
  General Comment:thanks xerxes53, I mostly look to these sights hoping to unveil some esoteric meaning in the song.
  I found exactly what I was curious about, my name is Venessa and my love interest is quite the gemini with two faces, this song is perfect for us. Little Venn makes that apparent, and gives more meaning to me when at first I didn't like the beginning too much it reminds me of a basketball game but then it makes a hasty shift
  
  

  Flag pixiemouse27on March 03, 2009   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:There's far too much light and noise, for sure

  Flag moufouetteon February 12, 2009   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:This song fucking sucks, I can barley finish it. Don't get me wrong I like Of Montreal and everything.

  Flag Lagon December 20, 2008   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:The guitar on this is absolutely beautiful.
  My ears perked up when I heard him say "lille venn" the first time because that's what my mom called me when I was a little girl, however I don't feel that it is used as an endearment in this song. It sounds like it's about the battle with the negative things controlling his mind.

  Flag NauticalNunson October 29, 2008   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:It's not "lille vän", but "lille venn" (Norwegian meaning "little friend" like in 'And I've seen a blooby shadow'.

  Flag xerxes33on September 30, 2008   Link

  • 1 Reply Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
    0

    "Little friend" referred to his daughter in "Miss Blonde, Your Papa is Failing."
    
    There's also a line in "So Begins Our Alabee" (... and i never want to be your little friend the abject failure...) but I'm ignoring that one.

    Flag focusophobicon June 03, 2010  
• 0
  General Comment:It's actually "I must (deny) defy (defeat) this dark assignment.

  Flag lepidoptera3on September 27, 2008   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:i think it's "I must deny" not "defy"

  Flag Warren Judkinson September 14, 2008   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!