I take this to be at least in part about Thom's relationship with stardom and the press. "The cheering and waving" for me equates to the now numbing affect of fans and reporters clawing for shreds of the band's attention. I think Thom equates himself with the "mongrel cat", dragging home the spoils of the rock star lifestyle to place conspicuously on display. The compelling aspect of this delivery is that Thom is aware of the changes in himself that his career has catalyzed. In this context, the title and principle metaphor of the song makes a lot of sense. In humans, myxomatosis is a condition of multiple tumors that are frequently localized in the heart. Thom seems to be witnessing and commenting on the growth of something dark in himself...
I take this to be at least in part about Thom's relationship with stardom and the press. "The cheering and waving" for me equates to the now numbing affect of fans and reporters clawing for shreds of the band's attention. I think Thom equates himself with the "mongrel cat", dragging home the spoils of the rock star lifestyle to place conspicuously on display. The compelling aspect of this delivery is that Thom is aware of the changes in himself that his career has catalyzed. In this context, the title and principle metaphor of the song makes a lot of sense. In humans, myxomatosis is a condition of multiple tumors that are frequently localized in the heart. Thom seems to be witnessing and commenting on the growth of something dark in himself...