That prison idea is really interesting, but I think I interpret this a bit differently. First of all, I think the song is showing the progression of a person's life. It demonstrates how he moves from a natural and "human" lifestyle to a more corporate lifestyle "links to the banks" which interferes with the narrators personal concerns and back to a more natural and personable one "laying by the docks so undisturbed."
The first stanza introduces this story by saying the narrator has been "away." One can infer from the line "tears from the trees fall on sullen lives," that the narrator has moved away from his natural lifestyle to one that has become sullen. However, the next two lines show that he is now renouncing that lifestyle. The wake of a "plastic mind" can be interpreted as a figurative funeral of his materialistic lifestyle in favor of the love found in a more natural lifestyle filled with human relations.
The next stanza refers to his corporate lifestyle as the devil because of how it affects his relationship "I can't see you." He then decides to "split the difference" between the two lifestyles.
He then elaborates on how because of his "undeveloped" or naive mind he was led into a materialistic and corporate lifestyle. He refers to this as a "stain."
The "Bang" represents a turning point in the story.
The next stanza sounds like a plea to a loved one who was perhaps unsympathetic to the narrators selfish and materialistic lifestyle.
The next stanza represents a return to a more human lifestyle. Interestingly, here falling leaves are represented in a more beautiful yet melancholic way, whereas in the first stanza falling leaves seem to be represented a "tears." Very different imagery, which displays the contrast between lifestyles. Also, the narrator says that he hopes it is this lifestyle that remains-- perhaps as a memory?
The next line seems to be just embracing death as the next step after life. I'm not sure about the rest.
That prison idea is really interesting, but I think I interpret this a bit differently. First of all, I think the song is showing the progression of a person's life. It demonstrates how he moves from a natural and "human" lifestyle to a more corporate lifestyle "links to the banks" which interferes with the narrators personal concerns and back to a more natural and personable one "laying by the docks so undisturbed."
The first stanza introduces this story by saying the narrator has been "away." One can infer from the line "tears from the trees fall on sullen lives," that the narrator has moved away from his natural lifestyle to one that has become sullen. However, the next two lines show that he is now renouncing that lifestyle. The wake of a "plastic mind" can be interpreted as a figurative funeral of his materialistic lifestyle in favor of the love found in a more natural lifestyle filled with human relations.
The next stanza refers to his corporate lifestyle as the devil because of how it affects his relationship "I can't see you." He then decides to "split the difference" between the two lifestyles.
He then elaborates on how because of his "undeveloped" or naive mind he was led into a materialistic and corporate lifestyle. He refers to this as a "stain."
The "Bang" represents a turning point in the story.
The next stanza sounds like a plea to a loved one who was perhaps unsympathetic to the narrators selfish and materialistic lifestyle.
The next stanza represents a return to a more human lifestyle. Interestingly, here falling leaves are represented in a more beautiful yet melancholic way, whereas in the first stanza falling leaves seem to be represented a "tears." Very different imagery, which displays the contrast between lifestyles. Also, the narrator says that he hopes it is this lifestyle that remains-- perhaps as a memory?
The next line seems to be just embracing death as the next step after life. I'm not sure about the rest.
Just my wordy and ridiculous opinion.