This song is obviously about suicide, but I'm surprised at some of the interpretations here. My take on it is that it is that moment you decide you want to kill yourself. I've felt this feeling before and at that moment you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer. So with this main thought in mind I'll go by lyrics:
"Today is the greatest
Day I've ever known"
As described above they're finally at peace and all is well now because they have a plan.
"Can't live for tomorrow,
Tomorrow's much too long"
Again, the decision is made and it won't be long before they execute their suicide.
"I'll burn my eyes out
Before I get out"
Another thought that someone that is going to kill themselves has is "How will people remember me?". And ultimately for a severely depressed person they decide that they don't care how people will remember them. You have some people that will threaten suicide to get back at people and such, but those aren't the ones you have to watch out for its the ones that simply don't care about anything anymore. So this line to me is just another step in the process of coming to the conclusion of killing yourself. You will forget about all wordly things that you've seen because soon it will all be over anyway.
"I wanted more
Than life could ever grant me"
Sticking with the theme of accepting your decision to kill yourself this might be a thought that goes through your head. The thought that you can never be happy living.
"Bored by the chore
Of saving face"
As stated above once someone decides they're going to do it they don't care how others will view their action. Many people feel sad and like killing themselves at one time or another, but most people will think about others and decide that ultimately it isn't the right thing to do. They'll have thoughts of things such as, "Will it hurt?", "What if I survive?", "What is the best way to do it?", and "Who am I leaving behind?". For those that finally decide they're going to go through with it though they don't have these thoughts anymore. They've thought about it and rethought about it over and over and are simply too worn out to worry about it any longer and it is time to just do it. So again they kind of emotionally let go of what people think about them.
"I'll tear my heart out
Before I get out"
They will stop caring about the people they once loved. How can they kill themselves if they still have ties to this world? They can't so they have to let go and forget about what people will think, how people will view them, family, and friends. So this verse along with the other "Before I get out" verse is burn my eyes out and tear my heart out. Since burn eyes comes first I view this as forgetting about the people they'll leave behind, but not until later in the song when they're ready to tear their heart out do they actually find the strength to not care and move to the next step of the suicidal process.
"Pink ribbon scars
That never forget"
They have had a failed suicide attempt previously.
"I tried so hard
To cleanse these regrets"
In their failed suicide attempt previously they tried really hard to kill themselves, but still didn't succeed. This lets them know they're going to have to try harder and it also reaffirms the fact that they're a failure.
"My angel wings
Were bruised and restrained"
Thinking back to when things were okay and they were innocent. Even from early on they had problems and were held back in some way from doing what they wanted to do or what was important to them. This can really mean the earliest instance they remember where they felt bad like things were hopeless.
"My belly stings"
And for "leavemesour" I think this line is the hurt you feel right after remembering that beginning of it all. The reason your belly stings in this instance is because you start to think what could have been if a few different decisions were made or a few things took place. You start to gain a little hope of what could have been basically. But this is no time for hope and earlier you made the deal with yourself to not care about any of this stuff anymore so you push it back down and you pushing it down and hiding it away physically pains you.
"I want to turn you on
I want to turn you on
I want to turn you on
I want to turn you"
I have two interpretations of this:
1) This is a specific instance of the problem that the person is having. What I mean is "I want to turn you on" could mean the person is killing themselves over some girlfriend/boyfriend that they couldn't satisfy. I don't really like this interpretation though.
2) It could also mean nothing specifically and just be a way of showing that the person went through with killing themselves because the fourth line cuts off before it is finished. I like this interpretation a little more.
"Today is the greatest
Today is the greatest day
Today is the greatest day
That I have ever really known"
And its the greatest day they have ever really known because they're at peace and they know it will be over soon.
@Vortex33 I love your whole interpretation, I know the exact feelings of this song and I just wanted to give you my input that you may not have thought of, in the line "Bored by the chore Of saving face" in my experience I think he might be referencing that he is sick of putting on a daily mask for everyone pretending he's OK I know personally I do this and in the darkest times I just can't be bothered pretending to people anymore. In the line "I want to turn you on" I think it's a shadow...
@Vortex33 I love your whole interpretation, I know the exact feelings of this song and I just wanted to give you my input that you may not have thought of, in the line "Bored by the chore Of saving face" in my experience I think he might be referencing that he is sick of putting on a daily mask for everyone pretending he's OK I know personally I do this and in the darkest times I just can't be bothered pretending to people anymore. In the line "I want to turn you on" I think it's a shadow echo of his previous thoughts of wanting everyone to like him and trying so hard to be liked, I know Billy didn't have an eating disorder but coming from someone who has, I really relate to this line because I always seek the validation that i'm pretty, not just from a partner but from everyone, I want everyone to find my body attractive so that's where I really relate to the line. Hope you liked my interpretation and gave you a possible new view :)
I think "bored by the chore of saving face" is because he's not really suicidal. He's rock-star suicidal. Everyone in the early '90s rock scene had to pretend to be depressed, if they weren't anyway.
I think "bored by the chore of saving face" is because he's not really suicidal. He's rock-star suicidal. Everyone in the early '90s rock scene had to pretend to be depressed, if they weren't anyway.
As you point out, people who are ready to kill themselves don't complain about things. They're above and beyond all that. Problems are seen as something that can't be helped or solved, just escaped. Anyone who ever threatened to kill themselves "because" something, isn't really suicidal. Real suicides don't threaten. As you say, suddenly cheering up is one of the bad signs!
Poor ol' Billy might have been a bit worn out and tired after all the drugs and sex he was having as a touring rock star, singing songs to people who adored him every night. It's hard work, but so is emptying bins for a living, or cleaning toilets. And toilet cleaners aren't lucky enough to be able to put their unhappiness into a form that cleans even more toilets, unlike a songwriter.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer".
Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer".
Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer".
Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer".
Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer".
Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer".
Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer".
Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer".
Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer".
Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer".
Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer".
Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer".
Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
This song is obviously about suicide, but I'm surprised at some of the interpretations here. My take on it is that it is that moment you decide you want to kill yourself. I've felt this feeling before and at that moment you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer. So with this main thought in mind I'll go by lyrics:
"Today is the greatest Day I've ever known"
As described above they're finally at peace and all is well now because they have a plan.
"Can't live for tomorrow, Tomorrow's much too long"
Again, the decision is made and it won't be long before they execute their suicide.
"I'll burn my eyes out Before I get out"
Another thought that someone that is going to kill themselves has is "How will people remember me?". And ultimately for a severely depressed person they decide that they don't care how people will remember them. You have some people that will threaten suicide to get back at people and such, but those aren't the ones you have to watch out for its the ones that simply don't care about anything anymore. So this line to me is just another step in the process of coming to the conclusion of killing yourself. You will forget about all wordly things that you've seen because soon it will all be over anyway.
"I wanted more Than life could ever grant me"
Sticking with the theme of accepting your decision to kill yourself this might be a thought that goes through your head. The thought that you can never be happy living.
"Bored by the chore Of saving face"
As stated above once someone decides they're going to do it they don't care how others will view their action. Many people feel sad and like killing themselves at one time or another, but most people will think about others and decide that ultimately it isn't the right thing to do. They'll have thoughts of things such as, "Will it hurt?", "What if I survive?", "What is the best way to do it?", and "Who am I leaving behind?". For those that finally decide they're going to go through with it though they don't have these thoughts anymore. They've thought about it and rethought about it over and over and are simply too worn out to worry about it any longer and it is time to just do it. So again they kind of emotionally let go of what people think about them.
"I'll tear my heart out Before I get out"
They will stop caring about the people they once loved. How can they kill themselves if they still have ties to this world? They can't so they have to let go and forget about what people will think, how people will view them, family, and friends. So this verse along with the other "Before I get out" verse is burn my eyes out and tear my heart out. Since burn eyes comes first I view this as forgetting about the people they'll leave behind, but not until later in the song when they're ready to tear their heart out do they actually find the strength to not care and move to the next step of the suicidal process.
"Pink ribbon scars That never forget"
They have had a failed suicide attempt previously.
"I tried so hard To cleanse these regrets"
In their failed suicide attempt previously they tried really hard to kill themselves, but still didn't succeed. This lets them know they're going to have to try harder and it also reaffirms the fact that they're a failure.
"My angel wings Were bruised and restrained"
Thinking back to when things were okay and they were innocent. Even from early on they had problems and were held back in some way from doing what they wanted to do or what was important to them. This can really mean the earliest instance they remember where they felt bad like things were hopeless.
"My belly stings"
And for "leavemesour" I think this line is the hurt you feel right after remembering that beginning of it all. The reason your belly stings in this instance is because you start to think what could have been if a few different decisions were made or a few things took place. You start to gain a little hope of what could have been basically. But this is no time for hope and earlier you made the deal with yourself to not care about any of this stuff anymore so you push it back down and you pushing it down and hiding it away physically pains you.
"I want to turn you on I want to turn you on I want to turn you on I want to turn you"
I have two interpretations of this:
1) This is a specific instance of the problem that the person is having. What I mean is "I want to turn you on" could mean the person is killing themselves over some girlfriend/boyfriend that they couldn't satisfy. I don't really like this interpretation though.
2) It could also mean nothing specifically and just be a way of showing that the person went through with killing themselves because the fourth line cuts off before it is finished. I like this interpretation a little more.
"Today is the greatest Today is the greatest day Today is the greatest day That I have ever really known"
And its the greatest day they have ever really known because they're at peace and they know it will be over soon.
@Vortex33 I love your whole interpretation, I know the exact feelings of this song and I just wanted to give you my input that you may not have thought of, in the line "Bored by the chore Of saving face" in my experience I think he might be referencing that he is sick of putting on a daily mask for everyone pretending he's OK I know personally I do this and in the darkest times I just can't be bothered pretending to people anymore. In the line "I want to turn you on" I think it's a shadow...
@Vortex33 I love your whole interpretation, I know the exact feelings of this song and I just wanted to give you my input that you may not have thought of, in the line "Bored by the chore Of saving face" in my experience I think he might be referencing that he is sick of putting on a daily mask for everyone pretending he's OK I know personally I do this and in the darkest times I just can't be bothered pretending to people anymore. In the line "I want to turn you on" I think it's a shadow echo of his previous thoughts of wanting everyone to like him and trying so hard to be liked, I know Billy didn't have an eating disorder but coming from someone who has, I really relate to this line because I always seek the validation that i'm pretty, not just from a partner but from everyone, I want everyone to find my body attractive so that's where I really relate to the line. Hope you liked my interpretation and gave you a possible new view :)
Great interpretation!
Great interpretation!
I think "bored by the chore of saving face" is because he's not really suicidal. He's rock-star suicidal. Everyone in the early '90s rock scene had to pretend to be depressed, if they weren't anyway.
I think "bored by the chore of saving face" is because he's not really suicidal. He's rock-star suicidal. Everyone in the early '90s rock scene had to pretend to be depressed, if they weren't anyway.
As you point out, people who are ready to kill themselves don't complain about things. They're above and beyond all that. Problems are seen as something that can't be helped or solved, just escaped. Anyone who ever threatened to kill themselves "because" something, isn't really suicidal. Real suicides don't threaten. As you say, suddenly cheering up is one of the bad signs!
Poor ol' Billy might have been a bit worn out and tired after all the drugs and sex he was having as a touring rock star, singing songs to people who adored him every night. It's hard work, but so is emptying bins for a living, or cleaning toilets. And toilet cleaners aren't lucky enough to be able to put their unhappiness into a form that cleans even more toilets, unlike a songwriter.
Let's all go out and buy fur coats!
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer". Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer". Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer". Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer". Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer". Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer". Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer". Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer". Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer". Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer". Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer". Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.
@Vortex33 "you really don't feel sad anymore. You actually feel at peace and empowered. If you ask someone that is going to kill themselves "what is wrong?" the answer will almost always be "nothing" if they have already made up their mind. They don't need your help any longer they don't need your approval any longer they don't need any input whatsoever from you any longer". Could this be the same mood as in No Surprises by Radiohead, which can be similar in many ways I suppose.