Well I think the powder trail line is about Nick's own father, who was a writer. The lines preceding it certainly seem to be in the first person: Cave surrounded by his (young) fans. Also worth noting that the line he sings when they do the song live is "some kind of SPOOKY powder trail, straight to my father's heart".
The verse about the author dying ("with tubes up his nose") might be a reference to Roland Barthes' famous essay, The Death Of The Author, which is about how the author's intentions are no longer relevant to interpreting literature. Neat trick to mix that up with what seems to be the death of God - possibly it's about how God doesn't seem to be around much these days, compared to biblical times.
"Who is this great burdensome slathering dog-thing that mediocres my every thought" is an absolutely amazing line, if you ask me. But what an enormous and encyclopaedic brain.
Well I think the powder trail line is about Nick's own father, who was a writer. The lines preceding it certainly seem to be in the first person: Cave surrounded by his (young) fans. Also worth noting that the line he sings when they do the song live is "some kind of SPOOKY powder trail, straight to my father's heart".
The verse about the author dying ("with tubes up his nose") might be a reference to Roland Barthes' famous essay, The Death Of The Author, which is about how the author's intentions are no longer relevant to interpreting literature. Neat trick to mix that up with what seems to be the death of God - possibly it's about how God doesn't seem to be around much these days, compared to biblical times.
"Who is this great burdensome slathering dog-thing that mediocres my every thought" is an absolutely amazing line, if you ask me. But what an enormous and encyclopaedic brain.
@dri-ft Was his father a writer? He was a school teacher, as far as I know.
@dri-ft Was his father a writer? He was a school teacher, as far as I know.