Well as many have said I believe too that this song talks about God.
My interpratation is that for some reason (maybe death experience?) our protagonist is on the stairway to heaven "We passed upon the stair", talking with God. He is talking with God and God says that he is his friend, but the protagonist feels suprise because he thought God had forgotten the human race. He actually thought he "died alone, a long long time ago".
Then God says that no, he never died. He never lost control (trying to put the blame out of him), but then admits that He actually sold the world (maybe to the devil or just by leaving us with no guidance).
Our protagonist finds that funny (maybe because he doesn't believe Him) and tries to get back home (his death experience is over and he will actually survive), but when he returns (to life?) he is not the same. He is roaming in the society like he is in a foreign land, watching the human race and stating "We must have died alone, a long long time ago". We lost whatever good we had as a society by the time God sold - abandoned us.
But then he says "who knows? not me, we never lost control" "we" refers to the human race. He tries not to put the blame on the human race like God tried earlier by saying "not me, I never lost control". and concludes by staring at the society admiting that "You're face to face. With the Man who Sold the World" meaning that WE actually sold the world. And it is our fault too...
The other alternative I have is that the man in the first verses who sold the world is Judas by betraying Jesus. That fills the gap of "I thought you died ALONE"... Judas died alone.
Well as many have said I believe too that this song talks about God.
My interpratation is that for some reason (maybe death experience?) our protagonist is on the stairway to heaven "We passed upon the stair", talking with God. He is talking with God and God says that he is his friend, but the protagonist feels suprise because he thought God had forgotten the human race. He actually thought he "died alone, a long long time ago".
Then God says that no, he never died. He never lost control (trying to put the blame out of him), but then admits that He actually sold the world (maybe to the devil or just by leaving us with no guidance).
Our protagonist finds that funny (maybe because he doesn't believe Him) and tries to get back home (his death experience is over and he will actually survive), but when he returns (to life?) he is not the same. He is roaming in the society like he is in a foreign land, watching the human race and stating "We must have died alone, a long long time ago". We lost whatever good we had as a society by the time God sold - abandoned us.
But then he says "who knows? not me, we never lost control" "we" refers to the human race. He tries not to put the blame on the human race like God tried earlier by saying "not me, I never lost control". and concludes by staring at the society admiting that "You're face to face. With the Man who Sold the World" meaning that WE actually sold the world. And it is our fault too...
The other alternative I have is that the man in the first verses who sold the world is Judas by betraying Jesus. That fills the gap of "I thought you died ALONE"... Judas died alone.