Like i've read here and there this song is actually about Maynard's son, whose second name is “H”. But I think that's not exactly about the fear to replicate upon his own son the violence that he himself has suffered from his father.
I think that the lyric involves directly or indirectly 4 charachters:
Maynard : who is the center of an inner conflict.
The snake : Personification of Maynard's hate, rage, and revenge feelings for what he suffered when he was a child
Maynard's father
Maynard's son.
Keeping these in mind, all we have to do is understand sentence by sentence whom the song is referring to.
“What's coming through is alive. What's holding up is a mirror.”
Maynard's son lead Maynard to look at himself and think again about his sad childhood.
“But what's singing songs is a snake. Looking to turn my piss to wine.”
The snake is the temptation to indulge in hate and resentment, making them look like pleasant feelings (piss to wine).
“They're both totally void of hate, But killing me just the same.”
That's referred to the snake and the father.
The snake behind me hisses What my damage could have done. “
That's ambiguois. I think the “damage” could be the mark of the father on Maynard, the fact that his personality changed in worst because he became full of hate, resentment, etc.
My blood before me begs me Open up my heart again.
But his inner voice (me) and his son (my blood) beg him to not let his father, the hate and resentment win, but to open his heart instead.
And I feel this coming over like a storm again. Considerately.
All the fear, inner conflicts, rage, etc. that he experienced in the past as his father came to beat him are happening once again in his mind.
Venomous voice, tempts me, Drains me, bleeds me. Leaves me cracked and empty. Drags me down like some sweet gravity.
As above the snake is the temptation to indulge in anger and bad feelings instead of fighting them.
I am too connected to you. To slip away, fade away. Days away I still feel you. Touching me, changing me. Considerately killing me.
That's the climax of the inner fight: Maynard is scared that the past hurted him to deeply and too much, so that's impossible for him to change, to forget.
Without the skin here, Beneath the storm. Under these tears now, The walls came down. And as the snake is drowned And as I look in his eyes, My fear begins to fade Recalling all of those times. I could have cried then. I should have cried then. (…) I have died and will die. It's all right. (I don't mind)
At the end Maynard won the fight, he is reborn: all the anger that surrond him like walls are gone, the snake that tempted him is gone. He look in his son's eyes in order to find the strenght to change and let the good feelings win. But even if he won this fight he can't erase what happened: he still recall those days, he still remember all the bad feelings he had to hide, all the time he wanted to cry, all the time that he died inside. And every time he will remember what happened he will die inside once again.
After all this song is pretty similar to “Reflection”: both describes an inner fight against bad feelings (anger and resentment / selfishness and sloth), and both ends up with the win of the good side of the soul. (“And as I pull my head out I am without one doubt. Don't wanna be down here feeding my narcissism” / “Without the skin here, Beneath the storm. Under these tears now, The walls came down. And as the snake is drowned And as I look in his eyes, My fear begins to fade”)
Like i've read here and there this song is actually about Maynard's son, whose second name is “H”. But I think that's not exactly about the fear to replicate upon his own son the violence that he himself has suffered from his father. I think that the lyric involves directly or indirectly 4 charachters: Maynard : who is the center of an inner conflict. The snake : Personification of Maynard's hate, rage, and revenge feelings for what he suffered when he was a child Maynard's father Maynard's son. Keeping these in mind, all we have to do is understand sentence by sentence whom the song is referring to.
Maynard's son lead Maynard to look at himself and think again about his sad childhood.
The snake is the temptation to indulge in hate and resentment, making them look like pleasant feelings (piss to wine).
That's referred to the snake and the father.
That's ambiguois. I think the “damage” could be the mark of the father on Maynard, the fact that his personality changed in worst because he became full of hate, resentment, etc.
But his inner voice (me) and his son (my blood) beg him to not let his father, the hate and resentment win, but to open his heart instead.
All the fear, inner conflicts, rage, etc. that he experienced in the past as his father came to beat him are happening once again in his mind.
As above the snake is the temptation to indulge in anger and bad feelings instead of fighting them.
That's the climax of the inner fight: Maynard is scared that the past hurted him to deeply and too much, so that's impossible for him to change, to forget.
At the end Maynard won the fight, he is reborn: all the anger that surrond him like walls are gone, the snake that tempted him is gone. He look in his son's eyes in order to find the strenght to change and let the good feelings win. But even if he won this fight he can't erase what happened: he still recall those days, he still remember all the bad feelings he had to hide, all the time he wanted to cry, all the time that he died inside. And every time he will remember what happened he will die inside once again.
After all this song is pretty similar to “Reflection”: both describes an inner fight against bad feelings (anger and resentment / selfishness and sloth), and both ends up with the win of the good side of the soul. (“And as I pull my head out I am without one doubt. Don't wanna be down here feeding my narcissism” / “Without the skin here, Beneath the storm. Under these tears now, The walls came down. And as the snake is drowned And as I look in his eyes, My fear begins to fade”)
This song is about addiction itself. H. just happens to be a platform for the idea.
This song is about addiction itself. H. just happens to be a platform for the idea.