Yes Isaac is depressed, and basically this whole album portrays that very clearly. However there is more to it than simply being depressed. Here is my take on things:
This album was written and recorded in the 1990's which is when the second wave of environmentalism arose in modern history with the discoveries of catastrophic effects humans have on our planet, our home. You can find this reoccurring theme of nature throughout the album.
"The custom concern for the people
Build up the monuments and steeples to wear out our eyes"
This is a remark to moral ideals societies ascribe to themselves (esp through Christianity and democracy in the US) and it is custom to the human species. Isaac is trying to make sense of this customary concern because we are just as much animals as any of the others, with the exception of the most highly evolved brains. We understand we must have morals but there is no agreement among us on what those morals should be.
"I get up just about noon
My head sends a message for me to reach for my shoes and then walk
Got to go to work, got to go to work, got to have a job"
This describes modern capitalism, the free market hard working american idea. Isaac is obviously depressed and doesnt see the point in going to work but realizes he must keep going even though he might hate his job it is the only way to survive in this country. He feels he doesn't really know what hes working towards or for.
"Goes through the parking lot fields
Didn't see no signs that they will yield and then thought
This'll never end, this'll never end, this'll never stop"
This is where you first see the environmentalist thought expressed. We walk through parking lots all of the time, because humans have developed our environment in that way. The parking lots are supposed to be fields and forests, but we've altered things drastically for our benefit to the point that it feels like there is no turning back. Isaac doesnt like that idea- he realizes we've lost touch with our place in the order of things and yearns for an almost unattainable relationship with Earth once more. It is his instinct.
"Message read on the bathroom wall
Said, "I don't feel at all like I fall"
Now I originally thought the lyrics was thought not fall, but either way they work work similarly. It's almost suggesting that he (and other people) feel like something is missing, like we are almost putting on an act. we are unsatisfied no matter how hard we try to do the things we are told to do in order to live a happy life- we are deviating from our nature as a species and it feels wrong.
"And we're losing all touch, losing all touch, building a desert"
This line reiterates the environmentalism I see so clearly in the song and his others on the album. We are losing touch, as I mentioned before, with our nature and our place within the natural working and order of things. Because we are doing this there are absolute disastrous consequences. We are building deserts with concrete (parking lot fields) and literally with desertification through cutting down forests and our practices of agriculture. (look up desertification in africa) Isaac is torn between the natural and domesticated sides of humanity. He sees (as many others did again starting in the 90's) that we aren't keeping our mother earth in mind and human despair results, mentally and physically.
Sorry this is so long, but the more I listened to his album his lyrics touched a lot on the natural consequences of modern human societies. He resonates with the environmentalist mind set and is torn. He can't see why we've been behaving as we have for so long even with all the research proving we must change. Thanks for reading if you took the time. It just makes sense to me after listening to his lyrics in other songs too (ie "Talking shit about a pretty sunset, blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon" possibly refers partly to the fact polluted air often makes sunsets more vivid bold and red than normal, but with almost all environmental science there is some uncertainty due to the unexplainable scale of our planetary system)
Yes Isaac is depressed, and basically this whole album portrays that very clearly. However there is more to it than simply being depressed. Here is my take on things:
This album was written and recorded in the 1990's which is when the second wave of environmentalism arose in modern history with the discoveries of catastrophic effects humans have on our planet, our home. You can find this reoccurring theme of nature throughout the album.
"The custom concern for the people Build up the monuments and steeples to wear out our eyes"
This is a remark to moral ideals societies ascribe to themselves (esp through Christianity and democracy in the US) and it is custom to the human species. Isaac is trying to make sense of this customary concern because we are just as much animals as any of the others, with the exception of the most highly evolved brains. We understand we must have morals but there is no agreement among us on what those morals should be.
"I get up just about noon My head sends a message for me to reach for my shoes and then walk Got to go to work, got to go to work, got to have a job"
This describes modern capitalism, the free market hard working american idea. Isaac is obviously depressed and doesnt see the point in going to work but realizes he must keep going even though he might hate his job it is the only way to survive in this country. He feels he doesn't really know what hes working towards or for.
"Goes through the parking lot fields Didn't see no signs that they will yield and then thought This'll never end, this'll never end, this'll never stop"
This is where you first see the environmentalist thought expressed. We walk through parking lots all of the time, because humans have developed our environment in that way. The parking lots are supposed to be fields and forests, but we've altered things drastically for our benefit to the point that it feels like there is no turning back. Isaac doesnt like that idea- he realizes we've lost touch with our place in the order of things and yearns for an almost unattainable relationship with Earth once more. It is his instinct.
"Message read on the bathroom wall Said, "I don't feel at all like I fall"
Now I originally thought the lyrics was thought not fall, but either way they work work similarly. It's almost suggesting that he (and other people) feel like something is missing, like we are almost putting on an act. we are unsatisfied no matter how hard we try to do the things we are told to do in order to live a happy life- we are deviating from our nature as a species and it feels wrong.
"And we're losing all touch, losing all touch, building a desert"
This line reiterates the environmentalism I see so clearly in the song and his others on the album. We are losing touch, as I mentioned before, with our nature and our place within the natural working and order of things. Because we are doing this there are absolute disastrous consequences. We are building deserts with concrete (parking lot fields) and literally with desertification through cutting down forests and our practices of agriculture. (look up desertification in africa) Isaac is torn between the natural and domesticated sides of humanity. He sees (as many others did again starting in the 90's) that we aren't keeping our mother earth in mind and human despair results, mentally and physically.
Sorry this is so long, but the more I listened to his album his lyrics touched a lot on the natural consequences of modern human societies. He resonates with the environmentalist mind set and is torn. He can't see why we've been behaving as we have for so long even with all the research proving we must change. Thanks for reading if you took the time. It just makes sense to me after listening to his lyrics in other songs too (ie "Talking shit about a pretty sunset, blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon" possibly refers partly to the fact polluted air often makes sunsets more vivid bold and red than normal, but with almost all environmental science there is some uncertainty due to the unexplainable scale of our planetary system)
TL;DR Simple enough, I believe I've got it. it's a song!
TL;DR Simple enough, I believe I've got it. it's a song!