Lyrically another fantastic song. Nobody comes close to how much of a genius Ian was. Analyzed verse by verse as I see this song. It's the suicide chapter of the album. The beginning of Side 2's "post-Ian world".
"Instincts that can still betray us,
A journey that leads to the sun,
Soulless and bent on destruction,
A struggle between right and wrong."
Instincts that can still betray us. When people try to kill themselves (especially through hanging), they involuntarily chicken out because the body subconsciously requires oxygen. The only thing that can betray Ian's decision to die is his natural need to keep breathing -- as much as he doesn't want to.
The journey leads to the sun... It's death. Simple as that.
Soulless and bent on destruction, a struggle between right and wrong is him weighing the decision to go through with it. He knows he REALLY wants to die, but he still has the morals to understand that it's wrong to those around him and who care about him.
"You take my place in the showdown,
I'll observe witha pitiful eye,
I'll humbly ask for forgiveness,
A request well beyond you and I."
He's speaking to someone else in his same predicament. Really anyone who wants to kill themselves too. It's quite possible he's watching this from the afterlife and he's already followed through on his suicide.
"An abyss that laughs at creation,
A circus complete with all fools,
Foundations that lasted the ages,
Then ripped apart at their roots."
Quite possibly the most brilliant description of death I've ever heard/read in my life. It's so straight forward, but so poetic. The abyss being death, the circus of fools being all those who also committed suicide (ALL because nobody who kills themselves doesn't die).
"Beyond all this good is the terror,
The grip of a mercenary hand,
When savagery turns all good reason,
There's no turning back, no last stand."
Savagery is the animalistic and violent decision to commit suicide, but here it has turned on all good reason to keep living. Once you commit, you can never return. There's no turning back.
"Existence well what does it matter?
I exist on the best terms I can.
The past is now part of my future,
The present is well out of hand.
The present is well out of hand."
Only one line that needs analysis there. "The past is now part of my future", from now on, the only thing people will ever know about Ian Curtis again is his life, which has passed. The past (his life), will continue to be his legacy. And the present is out of hand. There's nothing he can do to change it.
It's SO FUCKING GENIUS. Greatest writing of any human ever.
Lyrically another fantastic song. Nobody comes close to how much of a genius Ian was. Analyzed verse by verse as I see this song. It's the suicide chapter of the album. The beginning of Side 2's "post-Ian world".
"Instincts that can still betray us, A journey that leads to the sun, Soulless and bent on destruction, A struggle between right and wrong."
Instincts that can still betray us. When people try to kill themselves (especially through hanging), they involuntarily chicken out because the body subconsciously requires oxygen. The only thing that can betray Ian's decision to die is his natural need to keep breathing -- as much as he doesn't want to. The journey leads to the sun... It's death. Simple as that. Soulless and bent on destruction, a struggle between right and wrong is him weighing the decision to go through with it. He knows he REALLY wants to die, but he still has the morals to understand that it's wrong to those around him and who care about him.
"You take my place in the showdown, I'll observe witha pitiful eye, I'll humbly ask for forgiveness, A request well beyond you and I."
He's speaking to someone else in his same predicament. Really anyone who wants to kill themselves too. It's quite possible he's watching this from the afterlife and he's already followed through on his suicide.
"An abyss that laughs at creation, A circus complete with all fools, Foundations that lasted the ages, Then ripped apart at their roots."
Quite possibly the most brilliant description of death I've ever heard/read in my life. It's so straight forward, but so poetic. The abyss being death, the circus of fools being all those who also committed suicide (ALL because nobody who kills themselves doesn't die).
"Beyond all this good is the terror, The grip of a mercenary hand, When savagery turns all good reason, There's no turning back, no last stand."
Savagery is the animalistic and violent decision to commit suicide, but here it has turned on all good reason to keep living. Once you commit, you can never return. There's no turning back.
"Existence well what does it matter? I exist on the best terms I can. The past is now part of my future, The present is well out of hand. The present is well out of hand."
Only one line that needs analysis there. "The past is now part of my future", from now on, the only thing people will ever know about Ian Curtis again is his life, which has passed. The past (his life), will continue to be his legacy. And the present is out of hand. There's nothing he can do to change it.
It's SO FUCKING GENIUS. Greatest writing of any human ever.