To the best of my knowledge, this song has nothing to do with God complexes or 1984.
The late Eric Woolfson was apparently a compulsive gambler who viewed a casino as a cathedral to those pursuing games
of chance. (bravewords.com/news/the-alan-parsons-project-the-turn-of-a-friendly-card-35th-anniversary-edition-out-in-november). He was disillusioned to learn that gamblers were being monitored by what casinos refer to as the Eye in the Sky: ceiling-mounted cameras used by the casino to monitor (among other things) gamblers' behaviors.
If you view the lyrics in this context, a theme emerges: a disillusioned gambler expressing a sense of betrayal when he comes to understand that the object of his love (gaming) is a flawed, possibly dishonest system.
I believe the chorus describes the camera/casino's surveillance: it's watching you; it knows what you're next move is likely to be; it is monitored by people who make rules and decisions about gambling and most likely hold them in some contempt ("dealing with fools"). In other words, the casino is watching you, knowing what you're going to do, and keeping the odds in favor of the house ("I can cheat you blind"). There's a poignancy in the verses, as the gambler comes to understand the deceit he has experienced after years of believing he was dealing with a fair system.
All that said, it's one of my favorite songs and holds up as the description of any twisted relationship. It's just not a relationship with a deceitful woman, and the narrator doesn't see himself as a deity.
@ILikeToWatch
Very nicely summarized! You did your research and put together a well thought-out interpretation. I couldn't agree more—and this remains one of my favorite songs, regardless of whether I'm listening to it as a commentary on gambling or as a "relationship" song.
@ILikeToWatch
Very nicely summarized! You did your research and put together a well thought-out interpretation. I couldn't agree more—and this remains one of my favorite songs, regardless of whether I'm listening to it as a commentary on gambling or as a "relationship" song.
@ILikeToWatch I like the casino analogy; what makes the song tricky to me is part of the time the singer is talking to himself about discovery, and part of his words are directed to the 'eye' and the power system it represents; gambling is a activity that the gambler may be expected to lose. "The trick you said, is never play the game too long." Still the Same- Bob Seger
@ILikeToWatch I like the casino analogy; what makes the song tricky to me is part of the time the singer is talking to himself about discovery, and part of his words are directed to the 'eye' and the power system it represents; gambling is a activity that the gambler may be expected to lose. "The trick you said, is never play the game too long." Still the Same- Bob Seger
To the best of my knowledge, this song has nothing to do with God complexes or 1984.
The late Eric Woolfson was apparently a compulsive gambler who viewed a casino as a cathedral to those pursuing games of chance. (bravewords.com/news/the-alan-parsons-project-the-turn-of-a-friendly-card-35th-anniversary-edition-out-in-november). He was disillusioned to learn that gamblers were being monitored by what casinos refer to as the Eye in the Sky: ceiling-mounted cameras used by the casino to monitor (among other things) gamblers' behaviors.
If you view the lyrics in this context, a theme emerges: a disillusioned gambler expressing a sense of betrayal when he comes to understand that the object of his love (gaming) is a flawed, possibly dishonest system.
I believe the chorus describes the camera/casino's surveillance: it's watching you; it knows what you're next move is likely to be; it is monitored by people who make rules and decisions about gambling and most likely hold them in some contempt ("dealing with fools"). In other words, the casino is watching you, knowing what you're going to do, and keeping the odds in favor of the house ("I can cheat you blind"). There's a poignancy in the verses, as the gambler comes to understand the deceit he has experienced after years of believing he was dealing with a fair system.
All that said, it's one of my favorite songs and holds up as the description of any twisted relationship. It's just not a relationship with a deceitful woman, and the narrator doesn't see himself as a deity.
@ILikeToWatch Very nicely summarized! You did your research and put together a well thought-out interpretation. I couldn't agree more—and this remains one of my favorite songs, regardless of whether I'm listening to it as a commentary on gambling or as a "relationship" song.
@ILikeToWatch Very nicely summarized! You did your research and put together a well thought-out interpretation. I couldn't agree more—and this remains one of my favorite songs, regardless of whether I'm listening to it as a commentary on gambling or as a "relationship" song.
@ILikeToWatch I like the casino analogy; what makes the song tricky to me is part of the time the singer is talking to himself about discovery, and part of his words are directed to the 'eye' and the power system it represents; gambling is a activity that the gambler may be expected to lose. "The trick you said, is never play the game too long." Still the Same- Bob Seger
@ILikeToWatch I like the casino analogy; what makes the song tricky to me is part of the time the singer is talking to himself about discovery, and part of his words are directed to the 'eye' and the power system it represents; gambling is a activity that the gambler may be expected to lose. "The trick you said, is never play the game too long." Still the Same- Bob Seger