I think this song, like all great art has multiple interpretations that all reinforce the same basic conclusion.
I think that heroin use is a theme in the song, but it is used to demonstrate a broader point. I believe that the lines "they were all in love with dying, they were drinking from a fountain, that was pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain" is a metaphor for all activities that people engage in to excess. Heroin, casual sex, fighting, drinking, and driving when done in a reckless manner are all enjoyable but inevitably lead to tragedy. One cannot really "drink" something like an avalanche, and here the point is made that while these people choose their actions, they cannot control the outcome or what will ultimately happen.
@Czechxican
You're right, every one of the things listed in excess eventually leads to death.
"Heroin, casual sex, fighting, drinking, and driving when done in a reckless manner are all enjoyable but inevitably lead to tragedy."
@Czechxican
You're right, every one of the things listed in excess eventually leads to death.
"Heroin, casual sex, fighting, drinking, and driving when done in a reckless manner are all enjoyable but inevitably lead to tragedy."
I can taste you on my lips and smell you in my clothes (as stated above in another comment, this is the wreak of sugar that an addict dabbling in heroin or opiates)
Cinnamon and sugary and softly spoken lies
-Drug abuse leads to addiction and eventually to an overdose. I like to think that softly spoken lies are the one of an addict consoling a loved one, promising to get better and not hurt them anymore. This, of course, is not the case and when the addict is alone again, they'll fall back into their dark despair as they shoot up once more for a high that will make them forget about their misdeeds. It's a vicious cycle.
Mikey got with (sexual innuendo) Sharon, Sharon got Cherie
She was sharin' Sharon's outlook on the topic of disease (sexually transmitted disease)
-Casual sex raises the risk of an STD, (something else mentioned in those first two lyrics of the song), and if too many or the wrong one is contracted, death would be around the corner. It hurts everyone affected by it and this is in turn acknowledged by the discussion of "the topic of disease".
Another Mikey took a knife while arguing in traffic
-An excess in violent tendencies is a pretty self-explanatory way down the path to death. It not only could kill the adversary but the people around them as well.
This song is about the destructive tendancies of things in excess' effect on man, i.e. the inevitable extinguishing of a life. Most people assume after a first listen that most of the examples in the song were just about self-destruction, but I disagree. Whether that be percieved external or internal destruction, for example, the difference between a person with a fighting issue and a person with a drug abuse issue, they can both hurt those around them. Drug addicts aren't exclusively self destructive, as they have the capacity to both phsycologically and physically hurt their loved ones. Addicts tend to bring people down with them, such as people in relationships. If one is an addict and the other doesn't have the strength anymore to get them help, they eventually give in and they tragedy of life ensues once more.
I think this song, like all great art has multiple interpretations that all reinforce the same basic conclusion.
I think that heroin use is a theme in the song, but it is used to demonstrate a broader point. I believe that the lines "they were all in love with dying, they were drinking from a fountain, that was pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain" is a metaphor for all activities that people engage in to excess. Heroin, casual sex, fighting, drinking, and driving when done in a reckless manner are all enjoyable but inevitably lead to tragedy. One cannot really "drink" something like an avalanche, and here the point is made that while these people choose their actions, they cannot control the outcome or what will ultimately happen.
@Czechxican You're right, every one of the things listed in excess eventually leads to death. "Heroin, casual sex, fighting, drinking, and driving when done in a reckless manner are all enjoyable but inevitably lead to tragedy."
@Czechxican You're right, every one of the things listed in excess eventually leads to death. "Heroin, casual sex, fighting, drinking, and driving when done in a reckless manner are all enjoyable but inevitably lead to tragedy."
I can taste you on my lips and smell you in my clothes (as stated above in another comment, this is the wreak of sugar that an addict dabbling in heroin or opiates) Cinnamon and sugary and softly spoken lies -Drug abuse leads to addiction and eventually to an overdose. I like to think that softly spoken lies are the one of an addict consoling a loved one, promising to get better and not hurt them anymore. This, of course, is not the case and when the addict is alone again, they'll fall back into their dark despair as they shoot up once more for a high that will make them forget about their misdeeds. It's a vicious cycle.
Mikey got with (sexual innuendo) Sharon, Sharon got Cherie She was sharin' Sharon's outlook on the topic of disease (sexually transmitted disease) -Casual sex raises the risk of an STD, (something else mentioned in those first two lyrics of the song), and if too many or the wrong one is contracted, death would be around the corner. It hurts everyone affected by it and this is in turn acknowledged by the discussion of "the topic of disease".
Another Mikey took a knife while arguing in traffic -An excess in violent tendencies is a pretty self-explanatory way down the path to death. It not only could kill the adversary but the people around them as well.
This song is about the destructive tendancies of things in excess' effect on man, i.e. the inevitable extinguishing of a life. Most people assume after a first listen that most of the examples in the song were just about self-destruction, but I disagree. Whether that be percieved external or internal destruction, for example, the difference between a person with a fighting issue and a person with a drug abuse issue, they can both hurt those around them. Drug addicts aren't exclusively self destructive, as they have the capacity to both phsycologically and physically hurt their loved ones. Addicts tend to bring people down with them, such as people in relationships. If one is an addict and the other doesn't have the strength anymore to get them help, they eventually give in and they tragedy of life ensues once more.