|
As a songwriter, I know the stark distinction between me and the person speaking in the song. However, I also know how connected they are. As the writer of the lyrics I may create fantasies out of a very real situation, or emphasize events in a situation that I am a part of. This is all done to make the story worth telling. However it doesn't mean that these songs are any less personal. There is plenty of evidence that Thom does speak personally with little distance from reality. Just look at the song Lift where he actually gives up that he is talking to himself by using his own name. "You been stuck in a lift, we've been trying to reach you, Thom". Now, I doubt that that Thom really was stuck in a lift and had to be rescued. However the use of his own name is telling of how personal those images are anyway. However, Thom, continualy adhereing to that vagueness, choose to take out his name from later versions of the song, which might suggest that other songs are also very personal, but gaurded by obscuring lyrics.
__________________
Here are some phrases I'd like to be able to say, in all honesty, before I die.
"That's it, send out the ninjas!"
"So then I had to kill my way to the second floor."
|