Fatal is un-understandable.

junkee_bizness

I have no idea what 'fatal' is about. i have been listening to it before bed for the last few days. can some intelligent,brilliant and poetic people shed some light... well, i do know that interpretations are personal, but for this one i couldn't be any more imaginative...

how good is he?
how warm are his eyes
you'll see it's not a reprise
did he arrive
too late and too tethered away
to put on his suit and his tie?
how good is he?
how warm is his heart
or ego telling him which place to park
did he relate, the message is clearly hardly
grounds for dismissal outright
grounds for dismissal outright
i wake up and wait up
when anger's in fashion
i wake up and wait up
it echoes through the mansions
i wake up and wait up
when april's in may, oh uh oh
i wake up and wait up
the answers are fatal
the answers are fatal
when i wait up and wake up
the answers are fatal
if he's truly out of sight
is he truly out of mind?
if he's truly out of sight..

Pearl Jam and toast

its about a philosophy of Plato's.

i cant decipher exactly what it means because i have no idea which plato its about. but it seems to be roughly about fame or at least fortune and losing yourself and your integrity.

the line about an empty manshion "it echoes through the manshion" clearly meaning the charecter's wealth has lost his friends and loved ones because of the way its changed him.

the last lines..

is he truly out of sight? etc.. are asking.. "is he really gone for good or can we get our old friend back?"

the first part of the song seems to be about the gradual wear away at this man.. transforming into what he became by the end.

"i wait up and wake up, the answers are fatal"... hmm.. possibly waiting for him to change back or fix himself but realizing its never going to happen.

capybaralet

i think the Plato refrence isn't really the center of the song, exactly.

I don't remember what I thought this song was about, though, I think it might have something to do with the relationship between the details and the overall picture.

toronado10

i always related it to a break up and the other person is now involved with someone else and you don't want to hear about him.

pearlmutt

the answer is in Plato.

That's how I look at the song.

The answer being the analogy of the cave for me.

It's one of the best philosophies ever, in my opinion.

http://www.geocities.com/jasonpell/documents/cave.html

If that's not what they meant, so be it. It's what I mean.

Blyss

I don't know what it's about but i prefer it that way, i interpret it as an abuse relationship, and about the victim not being able to leave.

ubick

Seems to me the song is a person confronting their loved one about an affair that they have had. Asking her questions about him and then speaks of his anger echoing. Grounds for dismissal? the answers are fatal... A great example of this would be the movie Closer(2004), which I just watched and found totally engrossing. check it out and then listen to this song

Pearl Jam and toast

pearlmutt wrote:

the answer is in Plato.

That's how I look at the song.

The answer being the analogy of the cave for me.

It's one of the best philosophies ever, in my opinion.

http://www.geocities.com/jasonpell/documents/cave.html

If that's not what they meant, so be it. It's what I mean.

i love that philosophy.

ive read it many times before and i know for a fact that Given To Fly is about it.

Beautiful.

Abuskedti

junkee_bizness wrote:

I have no idea what 'fatal' is about. i have been listening to it before bed for the last few days. can some intelligent,brilliant and poetic people shed some light... well, i do know that interpretations are personal, but for this one i couldn't be any more imaginative...

how good is he?
how warm are his eyes
you'll see it's not a reprise
did he arrive
too late and too tethered away
to put on his suit and his tie?
how good is he?
how warm is his heart
or ego telling him which place to park
did he relate, the message is clearly hardly
grounds for dismissal outright
grounds for dismissal outright
i wake up and wait up
when anger's in fashion
i wake up and wait up
it echoes through the mansions
i wake up and wait up
when april's in may, oh uh oh
i wake up and wait up
the answers are fatal
the answers are fatal
when i wait up and wake up
the answers are fatal
if he's truly out of sight
is he truly out of mind?
if he's truly out of sight..

It seems obvious to me..

Its about that time when you (the woman) realize he may well be already gone...

Merkyjamm

I love Ed's vocals on "it echoes through the mansions"...

Soul-destroying.