Tangmo,

Well, I’ll start with a big thanks—I was starting to worry we totally missed the mark here. But your "scholarly analysis” of our lyrics is spot on. smirk When I first read John’s lyrics to this song, I was struck by some contrasting lines that suggested a conflicted point of view, so we went with that. Still, I worried about how “what’s wrong with you” might be perceived, though it’s intended as you describe. I added the “save myself” line, because we needed a seventh line in the last chorus to link to the close, but it seemed to fit for the reason you mention: self-realization—he’s screwed and by the end of the song he knows it.

All that said, John and I will keep debating changes—that’s what this forum is for. There’s a reason Hollywood studios play their films first to test audiences. If the audience doesn’t get what’s intended, what’s the point?

But I think we pretty much like the lyrics as they stand—and any changes we might make will likely be more tweaks than substantive revisions.

Thanks a ton for you input.

My kind regards,

Deej