Voices lyrics question

[Ruba]

Hi.

So, I've been wondering, what does the first sentence in Voices mean? "Love, just don't stare." Is it like "Love, but please don't stare at me" or "Love, but don't just look stupid and watch, do something!"?

[erik16]

I think it means that don't crave for sex by staring, simply love sentimentally. If it were "love, don't just stare" then it would mean something like "don't simply stand there watching, come and get some."

[Mladen]

I think it means that don't crave for sex by staring, simply love sentimentally.

That's a shitty message.

[MoraWintersoul]

I think "love" is a noun there. He says "my love, please don't stare at me". Or that's just what I think.

[seasonsinthesky]

it looks like the stanza is about the (female?) narrator facing "the old man taking the poison," so the first line would be said old man's words to her before he does. when it reappears later, it seems to double as a warning of her relationship with religion: 'don't just stare at the message, believe in it, do what it advises, it will help' ("reveal the word when you're supposed to").

[SeRoX]

It can be understood clearly if you read following sentence.

"Love, just don't stare" ... he used to say to me every sunday morning.

[theseoafs]

Some people in this thread have got the right idea. "Love, just don't stare" is

A) said to the narrator by a man, probably an authority figure, and
B) probably meant to reflect on romantic relationships in the context of the church. Consider it analogous to "love, just don't lust".

[bosk1]

It can be understood clearly if you read following sentence.

"Love, just don't stare" ... he used to say to me every sunday morning.

This.  As usual, SeRoX is correct.

Basically, although the lyrics are incredibly cryptic and symbolic, the song is basically about someone with some level of psychological issues who is struggling with understanding religion and sex.  The context of that line is that the fictional protagonist is likely hearing the message, "love, just don't stare" from the pulpit at church.  In other words, the message being preached is, "love, but don't lust," which the protagonist is struggling to put into perspective.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

the song is basically about someone with some level of psychological issues who is struggling with understanding religion and sex.

DT wrote a song about AndyDT?

[Ħ]

I always thought it was "love, just don't stare," as in "honey/baby/etc, just don't stare." So "love" is a noun for the protagonist.

[theseoafs]

the song is basically about someone with some level of psychological issues who is struggling with understanding religion and sex.

DT wrote a song about AndyDT?

[bosk1]

the song is basically about someone with some level of psychological issues who is struggling with understanding religion and sex.

DT wrote a song about AndyDT?

Why, yes.

I always thought it was "love, just don't stare," as in "honey/baby/etc, just don't stare." So "love" is a noun for the protagonist.

Possible, but I don't think so.  Again, it wouldn't really fit with the next line of the song.

[Ħ]

Speaking of the lyrics, there's the one line "these voices in my head tell me to". I always hated how James says it in the studio version...he says "tell to me" and it is phonetically awkward.

[theseoafs]

^???

Do you mean the "these demons in my head tell me to" lyric? He says the words correctly there.

[Ħ]

I don't hear it. He sounds like he fumbles the words.

[theseoafs]

Nope, it's definitely there, though it's pretty quiet and is pronounced just as unusually as JLB normally pronounces things. Remember that, given that this is a studio recording, they would just re-record it if he stumbled over a lyric.

[Ħ]

I dunno, it still sounds weird. I actually think that the editing of the vocals on Voices is kinda sloppy. You know the part "enough to staaaay"? It sounds like he says "enough to -taaaay". It's choppy. Pretty sure he didn't sing it continuously and they just slapped two takes together. That's how it sounds at least.

[theseoafs]

Yep, you're right about that one. Never really noticed that before.

[Elite]

the song is basically about someone with some level of psychological issues who is struggling with understanding religion and sex.

DT wrote a song about AndyDT?

[snapple]

the song is basically about someone with some level of psychological issues who is struggling with understanding religion and sex.

DT wrote a song about AndyDT?

[RaiseTheKnife]

I always thought it was "love, just don't stare," as in "honey/baby/etc, just don't stare." So "love" is a noun for the protagonist.

Possible, but I don't think so.  Again, it wouldn't really fit with the next line of the song.

Agreed.

[Lowdz]

My opinion, for what it's worth,

Having worked extensively in Mental Health I don't get the big religion/sex connection in the song, certainly not as a big theme anyway. There are references, yes, but to me it's a song about schizophrenia, which often has an obsessive religious element to it. I see lots of "typical" schizophrenic ideas here. I read on the net a long dissection of this song talking about religion all the way through and I found it hilarious really. I think the writer had issues of his own.

I've always taken the first line to be the "mother" figure talking to a child/adolescent, telling him not to stare at his father who has mental illness. The father (in my interpretation) kills himself, leaving the boy alone with his mother. The boy develops mental health issues (fairly standard schizophrenic symptoms)- there's an ongoing dialogue with the voices- his psychosis.

Not saying it's right but that's how I see it. JP at his best though. I think it's a similar approach as 6DOIT where JP allegedly rewrote a medical textbook in lyric form- this seems based on psychotic  case studies and lyric-ised. It's done well though.

[hefdaddy42]

It's about anal.

[Scorpion]

It's about anal.

Elaborate, please.

[hefdaddy42]

I did.

[Rob24]

Could anyone clarify why "stare" is equal to "lust" in this context? Not a native speaker, I apologize.

[theseoafs]

I've always taken the first line to be the "mother" figure talking to a child/adolescent, telling him not to stare at his father who has mental illness.

Then why is the next line "he used to say to me every Sunday morning"? And why does the mother only say this on Sunday morning?

[Lowdz]

I've always taken the first line to be the "mother" figure talking to a child/adolescent, telling him not to stare at his father who has mental illness.

Then why is the next line "he used to say to me every Sunday morning"? And why does the mother only say this on Sunday morning?

weird, I've always heard it as "she" as in the 2nd stanza but it's obviously not. There goes that theory then. But the sunday morning thing could just be some weird religious thing the guy does. In fact I haven't a clue what he's talking about. I much prefer these modern lyrics that read like the History Channel. No ambiguity there.

[Tomislav95]

Maybe this line is told by a priest in church every Sunday morning

[theseoafs]

That's the idea.

[Elite]

I much prefer these modern lyrics that read like the History Channel. No ambiguity there.

I'm breaking my head over this sentence. What?

[theseoafs]

If I'm not mistaken, he's talking about DT's more recent lyrics which lack subtlety/mystery.

[Elite]

Yeah, I was thinking that too, and I disagree sort-of. Granted, the lyrics on Awake and Images & Words are more 'mysterious' and 'subtle', but the lyrics on ADTOE aren't as straightforward as he insinuates.

[The King in Crimson]

Yeah, I was thinking that too, and I disagree sort-of. Granted, the lyrics on Awake and Images & Words are more 'mysterious' and 'subtle', but the lyrics on ADTOE aren't as straightforward as he insinuates.

The lyrics on SC and BC&SL on the other hand are pretty straightforward.