Misunderstood And Other Song Meanings....

[Tick]

I primarily want this thread to be primarily about the meanings of certain DT songs. I think I perceive lyrical meanings wrongly at times. I would start with one song in particular...

Misunderstood
I listen to this song and I’m not sure what it’s about. Can someone explain the meaning behind it?
I have to say this is one of my favorite DT songs. If I do have one complaint it would be John’s experimental guitar part at the end. It’s a little obnoxious for me. Other than that it’s an awesome song.

[Ħ]

I heard different interpretations of Misunderstood. One would be that Misunderstood about JP himself, where he's this guitar god we look up to but he's really just another human with flaws. Another would be that Misunderstood is about Jesus, who only wanted to be a good moral teacher but was regarded as the divine Messiah.

I always wondered about the lyrics of some of Awake's songs. They're very cryptic. You can get a blurry picture of what they're about but it's tough to pinpoint exactly what they're about.

[Tick]

I heard different interpretations of Misunderstood. One would be that Misunderstood about JP himself, where he's this guitar god we look up to but he's really just another human with flaws. Another would be that Misunderstood is about Jesus, who only wanted to be a good moral teacher but was regarded as the divine Messiah.

I always wondered about the lyrics of some of Awake's songs. They're very cryptic. You can get a blurry picture of what they're about but it's tough to pinpoint exactly what they're about.

Who is the silent man? Always wondered about that.

[Jaffa]

Who is the silent man? Always wondered about that.

I always thought The Silent Man was supposed to be God.  I'm probably wrong, though. 

[Ħ]

I got that impression too.

[Tick]

Who is the silent man? Always wondered about that.

I always thought The Silent Man was supposed to be God.  I'm probably wrong, though.

I think so, but I'm not sure.

[Scorpion]

Regarding Misunderstood, I'd lean to the meaning about Jesus, mainly because of the biblical imagery of the lyrics and the fact that I don't think that JP would write a song about himself in such a way.

[Nearmyth]

I've always wondered what Pull Me Under was about.

[Lucien]

Well, according to TV Tropes (which I generally agree with), The Miracle and the Sleeper is about the story of Romulus and Remus.

[Mosh]

Regarding Misunderstood, I'd lean to the meaning about Jesus, mainly because of the biblical imagery of the lyrics and the fact that I don't think that JP would write a song about himself in such a way.

This. It's a cool idea for a song I think. The other idea kinda makes JP come off as really vain, which I don't think he is.

[Tomislav95]

Anyone knows the meaning of "Don't look past me"?

[Saxman]

Who is the silent man? Always wondered about that.

I always thought The Silent Man was supposed to be God.  I'm probably wrong, though.

The Silent Man is obviously about John Myung.

[Mosh]

The Silent Man is obviously about John Myung.

Haven't heard that one before. 

[Ħ]

Anyone knows the meaning of "Don't look past me"?

From the looks of it, it would the relationship between a man and Jesus ("the son"), and the different stanzas are written from each of their perspectives.

[?]

I think JP once said he wrote Misunderstood about a "religious figurehead".

Anyone knows the meaning of "Don't look past me"?

I've always gotten the impression it's about friends and how they help and stand by you even in draconian times.

[adamack]

I heard different interpretations of Misunderstood. One would be that Misunderstood about JP himself, where he's this guitar god we look up to but he's really just another human with flaws. Another would be that Misunderstood is about Jesus, who only wanted to be a good moral teacher but was regarded as the divine Messiah.

I always wondered about the lyrics of some of Awake's songs. They're very cryptic. You can get a blurry picture of what they're about but it's tough to pinpoint exactly what they're about.

I actually personally believe that your first possibility may be what it is about. However, I never really saw it as being about JP himself, but rather anyone who is a "superstar" or who is highly regarded in the public eye.

Also, if it were about JP, I don't necessarily think it would have to be vain. I think it would actually be a pretty humble lyric.

I mean, he has seen all of the Rock Discipline YouTube parody videos (as documented in one of the DVDs...can't recall which), and it's no surprise that he hears people's "God-like" opinions of him constantly....so it is no secret that he "seems superhuman" to people as said in the lyric.

And rather than let this get to his head, he is simply saying that he too is just a mortal human who can feel alone, regardless of the hordes of people surrounding him.

And he has met so many people (fans) throughout the years, but he doesn't really "know" any of them (save his family, DT, and other friends).

Thinking about it some more, it definitely does fit the Jesus thing as well. I just feel like the song would have more direct meaning, and be way more personal to the band if it were about celebs/JP/ or even DT as a whole. I guess we'll never really know!

Just my 2cents...would love to hear some more ideas!

[Tick]

I heard different interpretations of Misunderstood. One would be that Misunderstood about JP himself, where he's this guitar god we look up to but he's really just another human with flaws. Another would be that Misunderstood is about Jesus, who only wanted to be a good moral teacher but was regarded as the divine Messiah.

I always wondered about the lyrics of some of Awake's songs. They're very cryptic. You can get a blurry picture of what they're about but it's tough to pinpoint exactly what they're about.

I actually personally believe that your first possibility may be what it is about. However, I never really saw it as being about JP himself, but rather anyone who is a "superstar" or who is highly regarded in the public eye.

Also, if it were about JP, I don't necessarily think it would have to be vain. I think it would actually be a pretty humble lyric.

I mean, he has seen all of the Rock Discipline YouTube parody videos (as documented in one of the DVDs...can't recall which), and it's no surprise that he hears people's "God-like" opinions of him constantly....so it is no secret that he "seems superhuman" to people as said in the lyric.

And rather than let this get to his head, he is simply saying that he too is just a mortal human who can feel alone, regardless of the hordes of people surrounding him.

And he has met so many people (fans) throughout the years, but he doesn't really "know" any of them (save his family, DT, and other friends).

Thinking about it some more, it definitely does fit the Jesus thing as well. I just feel like the song would have more direct meaning, and be way more personal to the band if it were about celebs/JP/ or even DT as a whole. I guess we'll never really know!

Just my 2cents...would love to hear some more ideas!

The lyric that doesn't fit if its about John would be..."How can I bite the hand that feeds the strangers all around me." What would that mean pertaining to John?

[Ħ]

It's interesting to see how many of DT's songs have religious lyrics. But what's more interesting is that they all take a different spin on it. A song like Don't Look Past Me emphasizes the brighter side of a relationship with the divine, but a song like Blind Faith is all about abandoning a God who is too silent and doesn't listen to man's problems. And then you have songs like Voices and Scarred, which clearly have Catholic/Christian imagery but come across as very dark, emotive, and psychological.

[adamack]

The lyric that doesn't fit if its about John would be..."How can I bite the hand that feeds the strangers all around me." What would that mean pertaining to John?

The only things I could come up with is that maybe he is using that expression in this case just to generally say "how could I sin?" He may have felt like he hadn't been serving whatever/whoever he sees to be God to his fullest potential, and therefore he is asking "how can I deceive God, when God takes care of us all?"

I definitely don't have really strong feelings about what this song is about, and it remains very up in the air to me.

[Lucien]

It's interesting to see how many of DT's songs have religious lyrics. But what's more interesting is that they all take a different spin on it. A song like Don't Look Past Me emphasizes the brighter side of a relationship with the divine, but a song like Blind Faith is all about abandoning a God who is too silent and doesn't listen to man's problems. And then you have songs like Voices and Scarred, which clearly have Catholic/Christian imagery but come across as very dark, emotive, and psychological.

And In the Name of God, an angry song about the messed up people "twisting fate into violence/justifying violence"

[MoraWintersoul]

It's interesting to see how many of DT's songs have religious lyrics. But what's more interesting is that they all take a different spin on it. A song like Don't Look Past Me emphasizes the brighter side of a relationship with the divine, but a song like Blind Faith is all about abandoning a God who is too silent and doesn't listen to man's problems. And then you have songs like Voices and Scarred, which clearly have Catholic/Christian imagery but come across as very dark, emotive, and psychological.

That's because they're all done by different writers.


Longer post on all the questions brought up incoming as soon as I finish with my exam

[The Stray Seed]

Who is the silent man? Always wondered about that.

Here: https://www.gabbo.net/dt/faq/dt-tsm.html

=]

[hefdaddy42]

It's interesting to see how many of DT's songs have religious lyrics. But what's more interesting is that they all take a different spin on it. A song like Don't Look Past Me emphasizes the brighter side of a relationship with the divine, but a song like Blind Faith is all about abandoning a God who is too silent and doesn't listen to man's problems. And then you have songs like Voices and Scarred, which clearly have Catholic/Christian imagery but come across as very dark, emotive, and psychological.

That's because they're all done by different writers.

Are they?  AFAIK, most of the lyrics using religious imagery are written by JP.

[wasteland]

Well, Blind Faith is by James, DLPM by Kevin and the rest is by JP, even though it's not unlikely at all that religious influence can be traced back within Myungers like ToT and BAI, though never as literal as in the other meber's lyrics.

[hefdaddy42]

I always forget that James wrote Blind Faith.  It sounds like a JP lyric.

[snapple]

Voices has religious imagery because the song is about schizophrenia.

[hefdaddy42]

Voices has religious imagery because the song is about schizophrenia.

True, the lyrics to that one are not really about religion itself.

[Lucien]

I always assumed it was about schizophrenia, but I also saw it as a protest for privacy "seen my diary on the newsstand, seems we've lost the truth to quicksand" "now they hear my mind on the radio"