Lyrics
Hello Cruel World
I can't stop the way I feel
But I can penetrate your religion with a nail
You are mine and we are twine
When we radiate in waves together everything is fine
Hello cruel world do you know that you're killing me?
I don't mind but I could use a little sympathy
I've been blind as a fool can be
My dear cruel world do you ever think about me?
I can feel so alone with you right here
And yet I turn to you for comfort in my despair
You are dust and I am bone
And I will love your endless gaze of madness until I turn to stone
Hello cruel world do you know that you're killing me?
I don't mind but I could use a little sympathy
I've been blind as a fool can be
My dear cruel world now I know you are my everything
Please forgive me
Hello cruel world do you know that you're killing me
I don't mind but I could use a little sympathy
I've been blind as only a man can be
My dear cruel world now I've made a mess of everything
Versions & recordings
Grouped by recording
First released on True North · 2013
Song Interpretations
What do you think this song is about? Share your interpretation and explain your reasoning.
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My interpretation of this song is that the song is from the perspective of the many and how they relate/react to this "cruel world". "You are mine and we are twine" and "When we radiate in wave together everything is fine" Indicate how we are connected to the world and when we work together with the earth things are okay. Unfortunately this is not the case in the current world. To me the chorus represents how many o…
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"You are mine and we are twine" and "When we radiate in wave together everything is fine" Indicate how we are connected to the world and when we work together with the earth things are okay. Unfortunately this is not the case in the current world.
To me the chorus represents how many of us recognize that the world is killing us but we still do not do much but ask for sympathy and are "as blind as a fool can be". I think the last line is how the world we have made does not think about the common man.
The second verse is to me about how many feel alone and isolated with how the world is not but we still turn to this world things from it for comfort.
small things: This cruel world is our everything and we have made a mess of everything.
the two people narrative works to but just doesn't sit well with me.
The dudes an atheist and he's dating a Christian and he's having internal moral conflict about their relationships and differing points of view.
I think this song holds parallel meanings: • On a personal level, it could be, as the above-poster (Brendan) said, about a loved-one who can't let go of their superstitions, but is nevertheless loved by the author. On a global level, this is probably about the author's love of the world and humanity within it, despite the huge gaping flaw in humanity of (again) clinging to superstitious, unreasoning modes of thinki…
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• On a personal level, it could be, as the above-poster (Brendan) said, about a loved-one who can't let go of their superstitions, but is nevertheless loved by the author.
On a global level, this is probably about the author's love of the world and humanity within it, despite the huge gaping flaw in humanity of (again) clinging to superstitious, unreasoning modes of thinking. The world can be a cruel place, and a big part of that cruelty stems from, or is enhanced by dogmatic thinking. Nevertheless, the author bears no hatred for the world, and, in fact loves humanity, despite (and maybe even sometimes [i]because of[/i]) its flaws.
sounds like an allusion to the crucifications during the Roman Empire to me