Expert: Mykal Cave - 11/13/2004

Question
i was wondering if you could give me a lyrical critique of Big Eyed Fish. i am an aspiring wong writer and it would help if i could understand more songs. thanks

Answer
Hey Jared,

This song is quite depressing in my opinion. It is about how one is not able to accomplish thier dreams and in turn is not satisfied with ones life but is unable to change thier situation and when attempting to, only fails. In the first verse he talks of a big eyed fish and how this fish whished it could be a bird and fly and soar in the wind. But obviously fish cannot do so. So the fish ends up attempting to free itselft from its aquatic environment and finds itself just being washed up onto land and dying.

In the chorus "But oh God, Under the weight of life, Things seem brighter on the other side" kinda follows the theme of how the grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence. This could also be suggesting the thoughts of suicide and how possibly the after life could hold something better than life on earth.

In the third verse of how the monkey runs off to the city again shows that the monkey beacme bored or was simply not satisfied with its life swinging among the trees. "You see the little monkey sitting up in his monkey tree, One day decided to climb down and run off to the city" But scince ay city is not fit for any animal to live the monkey finds himself lost and tired. "As good as dead you see what a monkey does - stay up your tree" is pretty much straight forward. Foolish the monkey was in trying something so drastic and deciding to leave his territory where he knows he will be able to survive but instead leaves and finds himself trying to stay alive.

"Rain in my dreams" - Agin a very depressing song and here is another example of why. Usually on a rainy day it becomes very cold and dreary outside. Not a very pleasent atmosphere. So to have rain in your dreams (not the dreams you have while you sleep but the dreams as in your goals) means that one is not accomplishing thier dreams and therefore thier dreams are become dreary.

Hope that all makse sense. Let me know if you haev any other questions! Thanks!

Myke