Tarantula by The Smashing Pumpkins Lyrics Meaning – Unweaving the Intricate Web of Emotion and Existence
Lyrics
Every single night
Everything I want is in your eyes
You and me go back
To places I don’t know to care
The spoils of all I got were left for scraps
Don’t let me say this
But you’re no worse than me
It’s crazy
We are as real if real ever was
Just because we are the real, they feel we have enough
We are the real ’cause someone gave us up
I wanna be there when you’re happy
I wanna love you when you’re sad
Can’t stand the morning rain?
Get out, I’ll take your place then
Can’t stand the blazing sun?
Then close your eyes, you’ll see
The angel dust
I don’t wanna be anything believed
A million watts of sound can’t compare
Come along, you’ll see the world
The pulse ripples, the crowd unfurls
The current starts to flow, and then you’re on
Oh, it’s the white hot soul they want
To sing for
We are the real if real ever was
Just because we are the ruin of every living soul
We are surreal ’cause someone gave us up
Don’t break the oath
I wanna love you when you’re happy
Don’t break this oath
I wanna be there when you’re sad
Freeze-frame the pouring rain
We are the real, as real as any ghost
So easy now
We are the real in every living soul
Oh don’t they know?
Can’t stand the blazing sun?
Can’t stand the morning rain?
Ah, get out, I’ll take your place again
I don’t wanna be alone
I don’t wanna be alone
I don’t wanna be alone, at all
If it’s a white hot soul they want
Then a black heart they’ll get
The song ‘Tarantula’ by The Smashing Pumpkins, from their 2007 album ‘Zeitgeist,’ resounds as a fiercely charged anthem, encapsulating an intense spectrum of emotions woven into the fabric of their iconic sound. Like many of the band’s creations, its verses reach beyond the grasp of clear-cut interpretation, beckoning listeners to ponder the masterful lyrical intricacies birthed from the mind of frontman Billy Corgan.
What may first come off as fervent declarations flushed with the vibrancy of a painfully raw, poetic heart, ‘Tarantula’ exercises an evocative power, compelling an inward journey. As the song spins its sonic threads, it invites a magnified introspection of one’s own emotional resilience and the human condition’s profound contradictions.
The Tangled Battle Cry of Intensity and Intimacy
At the core of ‘Tarantula,’ there is a palpable struggle between the personal and the universal. The chorus ‘We are the real, as real as any ghost’ resonates as a declaration of presence, affirming existence in a world that seemingly glosses over authenticity for the ephemeral thrill of illusion. The ghost, metaphorically, stands as a representation of the unseen, the felt but unacknowledged realities that haunt our collective consciousness.
As passionate verses like ‘I don’t want to fight // Every single night’ and ‘I wanna be there when you’re happy // I wanna love you when you’re sad’ strike chords of relational dynamics, they also reflect the internal battle one faces daily. It’s the ubiquitous human experience of grappling with the duality of light and dark within oneself, addressed with a fiery intimacy that The Smashing Pumpkins are known for.
The Song’s Hidden Meaning and the Alchemy of Surreal Realism
‘Tarantula’ spins a web of dualistic themes – reality and surrealism, presence and absence, love and indifference – casting shadows of deeper meaning for those willing to look beyond the surface. Corgan’s words, ‘We are the real ’cause someone gave us up,’ extend the realm of the song’s emotional landscape into the territory of sacrifice and loss. The unspoken narrative here hints at rejection as a rite of passage into genuine existence, rather than a mark of dismissal.
What emerges from such a lyrical tapestry is an alchemical blend of despair and hope. As with the real tarantula, which relies on touch and vibration to perceive its world rather than sight, so too does the song challenge us to feel beyond the visible, to engage with a vibration that hums beneath our own reality’s surface.
A Million Watts of Rebellion and the Siren Song Within
In lines like ‘I don’t wanna be anything believed // A million watts of sound can’t compare,’ there’s an outright rebellion against being pigeonholed or defined by external expectations. ‘A million watts of sound’ symbolizes the noise and influence bombarding us from all directions, which can’t measure up to something less tangible but infinitely more powerful: individual conviction and truth.
The surge of ‘The pulse ripples, the crowd unfurls,’ portrays a transformational moment of awakening, an electrical surge through the myriad of bodies in the shared space of music, mind, and soul. These lyrics beckon a celebration of the collective human experience, even as they hint at the unique electricity each person carries within.
Memorable Lines Exploring the Solar Flare of the Human Heart
Corgan delivers memorable lines of the ‘Tarantula’ with an impassioned vocal embrace that sears itself onto the listener’s memory. ‘Can’t stand the blazing sun? Then close your eyes, you’ll see // The angel dust,’ is not only visually impactful but encapsulates the beauty and potential for transcendence amidst unbearable situations.
It’s these lyrical snapshots that capture the Smashing Pumpkins’ artistry in portraying the human heart’s erratic rhythm: fiery, vulnerable, unpredictable, yet constantly yearning for a connection to something or someone, regardless of the emotional climate.
The Haunting Echoes: ‘Then a Black Heart They’ll Get’
The song’s closing sentiment, ‘If it’s a white hot soul they want // Then a black heart they’ll get,’ serves as a haunting echo of Corgan’s defiance against compartmentalization or simplification of the complex tapestry of human emotion. It’s an embodiment of the price paid for intensity, passion, and the often-misunderstood nature of an artist’s soul.
This twisted coda, while open to interpretation, could very well be a nod to the transformative effects of the hardships and trials expected from society or even the music industry. It is a finishing stroke that leaves the listener suspended in contemplative starkness, signifying that the depth of ‘Tarantula’s’ truths are as much to be felt as they are to be unraveled.
