☝️ Key Points
- The singer struggles with nocturnal fears and thoughts that keep him from sleeping.
- Despite knowing that everything will be fine, he worries about different situations.
- He experiences the same fears and worries day after day and night after night.
- He refers to the constant repetition of these fears and worries as 'overkill' or 'overdose'.
- Despite the little variation in his life, he finds comfort in the beautiful lights of the city, which symbolically drive away his fears and worries.
Interpretation
The lyrics of 'Overkill' by
Colin Hay mainly deal with the inner restlessness and fears that the singer experiences at night. He can't sleep because he constantly thinks about the implications of certain actions and possible complications, which he refers to as 'diving in too deep' ('I can't get to sleep / I think about the implications / Of diving in too deep / And possibly the complications').
Especially at night, he worries about different situations, even though he knows everything will be alright. These worries could simply be products of his imagination ('Especially at night / I worry over situations / I know it'll be alright / Perhaps it's just imagination').
Day after day and night after night, he experiences the same fears and worries over and over again ('Day after day it reappears / Night after night my heart beat shows the fear'). He speaks of 'ghosts' that appear and fade away, which metaphorically represents the fears and worries that haunt him and then disappear, only to resurface later ('Ghosts appear and fade away / Come back another day').
He feels alone and frustrated ('Alone between the sheets / Only brings exasperation'). To combat this frustration, he decides to hit the streets and 'smell the desperation', which likely refers to the everyday suffering and challenges of life ('It's time to walk the streets / Smell the desperation').
The constant repetition of these fears and worries he describes as 'overkill', which means 'overload' or 'overdose'. Despite the little variation in his life, he finds solace in the beautiful lights of the city, which nullify the darkness of the night and symbolically dispel his fears and worries ('At least there's pretty lights / And though there's little variation / It nullifies the night from overkill').