Interpretation
"The Tick Tock Man" by
Gary Numan is a song that deals with an unhappy relationship and expresses the feelings of hurt and discomfort associated with it.
The song begins with the lines "Look at your face, It's so fortunately arranged, Don't look back, I can assure you that you won't like what you see". Here, the singer describes the appearance of their partner and warns against the past, which may bring up unpleasant memories.
It continues with the lines "You step on my dreams, I could whisper, You intrude on me, I could whisper, You close in and I'm so uneasy". The singer feels hurt and invaded by their partner in their dreams and thoughts. They describe their restlessness and discomfort in this relationship.
In the chorus of the song, Numan metaphorically describes the relationship as a hotel room and compares it to a slot machine. They sing "Hotel rooms, sweet dreams, Like slot machines that call it 'Love love', A coin in the hole, You young things never stay young for long". Here, they express that the relationship is like a gamble where one never knows how long the luck will last.
In the last lines of the song, Numan sings "This edge in my voice, But there's really nothing much to say, My conscience mends, I suppose it all meant something to you". Here, they reflect on the fact that they may not be able to put the relationship into words, but they recognize that it meant something to their partner.
Overall, "The Tick Tock Man" expresses the feelings of hurt, intrusion, and discomfort in a relationship and reflects on the meaning and value of that relationship.