☝️ Key Points
- The song lyrics are about the widespread disease or addiction that attracts us in our time.
- It describes the feeling of loneliness and emptiness at the end of a party or celebration.
- The lyrics criticize the society marked by consumerism and materialism, and the illusion of happiness.
- It's about the longing for protection from our own desires and destructive habits.
- The song emphasizes the transience and failure of relationships.
Interpretation
The lyrics of the song 'Protect Me from What I Want' by
Placebo are about a kind of illness or addiction that is widespread in our time and that we are attracted to. It describes the feeling of loneliness and emptiness that arises at the end of a party or event, when we take the last bus home.
The lyrics mention 'Corporate America', which indicates that our society is marked by consumerism and materialism. It is about the illusion of happiness that is sold to us through things like coffee and cake or working in a company. However, behind this apparent happiness often lies an empty and unfulfilled existence.
The chorus 'Protect me from what I want' expresses the longing for protection. It is about the need to protect ourselves from ourselves and our own desires, in order not to fall into this apparent satisfaction or into these destructive habits. It can be the fear of committing in relationships or the fear of taking responsibility and growing up.
The lyrics also emphasize the transience and failure of relationships. It speaks of wedding bells that will not ring and of both partners being guilty and punished. It is about the loneliness that remains when we do not protect our own desires and needs.
Overall, the song lyrics are about the search for protection from our own inner demons and the temptation of false happiness. It is an invitation to become aware of what we really want and to protect ourselves from falling into destructive habits.