The Ceiling Is Bendin'
Midnight Revelations: Surreal Musings in The Flaming Lips' 'The Ceiling Is Bendin'
Lyrics
Well, it's midnight in a liquor store
Describing the setting: midnight at a liquor store in Texas on Halloween
In Texas on Halloween
Reference to Salvador Dali observing from a dream-like perspective
Salvador Dali watches
Portrayal of Jesus as a destructive rock star
From his window in a dream
Imagery of Godzilla, typically monstrous, dressed as a queen
Jesus is a rock star
Noting a change in someone's level of depression
who destroys all he sees
Inviting someone to come closer
Godzilla is a cowboy
Consciously keeping still to limit one's perspective
Who is dressed up as a queen
Describing Vietnamese heads preserved in jars
She isn't as depressed as she used to be
Expressing a desire for conversation with someone
Come on over here, my dear
Difficulty in recalling a past location
Well, I hold my head real still
Sense of distortion or unease—perhaps due to surreal experiences
So I can't see very far
Feeling disconnected or disoriented
They got all these Vietnamese
Referencing unusual or shocking displays
Heads stuffed into jars
People altering their appearance using synthetic materials
They got all these things
Desire for meaningful conversation due to loneliness
That make them look like they're way in
Memory loss or confusion about a past location
They use polythene plastics
Openness to conversation despite difficulties
On their bods instead of skin
Feeling overwhelmed by surreal or bizarre experiences
If I had someone to talk to
Sensation of the environment becoming strange and uncomfortable
I wouldn't mind so much
Experiencing an unsettling transformation or detachment
But it takes so long to get there
Surreal or unsettling sensations affecting communication
Can't remember where I was
Feeling that everything is becoming bizarre or disorienting
And I wouldn't mind to talk to you
Sense of disintegration or detachment from oneself
Even if I could
Surreal experiences causing a sense of detachment or alienation
The ceiling is bendin' on my telephone
Feeling overwhelmed by a distorted reality or bizarre occurrences
Everything's gettin' weird
Perception of reality becoming increasingly strange or distorted
And my skin falls from my bones
Sensory experiences of disintegration or disconnection
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