What is the meaning of the song Wake as a Gun by Porcupine Tree (1st part)?

Question

Wake as a Gun is a really neat song, and I really like it. The lyrics are kind of abstract and make sense at the same time. Am I just hearing the wrong lyrics or something?

A man wakes up, has animal
Hallucinates a fire
A man wakes up, has a ghost
Bloodless yet inspired

Man wakes up, has music
Liberates the calm
Man wakes up, has a child
And builds a bridge of charm

The silence you keep,
But I just want to sleep
Man wakes up, has a gun
Doesn't get the joke

Help me if you can. Lyric interpretations aren't a specialty of mine.

Answer 1

The lyrics are actually:

Man wakes up as animal
Hallucinates a fire
Man wakes up as as ghost
Bloodless but inspired

Man wakes up as music
And liberates the calm
Man wakes up as a child
And builds a bridge of charm

And the silence you keep
And I just wanna sleep
Still waiting

Man wakes up as a gun
And doesn't get the joke

I'm also having huge problems interpreting it.... Steven Wilson's lyrics are generally very abstract and I'm never sure if I'm getting the meaning right. This is my interpretation, and it can be COMPLETELY off. I always thought it was about the nature of things. Man's evolution from animal to human with the use of fire to separate them from animals, ghost are bloodless, but have a cause. Music breaks the silence and children are innocence and charm. And the last lines, I always though the "joke" was that humans created the gun, the very thing that can end their lives.

This is all a guess and I can be very very wrong, I'm going to star to see in conie gets this.

Answer 2

thanks sarah c.
I hear you sarah n. i am awful with words, I usually miss the point with lyrics!

Hmm lets see ...
He does use the bloodless but inspired in another song, pretty sure its Pure Narcotic.
Sounds as if he is searching for how be / how to see yourself / and how others see you. sort of like self-discovery. seems as if he is trying on different ways and none fit. Hmm ... He wakes as a gun, possibly there is some irony?
This probably isnt very helpful, I will try to think this over for a little.
You could also check the forums
www.porcupinetreeforum.co.uk

good luck!