Negative Relationship

[Tom Morello]

I can't help but be reminded of a negative relationship when I hear this song. A relationship where the repressed part of the relationship feels a sort of comfort in the mistreatment. This compliments the 'Temper' theory I believe. The repressor is not always negative, but falls into an alter ego where he releases negative energy and causes the repressed entity to release negative energy as well.

I think it's most evident in the "Slippin back into the gap again" and "Take care not to make me enter" lines but still evident throughout all the lyrics.

[a788]

i listen to it everynight before i go to sleep. it relaxes me. but, i think at the same time i listen to it because it reminds me of a guy i miss, which may be another reason i enjoy listening to it so much.

to me, it's not so much of a negative relationship rather than after we broke up. Kind of when you can't control your emotions and you're not over the person you were with and it's almost like they control your emotions and are pushing you around. i dont know. that's what it feels like to me. It always puts me in a different, undescribable mood. Once you finally start to get over this person, you "slippin back into the gap again" and they are pushin you... controlling you all over again.

[eulogy09]

to me, it's not so much of a negative relationship rather than after we broke up. Kind of when you can't control your emotions and you're not over the person you were with and it's almost like they control your emotions and are pushing you around. i dont know. that's what it feels like to me. It always puts me in a different, undescribable mood. Once you finally start to get over this person, you "slippin back into the gap again" and they are pushin you... controlling you all over again.

I totaly agree with you. That is always what I thought of this song.

[Kristy31803]

i listen to it everynight before i go to sleep. it relaxes me. but, i think at the same time i listen to it because it reminds me of a guy i miss, which may be another reason i enjoy listening to it so much.

to me, it's not so much of a negative relationship rather than after we broke up. Kind of when you can't control your emotions and you're not over the person you were with and it's almost like they control your emotions and are pushing you around. i dont know. that's what it feels like to me. It always puts me in a different, undescribable mood. Once you finally start to get over this person, you "slippin back into the gap again" and they are pushin you... controlling you all over again.

I agree with you 100% that this song could definitely be interpreted that way... I went through the same thing and thought the same about this song :)

[notregistered]

I totally agree.
I thought it was interesting how maynard dropped the "pushit on me" part of the lyrics from the aenima version. it's all "still love me" instead of alternating. on one live version of this song he sings "you still love you still love me I still love you". kind of defeats my idea of a person loving you too much and you not being able to reciprocate the love they feel for you and them sort of smothering you.
It seems like domestic violence to me... the pushing and shoving. it might not be literal though.