Originally Posted by ILQUA RUXA

I'm a Psychology major with a particular interest in clinical psychology and schizophrenia.

I can see some of the parallels between the lyrics and the DSM-IV's description of schizophrenia, but I really do not believe that was what Maynard is talking about. It is true that some schizophrenics have delusions of grandeur such as the FBI is after them, they are some important political figure ect, but what he is describing fits more of a psychedelic experience than literature describing schizophrenia. A schizophrenic will be able to respond to medical physicians, albeit disorganized in some cases unless the person is catatonic in which case communication would be basically impossible.

Nor is it panic disorder in as the DSM-IV describes it. A person's vitals would not be "normal." Rapid heard rate, sweat, and rapid breathing would occur.

This song could be about a few things. A psychedelic experience involving imagined ETs and philosophical understandings derived from the trip. Perhaps it could be about a psychedelic experience coupled with a REAL encounter with ET about the ending of the world,. Finally it could be about a psychedelic experience which opens up an expansive understanding about the nature of the universe but psychedelic experiences are flawed in that one has difficulty maintaining those psychedelic epiphanies, hence "god damn shit the bed."