RussianRoot

contrary to what many think, i personally dont believe maynard was molested as a child.. he loves his dad, and loved his mom. ive heard him call his stepdad a "creepy cunt" in an interview, but that doesnt prove anything except that he didnt like him.. i also think my moms husband is a cunt, but he never molested me.. i think the name "Prison Sex" is just a great metaphor for the cycle of abuse in families.. to limit your interpretation to the rare occurrence of sexual abuse kind of limits the personal power of the song (unless you, yourself, were molested as a kid).. but anyway, heres my interpretation:

"It took so long to remember just what happened.
I was so young and vestal then,
you know it hurt me,
but I'm breathing so I guess I'm still alive
even if signs seem to tell me otherwise."

referring to a repressed childhood trauma and how it takes great effort to remember it.. i was so young, weak, and innocent, and you know your actions hurt me. but life goes on, so i had no choice but to keep on going. even though i am now wounded and empty inside..

"I've got my hands bound,
my head down, my eyes closed,
and my throat wide open."

im helpless. i cant win, so i have no choice but to submit..

"Do unto others what has been done to you"

a satirical paraphrasing of the golden rule from the bible, but still practically a law of nature.. bullies bully because of bad home lives.. bad parents treat kids like shit because they didnt have a good life.. its a chain/pyramid of negative energy..

"I'm treading water,
I need to sleep a while.
My lamb and martyr, you look so precious.
Won't you come a bit closer,
close enough so I can smell you."

im struggling to stay afloat. struggling to keep my head up. i need to rest but i cant. so i go to my sacrificial lamb, my martyr, my precious, my obsession in order to detach/distract myself from my exhaustion/numbness. come closer so i can smell you - come here so i can get lost inside of you..

"I need you to feel this,
I can't stand to burn too long.
Released in this sodomy.
For one sweet moment I am whole."

i need this to make you feel, because i cant stand the pain you cause me for too long.. released in this unnatural indulgence. for a few fleeting moments i can finally feel..

"Do unto you now what has been done to me."

the next phase of the first phrase.. what has been done to me, will now be done to you..

"You're breathing so I guess you're still alive
even if signs seem to tell me otherwise."

youre alive and breathing so i guess youre fine. even if you dont act fine..

"Won't you come just a bit closer,
close enough so I can smell you.
I need you to feel this.
I need this to make me whole.
There's release in this sodomy."

come here so i can get lost in you again.. i need you to feel the burn. i need this to make me feel.. more release in this unnatural indulgence.

"For I am your witness that
blood and flesh can be trusted.
And only this one holy medium brings me piece of mind."

i am your proof that humans can be trusted.. and only the sodomy brings me piece of mind.. - a further interpretation for me is how parents are supposed to be the "proof that blood and flesh can be trusted" but how can you trust them (and by virtue, trust the rest of the world) when they abuse you??

"Got your hands bound, your head down,
your eyes closed.
You look so precious now."

finally ive got you (the antagonist) in the helpless position. you look so precious now.. the shoe is on the other foot now. and oh how fucking great this feels.

"I have found some kind of temporary sanity in this
shit blood and cum on my hands."

i have somehow become the antagonist. but yet have found some peace of mind in the shit i caused and the blood i spilt - in the pain i caused.. "cum" also has another meaning: "combined with; also used as (used to describe things with a dual nature or function).".. maybe this is on purpose (this is just speculation), in that the dual nature of this is that the narrator is finding pleasure at the same time as getting revenge..

"I've come round full circle.
My lamb and martyr, this will be over soon.
You look so precious."

im back to where i started now..

this is one of my favorite songs. it hits me deep and hard every time (lol yes that was kind of a sex joke, but still true).. in summary; yes, its got the "first-glance" veneer of sexual abuse, but when you think about cycles of abuse, its a push and pull kind of repetition.. just like sex.. give and take, give and take, give and take.. and since prison sex is more rape than consented - same as with cycles of negative energy within yourself (possibly forced there by letting others opinions of you bring you down) - its a perfect metaphor for prison sex.. "i need you to feel this. i need this to make me whole." - instead of just letting it go, you try to exorcise your negative emotions into someone/something else looking for a release, and since karma is practically a law of nature, it ends up kicking you in the ass later, and if you havent learned/observed a thing about your own cycle of self-abuse, you're just going to keep spiraling down.. Maynard is an amazing poet.. none of his songs are to be taken at face value. he might've said at one point that it was about sexual abuse, but he also said "part of me" was about masturbation.. i get the feeling he says absurd things to throw his fans for a loop.. after all, the fun is in the interpretations and the chase..