Cataracts

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a disquieting picture of intrusion and corruption, beginning with mouths filled with "uninvited tongues." This imagery suggests a loss of control over one's own voice or thoughts, invaded by external influences. The subsequent line about "strays pining for their unrequited mothers" evokes a sense of deep, unmet longing and perhaps a perversion of natural instincts, setting a tone of unease and vulnerability. The central tension arises from this invasion. The narrator describes a visceral reaction: "Milk that sours is promptly spat," a clear rejection of what is spoiled or unwelcome. Yet, this rejection is juxtaposed with a passive, almost animalistic acceptance of a different kind of light: "Light will fill our eyes like cats." This suggests a surrender to overwhelming sensory input, perhaps a loss of clear vision or a resignation to being illuminated by something alien. The second verse intensifies the sense of threat with "spears and scepters and squirming sacks," conjuring images of violent conquest and the carrying of something unsettling. The "scribs and tangles between their ears" and "faceless scrumbled charcoal smears" point to a dehumanized, chaotic, and perhaps mentally disorienting force. The bridge then situates this threat within a dense, overgrown, and potentially suffocating natural landscape, emphasizing the difficulty of escape or clarity. Ultimately, the lyrics seem to grapple with the feeling of being overwhelmed by external forces that corrupt, invade, and obscure. The repeated image of light filling eyes like cats, culminating in the word "Cataracts," powerfully suggests a vision clouded by an encroaching, uninvited presence, leaving the narrator in a state of diminished sight and perhaps profound disorientation.