It Is Obvious (take 3)

Song Meaning

Syd Barrett's "It Is Obvious (take 3)" functions as a fractured love letter beamed from a mind wrestling with its own disintegration. The song's power doesn't reside in linear narrative, but in the emotional residue of fragmented memories and desires. The opening lines, "It is obvious / May I say, oh baby / That it is found, on another plane?" immediately establishes a disconnect from conventional reality, suggesting a love that exists outside the bounds of shared experience, perhaps even sanity. The "other plane" could represent a drug-induced state, a dream world, or the internal landscape of a troubled psyche. This isn't a love easily articulated or understood. It's Barrett grappling with an affection that's become untethered. The lyrics move with a stream-of-consciousness logic, jumping between images of vulnerability ("creep into cupboards / Even sleep in the hall") and yearning ("My legs move the last empty inches to you"). The reference to "stars" and "a simple cot bars / Only an impulse, pie in the sky" hints at a childlike innocence intertwined with impossible longing. The recurring phrase "minds shot together" suggests a desire for deep connection, a merging of consciousness that offers both solace and a potential loss of self. The "brambles" and "spikes" evoke pain and difficulty, implying that this connection, however desired, is fraught with emotional peril and potential self-harm. Ultimately, “It Is Obvious” seems to be about the struggle to maintain intimacy and connection in the face of mental fragmentation. The imagery throughout the song is a testament to the power of memory, and the overwhelming desire to find someone to share that memory with. The "velvet curtain of grey" and the "scar of white chalk" paint a picture of a world fading, memories blurring, yet the need for connection persists. Barrett isn't presenting a coherent love story, but rather the shattered pieces of one, reflecting the internal chaos and the enduring human need for love and understanding, even as the self begins to unravel. The scattered nature of the lyrics creates a sense of intimacy, as if the listener is invited into the innermost workings of a fractured mind.