Outside\Inside

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a stark picture of two individuals trapped by circumstance, one literally "on the outside" and the other "on the inside." The narrator observes a man whose dreams and voice have been "swallowed" by "city schemes," implying external forces beyond his control have left him marginalized. Simultaneously, a woman is depicted as "doing nine to life" not in prison, but by working for a company, suggesting a soul-crushing corporate existence that offers no true freedom. Both are urged to "Get away - run!" The central tension arises from this shared, yet distinct, confinement. The man's external exclusion and the woman's internal, corporate imprisonment highlight different facets of societal pressure that stifle individual aspiration. The repeated plea to "Get away run!" acts as a desperate, almost primal, call for escape from these suffocating realities, emphasizing the shared desire for liberation despite their differing predicaments. A powerful image emerges in the contrast between the "outside" and the "inside," which ultimately dissolves into a yearning for a unified space "where there'll be no more outside or inside." This suggests a profound desire to break down artificial barriers, whether social, economic, or existential, that keep people separated and unfulfilled. The lyrics powerfully articulate this longing for a place where individuality is not erased, where "we have no face" in the dehumanizing "rat the race," but can instead "laugh" and be "free."