This Is Tomorrow

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of profound dissatisfaction with the present, a feeling that the promised future is either unattainable or fundamentally unappealing. There's a sense that societal offerings don't align with genuine desires, and that authentic emotional expression is met with disinterest. The narrator grapples with a desire for more, a wish for wishes, highlighting a feeling of being constrained by reality's limitations. This sets up a central tension: the yearning for a different, more fulfilling existence versus the stark reality of current circumstances. The core conflict seems to stem from a disconnect between external appearances and internal realities. Homes are presented as superficially appealing but lacking genuine substance, and the marketplace fails to offer what people truly need or want. This is amplified by the narrator's own experience in the "data mines," a place of soul-crushing boredom where even personal aspirations feel futile. The phrase "tapping out my own death march" powerfully conveys a sense of resigned, monotonous existence. The repeated, almost frantic chant of "This is tomorrow!" acts as a desperate assertion, a forced embrace of a future that feels both inevitable and perhaps hollow. It’s a stark contrast to the mundane reality described in the verses. The sudden shift from the "gray plastic IBM keys" to "rockets blaze through the sky" suggests a mental escape, a fleeting vision of progress or transcendence, even as the narrator remains tethered to their oppressive environment. The final, single "Today!" after the repeated "tomorrow" feels like a jarring return to the present, underscoring the ongoing struggle. What makes these lyrics resonate is their unflinching portrayal of modern ennui and the quiet desperation for something more. The specific imagery of the "data mines" and the "gray plastic IBM keys" grounds the abstract feeling of dissatisfaction in a tangible, relatable experience of tedious labor. The repeated, almost pleading, declaration of "This is tomorrow!" captures the collective anxiety and hope we place in the future, while simultaneously questioning whether that future will actually deliver on its promise.