Gary Jules - Mad World

INFLUENTIAL SONGS - PART THREE

This song captured my attention long ago with the line, "The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had." The rest of the lyrics grew on me quickly as a window into the distortions of the world, of the mind, and of the interaction between the two. While typing my Nightmare, the song played and that line stuck out at me again both literally in that in my dreams, death is often a treasured escape and in the irony that this particular Nightmare expresses a sort of emotional death that is anything but "the best I've ever had".

The lyrics:

"Mad World"

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world ... mad world
Enlarging your world
Mad world

The youtube video:
(anyone who knows me will find this highly appropriate!)