Welcome to part three of my Disintegration analysis! In this post, I will be reviewing the final four songs of the album. I have enjoyed this journey thus far, as I revere the Cure as an insanely talented and groundbreaking band. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Track Nine: “The Same Deep Water as You”
Duration: 9:19
Initial Thoughts
…one of Disintegration‘s masterpieces. The melancholy contained in this piece paints Morrissey—of the Smiths—as an oblivious, happy-go-lucky guy. Although I can not deny the infectious drone of Morrissey’s voice—which is perfectly suited for melancholic songs about loneliness and despair—”The Same Deep Water as You” has a mature air of dreariness that is utterly incomparable. The song begins with the sound of falling rain, a crack of thunder preceding the eerie musical intro; the hypnotic light drums and somber strings luring listeners. And when the mysterious, entrancing synth adds a subtle but extravagant flair, Robert Smith’s voice joins in. The captivating vocals slip into the saturated setting with ease, and the overall effect is flavorful, dynamic. “The Same Deep Water as You” wraps listeners in an assuaging fog of sorrow, the vaporous guitars surprisingly groovy and the many textures rich in feeling and meditative thought.
Lyrics
“The Same Deep Water as You”
“Kiss me goodbye
Pushing out before I sleep
Can’t you see I try
Swimming the same deep water as you is hard
‘The shallow drowned lose less than we’
You breathe
The strangest twist upon your lips
‘And we shall be together… ‘‘Kiss me goodbye
Bow your head and join with me’
And face pushed deep
Reflections meet
The strangest twist upon your lips
And disappear
The ripples clear
And laughing
Break against your feet
And laughing
Break the mirror sweet
‘So we shall be together… ‘‘Kiss me goodbye’
Pushing out before I sleep
It’s lower now and slower now
The strangest twist upon your lips
But I don’t see
And I don’t feel
But tightly hold up silently
My hands before my fading eyes
And in my eyes
Your smile
The very last thing before I go…I will kiss you I will kiss you
I will kiss you forever on nights like this
I will kiss you I will kiss you
And we shall be together…”
Firstly, I would like to express my admiration for Robert Smith’s fantastic lyrics! Each song is a snippet of a journey—a moment—that is entrancing; the music ends, and you feel awoken from a strange dream that almost belongs to you. “The Same Deep Water as You” transports me, personally, to an ocean in the night. The water chills me to the bone, and everything lies deceiving still, filled with potential energy—disaster gathering its breath, preparing to strike. To conclude my contented poetry-obsessed heart, there is not a Cure song that fails to take me somewhere. Listening to this track, I almost want to shiver and pull a jacket tightly around me.
My interpretation of this piece exists in the following: It is dark, quiet, and chilly, and the narrator is with someone who wades too far into a body of water with substantial depth; the narrator has no choice but to chase after the person, out into the frightening depths of the freezing water. Now, this stands as my literal interpretation. As for a more figurative explanation, the narrator’s muse is pulling the narrator into something fearful and weighty. Although the narrator struggles to join their muse, they succumb by the end of the song.
Perhaps my literal and figurative interpretations can be applied simultaneously. Perhaps the narrator is pondering on the aforementioned dilemma while swimming with their muse. Below I have provided my reasons why:
- In the first stanza, the narrator is at war with what the speaker wants, but the speaker is persistent and a bit daring.
- “…Can’t you see I try
Swimming the same deep water as you is hard
‘The shallow drowned lose less than we’
You breathe
The strangest twist upon your lips
‘And we shall be together… ‘” - In the second stanza, I see the narrator diving into the black water after their muse. I am unsure about the use of “reflections”, but perhaps the narrator sees their muse’s face staring up at them—the narrator’s reflection of the surface colliding with this sight. But then the muse is gone, the water still—beckoning the narrator to “break the mirror” or disrupt the reflecting stillness of the water to join them.
- “…Reflections meet
The strangest twist upon your lips
And disappear
The ripples clear…
…And laughing
Break the mirror sweet
‘So we shall be together… ‘”
- “…Reflections meet
- “…Can’t you see I try
- The third stanza is my absolute favorite. It realizes the narrator’s surrender to the water and the person persuading their descent. Robert Smith conveys this effortlessly—his voice at its most dramatic pitch in the song, his words seeming lost as he repeats, “the very last thing before I go.” In this one stanza, his fear gives way to something hazy and illogical.
-
“…It’s lower now and slower now
The strangest twist upon your lips
But I don’t see
And I don’t feel
But tightly hold up silently
My hands before my fading eyes
And in my eyes
Your smile
The very last thing before I go…”
-
To conclude my analysis, perhaps “The Same Deep Water as You” follows two people swimming beneath the stars in the black abyss of the ocean. Perhaps it follows someone’s surrender to something toxic they would rather avoid. Perhaps the narrator is talking to themselves or something. But who knows?
Overall
Writing this analysis, I have significantly more appreciation for this track. Following the falling rain that introduces this song, methodical but urgent drums are followed by a dreary bass and eerie synth. Periodical cracks of thunder pierce the ensemble of gloom, and Smith’s vocals—although a piece of this puzzle of sound—provides a plot. Overall, the guitars are rich and flavorful, the bass and tinny drums rhythmic as they are daunting, the synths perfectly matching Smith’s tortured voice. I feel cold and disturbed but assured by the delicious melancholy of this piece. And I love Robert Smith’s lyrics and the way his voice brings them into existence: he is not simply reciting them in a singing voice; he is living and breathing them. And the guitars! “The Same Deep Water as You” is a hidden gem deserving of occasional infatuation and excessive blog rambling.
Track Ten: “Disintegration”
Duration: 8:18
Initial Thoughts
Of guilt, apathy, and painful imperfection, “Disintegration” earns its name. The song begins with shattering glass, a bass with a sorrowful drone, and quick and heavy drums reminiscent of “One Hundred Years”, a Cure song from 1982. The repetition of the rhythm is purposeful, allowing listeners to slip into the churning blend of meditative guitars and drums and various, random bits of texture. For nearly two minutes, Robert Smith does not utter a word. But when he begins to sing, the lyrics flow in an almost cathartic way. The instrumental background established earlier perfectly highlights Robert’s dramatically changing pitch—the lyrics carry substantial weight and are given the spotlight they deserve. This song removes listeners from the wary, trepid voice of “The Same deep Water as You” to examine the despairing, guilty conscious of “Disintegration”‘s narrator. This piece clarifies the Cure’s ingenuity: although it is not my favorite track from the album, the shattering glass, Smith’s narrative voice, and the ensemble of instruments perfectly capture anguish and the process of disintegrating against one’s will.
Lyrics
“Disintegration”
“Oh I miss the kiss of treachery
The shameless kiss of vanity
The soft and the black and the velvety
Up tight against the side of me
And mouth and eyes and heart all bleed
And run in thickening streams of greed
As bit by bit it starts the need
To just let go
My party pieceOh I miss the kiss of treachery
The aching kiss before I feed
The stench of a love for a younger meat
And the sound that it makes
When it cuts in deep
The holding up on bended knees
The addiction of duplicities
As bit by bit it starts the need
To just let go
My party pieceBut I never said I would stay to the end
So I leave you with babies and hoping for frequency
Screaming like this in the hope of the secrecy
Screaming me over and over and over
I leave you with photographs
Pictures of trickery
Stains on the carpet and
Stains on the scenery
Songs about happiness murmured in dreams
When we both us knew
How the ending would be…So it’s all come back round to breaking apart again
Breaking apart like I’m made up of glass again
Making it up behind my back again
Holding my breath for the fear of sleep again
Holding it up behind my head again
Cut in deep to the heart of the bone again
Round and round and round
And it’s coming apart again
Over and over and overNow that I know that I’m breaking to pieces
I’ll pull out my heart
And I’ll feed it to anyone
Crying for sympathy
Crocodiles cry for the love of the crowd
And the three cheers from everyone
Dropping through sky
Through the glass of the roof
Through the roof of your mouth
Through the mouth of your eye
Through the eye of the needle
It’s easier for me to get closer to heaven
Than ever feel whole againI never said I would stay to the end
I knew I would leave you with babies and everything
Screaming like this in the hole of sincerity
Screaming me over and over and over
I leave you with photographs
Pictures of trickery
Stains on the carpet and
Stains on the memory
Songs about happiness murmured in dreams
When we both of us knew
How the end always isHow the end always is…”
Wow, that is a lot to unpack…After inspecting the lyrics—which are almost written as a stream of consciousness—Robert Smith’s singing style in “Disintegration” makes perfect sense. The words rush from Smith like a painful river of truth, but he ends his confession of a song on a relieved note. “Disintegration” deserves its name for its cathartic delivery; it embodies the album and summarizes the various themes in each track. Reality is confronting the narrator with everything it has, leaving nothing unnoticed or unfelt. I revere this track for the band’s immaculate portrayal of the act of, well, disintegration. Personally, I imagine the narrator trapped within an intangible whirlwind of all their fear and guilt. I imagine the narrator either engaged in an argument or alone in the dark or surrounded by tons of people oblivious to their suffering. Listeners have a crystal clear glimpse into this narrator’s perspective. From the overall sound and Smith’s lyrics, I feel trapped in a bleak reality I have created and can not seem to escape. I feel my lungs constrict and my head spin. Lights are blinding and streak across my vision, and I feel myself dissociating. Of course, this is all imagined—often, I listen to “Disintegration” while humming and thinking about my lunch—but I love how effective the Cure is at conveying moments!
Robert Smith’s voice, in the beginning, is as quiet and dreary as lilting bass. He seems to choose his words carefully despite beginning to break down his resistance. Then, as synth begins to accompany the musical ensemble, the flow of Smith’s words becomes more rapid and free. He retires his composed singing featured in the track before: “The Same Deep Water as You”. He surrenders a perfect pitch to adopt one of release and admittance, his voice almost breaking as if in an argument. And after the most impactful stanza, Smith repeats “how the end always is” until the instruments have a dramatic, resonating finale and the glass is swept up. Smith’s voice is drained but not defeated.
A Few of My Favorite Lyrics:
- “And mouth and eyes and heart all bleed
And run in thickening streams of greed” - “So it’s all come back round to breaking apart again
Breaking apart like I’m made up of glass again
Making it up behind my back again
Holding my breath for the fear of sleep again” - “Now that I know that I’m breaking to pieces
I’ll pull out my heart
And I’ll feed it to anyone
Crying for sympathy
Crocodiles cry for the love of the crowd
And the three cheers from everyone
Dropping through sky”- Hm…”Crocodiles cry for the love of the crowd”? I love this! How intriguing…
Overall
Wow. I am definitely impressed. Once again, the Cure does not disappoint. I absolutely love the glass sound effects, whining guitar, synth (for dramatic emphasis), and the overall ability of this song to transport me to a foreign yet somehow familiar moment in time. Smith’s lyrics are brilliant, and the way he relays them is so emotional and effective. “Disintegration” is one of the most sincere songs I have ever encountered. This track benefits from high volumes…feel free to blast it while dancing at your desk at midnight while eating a bagel or crying on your cold, crumb-speckled floor.
Track Eleven: “Homesick”
Duration: 7:06.
Initial Thoughts
In all honesty, I do not love this track. I personally feel that “Homesick” is one of the weakest songs on Disintegration. However, the album hugely benefits from its presence, as it is the beginning of the end. It carries the same themes of “Disintegration” but with much more clarity, and it sets up the mood for the final track on the album. “Homesick”: emotionally drained, contemplative, but also in denial. It refuses to refute its wrongs or face reality; it is one last pinch of turpitude. After reflecting upon the songs overall sound, it begins quite assured in its melancholy. I may not treasure the song itself, but I definitely respect and appreciate. The layering is impeccable: the sincere piano meets the carefully plucked guitar and riveting drums and the sorrow violin—viola?—and then a more electric-sounding guitar. And finally, after some bass and a three minute intro, Smith begins to sing. The piano is jazzy, the guitars slightly “rockish”…exquisite overall sound and energy.
Lyrics
“Homesick”
“Hey hey!
Just one more and I’ll walk away
All the everything you win
Turns to nothing today
And I forget how to move
When my mouth is this dry
And my eyes are bursting hearts
In a blood-stained sky
Oh it was sweet
It was wild
And oh how we…
I trembled
Stuck in honey
Honey
Cling to me…
So just one more
Just one more go
Inspire in me the desire in me
To never go homeOh just one more
And I’ll walk away
All the everything you win
Turns to nothing today
So just one more
Just one more go
Inspire in me the desire in me
To never go home”
I am interested in the perspective Robert Smith wrote “Homesick” from. Despite the title, one line reads, “Inspire in me the desire to never go home.” First of all, I have never heard of anyone desiring to avoid one’s home…one usually desires to return home. Likewise, to state the obvious, why title this piece “Homesick”? Do the title and lyrics go hand-in-hand? Was the title a guilty afterthought? Why is the overall sound somber if the song is about wanting to never return home? Is there a touch of sarcasm, irony, or purposeful contradiction anywhere? “Homesick” is definitely a head-scratcher, but I feel that is what Robert Smith has intended.
Although the lyrics are brief and inspire me as much as “Last Dance”—a previous song on Disintegration—I do absolutely adore the line, “my eyes are bursting hearts in a blood-stained sky.” Ugh! So beautiful, am I right? I also love, “All the everything you win turns to nothing today.” Overall, this is a powerful, moving track that is delicious to my ears, but I have a difficult time personalizing the song’s meaning. What do you think? The light lyrics do not match the regretful sound and the title, and I believe this to be purposeful…how clever!
Overall
Sorry, Cure, but I doubt I have ever sought out “Homesick”…this is the most I have listened to the song on its own. Although “Homesick” does not possess the grand, bone-shattering glory of “Plainsong” nor the infectious “hit recipe” of “Pictures of You” and “Lovesong”, the album simply would not be the same without it. The track exists as a perfect segue from “Disintegration” into the final track of the album. It is also one of slowest, more methodical songs on the album. And it has a unique sound! I absolutely love the singing guitar in the beginning and then the addition of a more whiny guitar. And then…a smooth base line. “Homesick” is a musical dish of lasagna, consisting of layers upon layers. And how can I possibly criticize the raining melody of strings and intriguing drums and the most jazzy piano on the entire album. And Smith’s languid voice ties everything together like a bow on a present.
Track Twelve: Untitled
Duration: 6:30.
Initial Impressions
When I first listened to “Untitled”, I was unsure about the wheezy accordion(?)-filled first few seconds. But oh my goodness! This has got to be one of the best Cure songs, in my opinion. Why? The sound is air-tight in its stability and precision. “Untitled” is an impeccable end to Disintegration. The lyrics are absolutely stellar; Robert Smith’s voice reads so clearly and with appreciable sincerity. I absolutely love the confident drums matched perfectly with the churning bass, and I adore the singing guitar—it is more rich and tender than filet mignon! And I would have to say the same for Smith’s vocals. Also, before I summarize my impression, you got to love those cymbal crescendos, eh? Overall, this track has such a relaxing, light sound…the most fitting end to a masterpiece such as Disintegration!
Lyrics
“Hopelessly drift
In the eyes of the ghost again
Down on my knees
And my hands in the air again
Pushing my face in the memory of you again
But I never know if it’s real
Never know how I wanted to feel
Never quite said what I wanted to say to you
Never quite managed the words to explain to you
Never quite knew how to make them believable
And now the time has gone
Another time undone
Hopelessly fighting the devil
Futility
Feeling the monster
Climb deeper inside of me
Feeling him gnawing my heart away
Hungrily
I’ll never lose this pain
Never dream of you again”
Surprise! The lyrics do not match the light beat at all. The Cure has mastered the art of contradiction to better the experience and/or meaning of a song. With “Untitled”, the rhythms are refreshing and sweet, but the lyrics sting. In my opinion, these lyrics are some of Robert Smith’s best work. All I can say is…ow.
“Hopelessly drift in the eyes of the ghost again; down on my knees, and my hands in the air again”…what an evocative entrance. This paints such a picture of bleak surrender and sorrow. Now, I could dissect this song in such a way line by line, but I will paraphrase for your sanity, hah! Smith goes on to say, “Pushing my face in the memory of you again.” Who is “you”? Anyway, he continues by admitting he has no idea what is real or how to feel. He feels as if he never said everything he hoped to. He realizes the time, the moment, has gone. He uses the word “hopelessly” again when describing a battle against futility, which he describes as being a devilish monster. The song ends as follows: “Feeling the monster climb deeper inside of me, feeling him gnawing my heart away, hungrily; I’ll never lose this pain, never dream of you again.”
Quite somber, am I right? Yes, the lyrics are quite the contrast to the relatively upbeat sound!
I absolutely love how Robert Smith ends Disintegration with these exact lyrics. It is no triumphant affair, nothing close to bombastic. His words are bleeding sincerity. And in a way, “Untitled” summarizes his whole attitude towards the album. The encompassing theme of Disintegration is futility and the battle against it. Is the album enough? Is Smith relaying everything inside of him, everything he intended to share? Does his career as an artist live up to his expectations? The whole inspiration behind Disintegration is Robert Smith dreading his thirtieth birthday because he does not feel accomplished enough. So he ends the album with all grand, explosive sounds peeled back. “Untitled” is stripped of anything that would diminish its core meaning and feel. This is the painful, hopeless reality of Disintegration.
Overall:
The rich blend of guitars at the end never fail to give me chills, as they are quite sensational. And the accordion picks up once again, but its meaning has changed…I end up appreciating it a bit more, for I see someone in a dimly lit corner playing it solemnly. As for the contradicting lyrics and sound, Smith’s lyrics are despairing, but he is somewhat content with it all. He is almost telling listeners, “Look, it’s not perfect, but who cares? Reality sucks, and I’m just an English guy wearing lipstick with hair full of hairspray.” One can easily feel the pain behind Smith’s words—to the point that the cheery sound tastes more bitter than sweet. Personally, I find this track immensely consoling. Often, we fail to express ourselves to the fullest; we constantly feel just shy of “enough” or right at it. But that’s okay.
After All of This, What Exactly is Disintegration?
For me, Disintegration is separated into three main segments:
- “Plainsong”, “Pictures of You”, and “Closedown”:
- The lyrics are all overwhelmed by time.
- These three all have an explosive, ethereal sound.
- All are a bit comfortable; these are the most stable songs on the album.
- “Lovesong”, “Last Dance”, “Lullaby”, “Fascination Street”, and “Prayers for Rain”:
- Although of various themes, moods, and meanings, these five characterize the album’s middle.
- All of these songs are of a unique sound, purpose, and plot.
- These songs share a similar tone, even if subtle.
- “The Same Deep Water as You”, “Disintegration”, “Homesick”, “Untitled”:
- Robert Smith’s lyrics become more convoluted and regretful and defenseless; his perspective almost does a 180°…these four songs feel so separate from segment one (how does “Pictures of You” belong to the same album as “Disintegration”?)
Overall, I love Disintegration with all of my heart. Although released in 1989, the album continues to have its hits blasted on accepting radio stations. Personally, every time I hear “Pictures of You” play on the radio, my heart almost bursts. The Cure has numerous albums that are absolutely stellar—such as the fun-filled, addictive Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987) and the ghastly, quiet pondering of Faith (1981). But with Disintegration, Robert Smith created one of the most “together” albums of all time. Despite its overall air of melancholy, it possesses songs for various moments in time, numerous emotions. No singular song diminishes the quality of the album. It is sincere, purposeful, and as original as any other Cure album. And the journey it contains is indescribable: while listening, I found myself standing on a windy cliff overlooking a dark ocean, dancing in a ballroom in the middle of winter, shivering in bed in confining darkness, swimming at night in a frighteningly deep body of water, in the middle of a dizzying breakdown, and in a lonely but comfortable corner. From the grand expanse of “Plainsong” to the small, pained content of “Untitled”, Disintegration holds so much. Often, I like to wrap myself in its songs like warm blankets in the wintertime.
I know the band will never see this, but I am eternally grateful for the Cure and albums such as Disintegration. Thank you.
