The World Looks Red
Sonic Youth Lyrics

Sonic Youth's song "World Looks Red" is a psychedelic journey with abstract lyrics that make it difficult to determine the exact meaning behind them. The song starts with the phrase "Push it away, the world looks red", suggesting a desire to detach from reality. The use of the color red could symbolize danger, anger or passion. The world is seen through fish eyes, which could be a reference to the distorted view of reality that is experienced while under the influence of hallucinogens. The ground sucks suggests instability and insecurity.

The lyrics "Walk on my fingertips, Displacing the fog" paint a picture of someone who is trying to navigate through an unclear path. The weight of the body being too much to bear suggests that the person is struggling with their mental health. The memory drained the life from the doll might refer to a sense of loss or emptiness. The ocean of insects worked like a sheet could be a reference to the collective consciousness of humanity, and how it shapes our perceptions of the world.

The immovable fact buried my mind in a horsehair coat in a pile on the floor could be referencing the feeling of suffocation that is experienced when one's beliefs are challenged. The horsehair coat could be symbolic of an oppressive force that is holding the singer down. The repetition of the opening line suggests a cyclical feeling of being trapped in a loop that is hard to escape.