Mirror Mirror
Bird Bear Hare and Fish Lyrics

Listen to me,
Requesting the audience's attention.

Just hear me out.
Asking the audience to listen to the full message.

If I could have your attention?
Asking again for the audience's attention.

Just quietin' down for a voice in the crowd.
Asking for silence so one voice can be heard from the midst of the crowd.

I get so confused and I don't understand.
Expressing confusion and incomprehension.

I know you feel the same way you've always wanted to say,
Acknowledging the shared feelings of the audience.

But you don't get the chance.
Noting that the audience hasn't had the opportunity to express their thoughts.

Just a voice in the crowd.
Realizing that their voice is just one amongst many.

I don't know the score anymore;
Expressing confusion and uncertainty about what's going on.

It's not clear anymore.
Stating that the current situation is unclear.

I can't tell right from wrong anymore;
Acknowledging the difficulty in distinguishing between what's right and wrong.

I just don't understand.
Admitting incomprehension.

I was sitting here thinking of exchanging a new world for old;
Contemplating the possibility of changing the world.

Like changing the channels on TV,
Illustrating the ease with which things can be changed.

Or the dirt that we stand in, to gold.
Further emphasizing the idea of changing something 'dirty' into something valuable.

When I was young
Recounting a past experience.

My father told me just bad guys die,
Recalling a lie told by their father.

At the time just a little white lie.
Ascribing a color to the lie to downplay its significance.

It was one of the first but it hurt me the most,
Highlighting a pivotal moment in their life.

And the truth stung like tears in my eyes;
Expressing the emotional pain of learning the truth.

That even the good guys must die.
Realizing that even good people die, contrary to what their father told them.

There's no reasoning, no crimes, and I never knew why.
Expressing confusion and the lack of understanding regarding life and death.

Even now, it still makes me cry.
Noting that the pain still lingers.

If there's somebody up there, could they throw me down a line?
Asking for help and guidance from a higher power.

Just a little helping hand, just a little understanding.
Mentioning specifically what kind of help they seek.

Just some answers to the questions that surround me now.
Specifying the kind of guidance they seek.

Just a little guiding light to tell wrong from right.
Further specifying the kind of guidance they seek.

Just some answers to the questions that I'm asking you.
Reiterating the request for guidance as previously stated.

I keep a vigil in a wilderness of mirrors,
Metaphorically describing how the world appears to them.

Where nothing here is ever what it seems.
Reinforcing the metaphorical description of the world.

You stand so close but you never understand it.
Observing that others may be close, but still not understand what's going on.

For all that we see is not all that it seems; am I blind?
Posing a question about their own perception of the world.

And you sit there and talk revolution,
Addressing someone who claims to be revolutionary.

But can you tell me just who's in command?
Asking a question about the leadership of the supposed revolution.

When you tell me the forces we're fighting,
Asking for clarification about what the supposed revolution is fighting against.

Then I`ll join you and gladly make plans,
Expressing willingness to join a cause if it's clear what the fight is for.

But for now only our t-shirts cry freedom,
Mocking the lack of action supporting a supposed revolutionary cause.

And our voices are gagged by our greed.
Highlighting the powerlessness of wanting to speak out against a corrupt system.

Our minds are harnessed by knowledge,
Observed how being stuck in a particular educational pathway limits critical thinking in creative ways.

By the hill and the will to succeed,
Stating that materialistic desires block a greater understanding of the world.

And if that's not what you believe,
Asking the audience if they agree with their perception of the current system.

Would you just let me know
Requesting feedback or communication from the audience.

I'm not standing alone,
Asserting that they are part of a larger community facing this struggle.

That I'm not just a voice in the crowd?
Asking for confirmation that their voice is being heard.

I'll keep a vigil in a wilderness of mirrors,
Recalling a phrase from earlier in the song to refer to their continued struggle.

Nothing here is exactly how it seems.
Reaffirming the distorted perceptions of the world.

You're reaching out, you're so close you can touch it,
Observing how something may seem within reach, but still not graspable.

But it all disappears when it's always so near.
Noting the frustration of the previous observation.

But one day, we will find that we stand in the light.
Expressing hope for the future.

Until then, I'll keep a vigil in a wilderness of mirrors.
Determined to continue the struggle despite its difficulty.

I'm scared to shout, in case I draw attention from the powers
Revealing some fear and hesitation regarding resistance against such power structures.

That preside over our minds and our lives,
Acknowledging the immense power that such structures hold.

When they find what I want is the deadliest weapon; that is truth.
Positing truth as a dangerous but necessary tool against oppressive structures.

Day by day it`s getting louder,
Observing that the resistance against oppressive forces is growing stronger.

And day by day it`s getting stronger.
Emphasizing the growing strength of resistance.

But when I can't scream no more and I need reassurance,
Positing a moment of doubt or exhaustion during the struggle.

I listen to the crowd.
Clarifying that the strength of the struggle comes from the collective efforts of the people.

And the boy stood and stared at the hill;
Visualizing a boy looking up at a hill, which is of metaphorical significance to the song.

And the hill - it stared back.
Anthropomorphizing the hill to suggest the metaphorical relationship between the boy and the hill.