Lyrically, the song appears to reference Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, whence it is likely the song was named. The lyrics were written by Billy Corgan in reference to his break-up with then-girlfriend Chris Fabian. The song is an exercise in expressing both perspectives of a failed relationship, rather than taking the typical solipsistic approach found in many break-up related songs. The song itself expresses this through ambisexual vocal stylings and musical arrangements, shifting from a soft, relaxed style to crushingly heavy distortion towards the end, finally arriving again at the initial relaxed arrangement to close the song. Corgan says the song "is based on the idea that a love relationship is almost the same as opium: it slowly puts you to sleep, it soothes you, and gives you the illusion of sureness and security."
Soma
The Smashing Pumpkins Lyrics
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And all I've left to do is run away from you
And she led me on, down with secrets I can't keep
Close your eyes and sleep, don't wait up for me
Hush now don't you speak... to me
Wrap my hurt in you
The opiate of blame is you broken heart, heart, your heart
So now I'm all by myself as I've always felt
I'll betray my tears to anyone caught in our ruse of fools
One last kiss for me, yeah
One last kiss good night...
Didn't want to lose you once again, didn't want to be your friend
Fulfill a promise made of tin and crawled back to you
Now I'm all by myself as I've always felt
And I'll betray myself to anyone, lost, anyone but you...
So let the sadness come again
On that you can depend on me, yeah
Until the bitter, bitter end of the world, yeah
When god sleeps in bliss
And I'm all by myself, as I've always felt
And I'll betray myself to anyone...
The lyrics of The Smashing Pumpkins' song Soma capture the experience of a person who is hurting from a broken relationship. The song is heavily infused with the theme of a relationship that is marked by secrecy, betrayal, and heartbreak. The singer in the song is in a state of emotional turmoil, with "nothing left to say" and feeling like the only course of action is to "run away." The song conveys the idea that the singer is haunted by the memories of the relationship: "Wrap my hurt in you, and took my shelter in that pain."
The lyrics also suggest that the singer is blaming the other person for the heartbreak. The other person is referred to as the "opiate of blame." The chorus, "So now I'm all by myself as I've always felt, I'll betray my tears to anyone caught in our ruse of fools," underscores the sense of loneliness and vulnerability that the singer is feeling. The song culminates in a plea for the sadness to come again, which is indicative of a person who has become accustomed to being hurt.
Overall, the lyrics of Soma by The Smashing Pumpkins are a poignant depiction of love, loss, and the complexities of human relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing left to say,
There's literally no more words left that need to be said.
And all I've left to do is run away from you
The only thing left to do is escape from you.
And she led me on, down with secrets I can't keep
She shared secrets with me that I can't keep to myself.
Close your eyes and sleep, don't wait up for me
Sleep and don't expect me to return.
Hush now don't you speak... to me
Don't say anything to me, be quiet.
Wrap my hurt in you
I find comfort in you during my pain.
And took my shelter in that pain
I found solace in the pain and it became my safe haven.
The opiate of blame is you broken heart, heart, your heart
I'm addicted to blaming you for my broken heart.
So now I'm all by myself as I've always felt
I'm alone, which isn't something new to me.
I'll betray my tears to anyone caught in our ruse of fools
I will share my emotions with anyone who falls for our foolish charade.
One last kiss for me, yeah
Give me one final kiss.
One last kiss good night...
A kiss goodbye before retiring for the evening.
Didn't want to lose you once again, didn't want to be your friend
I didn't want to lose you or just be relegated to a friendly relationship.
Fulfill a promise made of tin and crawled back to you
I kept a superficial promise and returned to you.
And I'm all by myself, as I've always felt
I'm alone, as usual.
And I'll betray myself to anyone, lost, anyone but you...
I would rather betray myself to anyone else but you.
So let the sadness come again
I'm expecting more sadness in the future.
On that you can depend on me, yeah
But you can count on me during those tough times.
Until the bitter, bitter end of the world, yeah
This solidarity will last until the very end of the world.
When god sleeps in bliss
When we are no longer under the watchful eye of the divine.
And I'm all by myself, as I've always felt
I'm still alone, true to form.
And I'll betray myself to anyone...
I'll still look to deflect the blame onto anyone but myself.
Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.