Modlovecat July 16th, 2005 05:14PM  
The idea for the video came from a dream Robert Smith had where he was locked in a linen closet that fell off a cliff and into the ocean.

This song is an abstract reference to the fear that life will one day end. The "day" he sings about is a reference to a lifetime. Tonight is the end of this day. He condenses a lifetime into a single day. It is child like in that a child also fears the coming darkness of night as a form of death. He wishes he had never been born rather than face tonight. He'd waited his whole lifetime for this final moment. He is faithless, however, if he had faith in some kind of existence after death, he could make it safe & clean.

Spen August 16th, 2006 12:44PM  
I see it differently, I see it as nerves, or anxiety. Like he's really looking forward to something, like a date or something. As the opening line "i've waited hours for this" makes you think he's looking forward to it, not dreading it. But as it gets closer he gets real nervous thinking about it. "i've made myself so sick", and is starting to get second thoughts because of the nerves/anxiety, "I wish i'd stayed asleep today", in bed where it's safe! It seems that although he's nervous now he's been really looking forward to it all day "I never thought tonight could ever be this close to me". I think the "just try to see in the dark, just try to make it work, to feel the fear before your here" is him trying to calm himself down before the event esp the "feal the fear before you here bit", it's like getting it out of his system before whoever turns up. The "I pull my eyes out, hold my breath and wait, until I shake" is like it's soon to happen an he's really feeling the stress. I think here he is comparing himself to someone else, be it who he's waiting for or someone else "but if I had your faith, then I could make it safe and clean", this person is obviously better at dealing with these situations. If I tried to explain the head on the door bit, i'd be grasping at straws. This is what the song reflects on me anyway.

anonymous June 1st, 2008 02:31PM  
I think the date part makes sense the head on the door could be nervously leaning against the door or his head pressed against the door to look out the peephole.

anonymous April 29th, 2009 03:35PM  
Well, the mentioned 'head on the door' was based on a nightmare that smith had as a child of simpley a disemodied head floating above his bedroom door, hence the lyric '...head on the door was a dream.'. The reference to the nightmare could put alot of other things related to this, such as wishing to have stayed in bed, into a different light.

anonymous October 18th, 2009 09:13PM  
THe head on the door portion does refer to a dream thaat Robert Smith had when he was younger. Furthermore, the entire song is a reference to that dream or rather the anxiety he feels waiting in bed to fall asleep. "I've waited hours for this, I've made myself so sick" refers to that anxiety that he is feeling and "just try to see in the dark just try to make it work to feel the fear before you're here..." is him imagining the head above the door so as to help ease away the fear. "but if i had your faith then i could make it safe and clean" is a friend or loved one of Robert that has tried to convince him that the head on the dorr truly is only a dream.

anonymous November 11th, 2009 10:58AM  
omfg, the song is about gay sex with your friend. "Ive been waiting hours for this, i made my self so sick i wish i stayed asleep today" and also "i never thought you'de be this close to me..." and also he's in a closet. It was made when gays where extremely frowned upon. In the end he drowns in the video. Drowning in the closet, never coming out of the closet.