Change (In the House of Flies)

The song starts with a surprising shift as the listener is thrown into an unsettling scene of transformation, 'I watched you change / Into a fly.' The imagery of a once-normal person being reduced to an insect sets a tone of degradation, hinting at corruption or the fall from grace. The initial verses suggest a passive observer, someone who is either emotionally detached or powerless to stop the transformation.

As the song progresses, we see the observer's role in the transformation become more direct and possibly malevolent. Pulling the wings off a fly is an act tied to control and perhaps even sadism, 'I pulled off your wings / Then I laughed.' The contradictory emotions of sadistic pleasure and an internal struggle create a vivid tension, where we can sense that the observer may be realizing the impact of their actions.

The emotional core of the verse 'I look at the cross / Then I look away / Give you the gun / Blow me away' adds layers of depth to the psychological turmoil unfolding. It speaks to guilt, self-awareness, and perhaps even a desire for self-destruction or redemption. It implies a crisis of conscience followed by a potential self-imposed punishment or relinquishing of control.

In the chorus, the mentions of never having wings and feeling alive point to a twisted sense of revitalization or freedom born from the act of change, whether from the perspective of the one changed or the changer. 'Now you feel so alive / I've watched you change,' captures the complex dance of empowerment and entrapment, torment and fulfillment.