Interpretations:Now That I Have Everything

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This song initially comes across as a satirical chivvying of the unsatisfying desire to have everything, as if teasing materialism.
Yet I find it interesting that if we were to achieve an enlightened state, and own essentially nothing except for our existence, the mirror on the wall (the ego) would cease to have influence on us.
It would be hard to keep track of anything whether you became inseparable from a cluttered pile of infinite possessions or the infinite field of incorporeality.
Either goal would take much dedication, require enduring paths you may not want to revisit, and could disturb your friends. - CatastropheelingGood

This song seems to me to be about a guy who somehow looked into the future and used his knoweledge to make a fortune. examples:

mirror on the wall- a tool with psychic powers

knew what I had to do to be well to do- already knew everything he needed to do

can't tell things apart I don't know where they start- disorientation that would come from seeing the future or time travel

etc. (I'd do more but I'm tired and feeling geeky reading lyrics at my computer)

also it may be more metaphorical for just someone who is a very skilled buisnessperson who started out poor and got really really rich

Is anyone else reminded of Elvis Costello? I am, but I can't put my finger on why, exactly. - Ms Fernandez

I think this song is literally about somebody who has everything, sort of relatable to what attaining nirvana would be like. It's about how, now that the narrator has everything and all knowledge/realization of everything, he has nothing really to live for; there's nothing more to get. He just lets his being float through existence ("I can't tell things apart, I don't know where they start"), and he finds pretty much everything (surfing, what that guy's gonna say) irrelevent to him (including himself-- what does a man who have everything think about when there's nothing left to think about?), because whatever you do, "Everything is everything." It's like describing that we always spend life trying to gain and achieve more and move ever higher to no avail, and even if we do, we find there's nothing to do. A kind of depressing take on the meaning of life, where we live to fulfill the task of completing our lives but we don't and die "frustrated and sad"-- but even the achievement of the (unrealistic) goal leads to no satisfaction, so no matter what we do or strive to do, we'll never be happy at the end. Yay! ~ magbatz

I think of someone who gave up something precious (maybe their connection with others, or their chance at a normal life) to achieve something material that they thought they wanted more than anything, and they're extremely happy with their choice which is beyond their wildest dreams, but only if they can avoid dwelling on what they lost in the exchange.

Bad Conscience[edit]

He started out without wealth ("I wasn't always so fortunate"). Then he did something wrong to get rich ("I did what I had to do to be well-to-do"). Now he has "everything".

But he can't look at his own reflection, and it pains him to think of the the past ("don't remind me of yesterday"). He can't even enjoy his prosperity ("I don't want anything").

An official board or jury ("an inquiry") is evaluating his guilt, and he may face some due consequences ("what would be just the thing for me") for whatever he did.

His case isn't settled yet ("I would have to wait and see"). In the meantime he's hanging out at the beach ("put down that surfboard") with a friend or mate. But he can't have any fun because he imagines that the other person is on the verge of bringing up the issue ("don't say all the things I think I know that you're about to say"). It's all in his head. --Nehushtan (talk) 10:33, 2 September 2022 (EDT)

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