Interpretations:I Left My Body
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Scientist experimenting with death
I currently think this is about a scientist experimenting with what is on the other side as such. The title of the song "I left my body" seems to indicate that the consciousness is leaving the body. The phrasing of it indicates that it was a decision made by the protagonist rather than a natural death. The first verse then indicates that the protagonist is no longer able to return to his body e.g. "I forgot where I left my body". This would mean that they are no longer able to return in a way that they had planned. The planning is indicated by the "I forgot" meaning that it was originally planned they would remember and so be able to return to the living. It is also indicated that it is planned from "I left a notebook" and "with the old landlady" hinting that they made preparations for this journey by preparing someone or something "landlady" to look after the body while they leave. I then believe the protagonist is encountering limbo with "Don't see anyone" and "waiting endlessly". I believe the protagonist to be a gentleman Victorian scientist as well from "landlady" and "waiting on a receptionist" however I don't strongly believe this to be true. The song then turns its focus to how the protagonist now regrets their decision and how their now empty body will be disposed of with "tungsten ring" and "plastic hip is going to be worth something". Possibly it was just a coma that they can't return from as that would explain how their body is still alive but empty of consciousness. Awesome song and obviously this is just an opinion but I hope I've raised an interesting point of view. Gush over. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pivoit3 (talk • contribs) 14:00, October 23, 2017
The other half of "Lost My Mind"
I feel like this song is describing the same situation as Lost My Mind, but from the mind's point of view instead of the body's. Each part of the original person is worried about the other (what might be happening to the body, where the mind could be), but neither can find the other half (the mind is at least trying, the body claims it simply doesn't have time). The possible conflicts between what each song says is happening to the other part can be disregarded since neither half actually knows what's happening to the other. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.76.227.515:41, October 24, 2017 (talk)
An old man's experience post-death
I interpreted the song as the story of an old man who died, hiding his most important work behind a mystery that those grieving over him haven't been able to or won't be able to solve. Meanwhile, he arrives in the afterlife in Purgatory rather than Hell or Heaven.
I left my body / And I went on a journey / And I forgot where I left my body / They're gonna tow you / If they think you're abandoned / You got to act like you're not abandoned / I left a notebook with all of my good ideas / Keywords encoded cryptographically
The man died, and his spirit moved on while his body did not. The body is placed into a casket, or 'towed', because they think the man is dead, or 'abandoned'. If you don't want to be buried, act like you're alive and not abandoned. The man left behind a notebook with all of his best ideas and works, coded with a secret message inside.
I'm waiting endlessly on a receptionist / At the desk I'm searching high and low / But I don't see anyone / Don't see anyone / Don't see anyone there
He shows up in the afterlife, but nobody is here despite how much he searches.
I left my body / With the old landlady / But I don't know if she read the directions / There must be something / You can use on the carpet / Someone might want that electric blanket
He dies in his home and, when the landlady visits, she finds his body. She doesn't pay attention to the mystery itself, but rather his corpse, and tries to cover it with an electric blanket to either hide it and not look at it or in hopes that it'll help him heal and she's unsure if he's fully dead or not. The dead narrator's mystery is supposed to lead her away from the blanket, which doesn't end up happening.
Unfinished manuscript and a tungsten ring / My plastic hip is going to be worth something
His unfinished work, something he prizes dearly, compared to a ring made of a rare metal, just like his rare and valuable ideas inside the notebook. He concludes this thought by saying that the plastic hip he has (replacement hip being an indicator that he's an older man or the victim of some injury) will be worth something, probably similar to how people will pay for mementos of a celebrity like a napkin or a signature.
I took the folding knife / And the bat repellent soap
The man takes a knife and soap to whittle his time away, but not just any soap, bat-repellent soap. Bats typically hang out around ceilings, and the biggest 'ceiling' in the afterlife would be Heaven, so he's expecting to spend his time in the clouds whittling at soap. Alternatively, he could've been expecting to end up in Hell, given bats are thought to typically hang out in that area as well, and he would certainly need the repellent. He could've also brought the knife for protection from anything that might be in Hell as well.
I left my body / And right away I knew I made / A mistake / I left without my senses / And I can't see anything / Can't see anything
He made a mistake when he died, which I think means he forgot to tie up loose ends with the mystery, hence why nobody is able to solve it or cares about it. He died in his sleep, without his senses, but now that he's in the afterlife he can't see anything going on with the living.
The afterlife verse is repeated once again to close the song, always left on an uncertain ending just like his mystery and his isolated time after death.
I'm not 100% certain on this explanation, but I think it makes sense in most of the areas that matter. The cause of death (either in his sleep or suicide) and what exactly he means with "leaving [his] body with the landlady" (who could also be his wife) is what makes this open to other interpretation as well. —Preceding unsigned comment added by TeeOS20:30, November 25, 2017 (talk • contribs)
Don't get too hung up on the word landlady
Just an observation: a lot of people on here don't recognize the word landlady and think it's literally a lady made of land or something. Landlord and landlady are gendered colloquialisms for the owner of a property (esp. a rental property) in a lot of english dialects. —Preceding unsigned comment added by WhatTheHeckLinnell (talk • contribs) 12:32, January 18, 2018
Sleeping?
Sleeping/dreaming seems like a cop out to me but it does fit a number of points in the song. Sorry for the long explanation.
I left my body And I went on a journey And I forgot where I left my body - You're not confined to your physical body while dreaming.
They're gonna tow you If they think you're abandoned You got to act like you're not abandoned - Tow and abandoned indicate a car. Maybe that you can't sleep so deeply you look like you're dead and need to be hauled to the grave.
I left a notebook with all of my good ideas Keywords encoded cryptographically - This is interesting because it's not the notebook that's encoded, it's just the keywords. This makes me think of how books are hard to read in a dream. Usually text will shift and change moment to moment.
I'm waiting endlessly on a receptionist At the desk I'm searching high and low But I don't see anyone Don't see anyone Don't see anyone there - A fevered frustrating dream where you're looking for something that never shows up.
I left my body With the old landlady But I don't know if she read the directions - Wife doesn't know how to wake him up? He's a very sound sleeper.
There must be something You can use on the carpet - Sleeping so soundly he didn't even get up to use the bathroom.
Someone might want that electric blanket - Maybe the electric blanket also got wet? A blanket indicates sleep.
Unfinished manuscript and a tungsten ring - These are the things left on the side of the bed as he sleeps.
My plastic hip is going to be worth something - It was hard to sleep before his hip replacement. It's worth something in that he can sleep soundly again.
I took the folding knife And the bat repellent soap - These are the things that he took with him in his dream. Bat repellant soap makes no sense and so fits well in a dream.
I left my body And right away I knew I made A mistake I left without my senses And I can't see anything Can't see anything - You can't see while sleeping.
I'm waiting endlessly on a receptionist At the desk I'm searching high and low But I don't see anyone Don't see anyone Don't see anyone there - A repeated fevered dream that he keeps having. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.247.217.130 (talk) 15:56, June 10, 2018
