Mirk?

I can’t be the only one who doesn’t understand what the song‘Spillways’ is about? Can you explain to me in simple terms please

All art is open to interpretation, so what follows is how I see the song personally!

Spillways are part of a dam that allow water to run off so that there is no flooding and the structure doesn’t crack under pressure. Across many cultures and languages, it’s common to conceptualise the human body as a container for emotions and emotions as a liquid, so we say things like “She was filled with anger” or “I felt emotionally drained.” In “Spillways” Tobias uses this metaphor to speak about the darker human emotions - rage, grief, desolation – and how they need to find their way out of our system, “through the spillways” of our souls as it is. But the thing is, sometimes we relieve the pain in unhealthy ways: through addiction, self-harm, lashing out and other forms of physical or verbal abuse. While in a twisted kinda way it gives us a sense of momentary relief, it also continually “feeds the beast” – this darkness inside of us – and thus we end up in a vicious circle where the mental anguish and the unhealthy mechanisms maintain and reinforce each other.

In the music video we also have the quote from Job 10:1: "I loathe my own life; I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.” Just within the context of the song as I view it and disregarding the biblical context of the Book of Job (that’s a story for another post!), it paints me a picture of how people use their suffering to rationalize their own flawed behaviour or inflicting suffering upon others. I loathe my own life, therefore I will abuse my body. I loathe my own life, therefore I will destroy the lives of others too. This is yet another destructive approach that maintains the vicious circle I mentioned above.

But the song merely observes the problem, it doesn’t seem to judge. What I really like about it is that it first acknowledges we all have darkness inside of us, but then gives us a chance to release those emotions in a healthy manner: by screaming our hearts out. It’s an almost cathartic experience to sing it at the top of your lungs with Papa during the show. Much recommended.