Welcome back, dear readers, for another installment of Lyric Shrink. With this series, I engage in the lyrical breakdown of a song from my perspective as a mental health professional. Our patient this time is “Mirror” by Dr.Superfall.
To understand the psychological dynamics of “Mirror,” it’s important to have some basic knowledge of personality theory. Indeed, most psychology theories center on personality. The originator of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, theorized that personality consists of the subconscious and conscious elements composed of the id, ego, and super-ego.
- The id represents our primal-instinctual desires.
- The super-ego is our internal parent telling us what’s right or wrong.
- The ego acts as a mediator between the previous two.
These three forces interact to produce observable behaviors, thoughts, and feelings—the totality of which we call personality.
Since Freud, personality theories have become more complex.
Alternative models have been offered to explain the basis of observable personality traits. For example, the Big Five model postulates that 5 traits comprise our personality:
- Agreeableness
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Neuroticism
- Openness to experience.
The degree to which these traits are present in individuals accounts for variances in personality. Regardless of the chosen theory, the aim of psychology is to explain why humans operate the way that they do.
With “Mirror,” Dr.Superfall presents his own theory about what drives us.
The song’s opening lyrics introduce a story of a one-sided relationship coming to an end. Our singer is fed up with trying to accommodate a friend’s bullshit. The games, addiction-driven behaviors, and mistreatment are just too much to take. Despite the lyricist’s efforts, that empathy has never been reciprocated.
Always find a way to hate
A way to try to run away
‘Cause it’s you who’s hurting
Always try to break the chain
A way to finally kill the pain
With the flame, you’re flirting
Always find a different game
To never have to take the blame
Your abuse and lying
Then you cause another fight
To justify you getting high
And it’s you who’s dying
I tried to be your friend
Your one and lone companion
But you blamed me for the life that failed you again
In spite of how you’ve been
I tried to let you win
But you just stopped trying
After the stage is set, Dr.Superfall reveals his explanation for this interpersonal conflict—the unexamined and irreverent life.
The ex-friend has done these rotten things because they refuse to see who they are and can’t be bothered to look in the mirror to face their own faults. The discomfort of the lyricist in seeing how ugly the ex-friend’s life has gotten is so powerful that the ex-friend finally senses it. But instead of facing the problem, they try to bury the truth beneath a pile of harmful habits and defensive behaviors.
In the steps, they have to take
The sacrifice they make
Doesn’t matter if you care
The demons that you feel
Seem so fucking real
They are just your mirror’s own reflection
Crawling in your skin
Breathing from within
Hiding in the nothing that’s inside
Buried in your mind
Buried you alive
And you won’t survive if you won’t face them at all
They took you away
You died yesterday
People talk at you
You don’t exist
Dr.Superfall advises the friend that, if they keep ignoring who they are and how they act, they are on a path to doom their own existence. Carl Jung would likely agree. Jung, like Freud, subscribed to the theory that unconscious forces drive human behavior such that, only by the confrontation of these unconscious elements, a person can become their true self. The process of confrontation and integration of unconscious elements is called individuation.
When a person avoids confrontation through defense mechanisms, they experience psychic pain and abreactions. Indeed, the lyricist’s former friend turns to drugs, starting fights, and denying in order to avoid facing the ugly truth that they feel empty inside. With this realization, what is the plaintive lyricist left to do?
“Mirror” answers that question.
Save me from myself
Rape me
If I still exist
Hate me
Don’t stay here too long
Know
I’m already gone
Go, Go
Save me from myself
Rape me
If I still exist
Hate me
I was just a calm
Here and then gone
You were just another high
Dr.Superfall is telling his abuser to do their worst so that his own ensuing hatred and abandonment are justified. Echoing songs like Blue October’s “Hate Me” and Nirvana’s “Rape Me,” “Mirror” suggests that the relationship is so toxic that the only way to end it is the nuclear option—one last act of unforgivable violation followed by forgetting each others’ existence. “Make me a part of your unconscious never to be recalled again” is a powerful statement.
I feel Dr.Superfall is all but highlighting the influence of interpersonal elements on our personalities.
At this point, we need to understand that humanity exists within a complex and interconnected series of elements that form systems. Understanding these connections is the basis of systems theory. This theory of human personality accounts for the context of a person’s complex environment.
I can’t feel
So unreal
Help me heal
You can not erase this
I can’t feel
So unreal
Help me heal
(You can not e-)
You don’t exist
In my heart, in my soul, in my sacrifice.
I’ll never fade
Until I’m at the end
And my life has been
Something
Don’t stay here too long
Know
I’m already gone
But you don’t exist
Amen.
Even after the destruction of the toxic relationship, the consequences remain. Clearly, an indelible mark is left—a psychological scar—despite willful attempts to move on and heal. This healing comes hard as it requires two things:
- The lyricist making something of himself above and beyond his relationship with the ex-friend; and
- Adhering to the code of mutual nonexistence, even if the abuser is again attracted by the lyricist’s newfound success.
Achievement and failure are powerful forces in shaping who we are.
Erik Erikson postulates that personality develops throughout a person’s lifetime by resolving a series of conflicts at various stages of life. Failing to achieve resolution at any particular stage results in being stuck at that stage of development, resulting in an absence of growth.
“Stage 7: Generativity vs. Stagnation” is a stage in adulthood when we want to create something long-lasting that will survive us. Our lyricist is refusing to remain stagnant as a result of his harmful relationship with his ex-friend. It is time to create something worthwhile. This creation might be the very song we’re listening to—a monument to self-reflection, changing, and moving forward.
I hope you enjoyed this lyrical analysis of Dr.Superfall’s “Mirror”. Please listen to it and the other tracks on Rough Around the Edges.
Comment and let me know your theories on personality and the meaning you get from the song. And keep reading the following companion piece to this article from Dr. Superfall himself where he shares his thoughts on song meanings and originality from a songwriter’s perspective.
From The Artist’s Perspective: A Response From Dr.Superfall
Ever since I founded my band Dr.Superfall, songwriting has been my focus. Given the breadth of material from talented songwriters, lyricists, and musicians that is available to listeners at the click of a button, I have aimed to produce songs that stand alone as original works of art—as opposed to mere imitations of existing creations. If you are a fellow artist, you already know that this call is a rarely achieved yet laudable goal. Even within my limited means, this has always been my purpose. It’s up to the listeners to decide the extent to which I have succeeded in this calling.
Regardless of the ultimate relevance of my work, I would like to thank writer and mental health professional Ryan McCann for this review. I am especially appreciative to Ryan for noticing this song, as it is the centerpiece of my latest EP Rough Around the Edges. Ryan’s thoughtful consideration of my lyrics through the lens of a mental health professional has humbled and inspired me in my quest to compose music and lyrics that are meaningful as stand-alone artifacts of the human condition.
I wrote “Mirror,” to embody interpersonal conflict and the search for an existential meaning that is almost always elusive.
Therefore, I applaud Ryan for his credentialed analysis that reflects the soul of the song as I had intended. I can find no fault with any of his conclusions. Even though his affirmative analysis of my lyrics closely “mirrors” my intended meaning, I can not necessarily endorse it over any other potential analysis. Now we’re getting into the essence of art.
The core of art is meaning, and meaning is definitively subjective. What does the Mona Lisa mean? What does Beethoven’s 5th mean? Some will cite historical facts. Others will focus on aesthetics. The statue of David? The Eiffel Tower? Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit?” Are the artistic intentions of these pieces intrinsic to the meaning that they convey as works of art, or did they become cultural symbols only through the external meanings that were placed upon them? The answer is surely not as cut and dry as the history books would contend.
This basic subjectivity in meaning is the reason that I, and many other artists, refuse to reveal the specific personal meanings of individual works of art.
Some elements may be autobiographical and others may be fictional. As far as art is concerned, this is beside the point. Art aims to capture the human condition, which has seemingly infinite perspectives and interpretations. If a particular work of art engenders queries about the meaning or interpretation of itself, it has already become relevant.
The only other concession that I will make here about the meaning of “Mirror” is that being human is equally beautiful and difficult. This is the universal truth that pervades my lyrics. If someone feels a sense of catharsis, I’m deeply honored. If someone finds a friend in their struggles, I’m happy to be their friend. if someone says that my music is crap, that response is no less valid than any other. I’m confident that Ryan would echo these sentiments.
Regardless of anyone’s reaction to my music, the greatest compliment is to receive any reaction at all.
Notwithstanding pieces of art that are simply undiscovered, relevant works of art get people to pause their busy routines for a moment and interact—silently, or otherwise. The main ingredients of this relevance are originality, authenticity, and performance.
At this point, I will leave this discussion to the readers of this article so that they may reflect upon my humble perspective as an artist who has yet to become particularly relevant. I welcome your feedback and comments, and I will consider your viewpoints thoughtfully. I plan to continue creating new music and hope that listeners will find my art to be relevant to the plight of the human condition. Needless to say, I appreciate everyone who takes the time to listen. Let me know your thoughts! – Dr.Superfall
For more information on Dr.Superfall, please visit this link.