"Milk The Lightning" by Eleventyseven is a song that reflects on the struggles of the protagonist's mind and his desire to escape the reality he finds himself in. The lyrics describe a series of surreal and fantastical events that symbolize the protagonist's inner turmoil and detachment from the world. The opening lines, "Right now I wanna milk the lightning, I wanna tell the weatherman I know what he's been hiding," convey a sense of rebellion and dissatisfaction with the status quo. The protagonist yearns for something beyond the ordinary and wants to challenge the limitations imposed by society. As the song progresses, the lyrics continue to paint a picture of the protagonist's inner struggles. The lines, "I'm driving through space and I'm kissing the stars, I'm burning my lips on the heat they put off," illustrate a sense of both exploration and potential danger. The lyrics then introduce the theme of mortality and acceptance of the inevitable. The line, "The doctors have said, there's nothing else we can do, he's just waiting for death on the back of the moon," suggests that the protagonist is struggling with accepting his own mortality or the mortality of someone close to them. The chorus, "And now I'm telling my friends, that it's all in my head, I should be awake, but I'm dreaming instead, I try to hold on, but I'm floating away, I'll be clocking back in at the end of the day," reflects the protagonist's feeling of being detached from reality and the struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy. They acknowledge that their experiences may be seen as imaginary or delusional but cannot escape the overwhelming feeling of detachment. The song further explores the protagonist's troubled mind with the lines, "There's a T-Rex living in my backyard, never thought I'd be a victim of my own imagination, all the cartoons living in my dreams are walking right out of my TV screen." These surreal images symbolize the intrusive and overwhelming nature of the protagonist's thoughts and emotions. Overall, "Milk The Lightning" delves into the complexities of the mind and the struggle to maintain a grip on reality. It explores themes of longing for something more, acceptance of mortality, and the frustration of feeling detached from the world. The song encourages listeners to reflect on their own mental states and to find strength in facing their inner struggles.
