"The Word Before Last" by The Human League is a song that tells the story of a man who sees himself on television but is unable to recognize that it's not actually him. The lyrics suggest that this man experienced happiness and love in the past, as portrayed on TV, but has now reached a point of despair, wanting to die. The chorus repeats the phrase "Of course, of course, of course, of course," indicating the man's frustration and confusion over the situation. He eventually realizes that the person he sees on TV, who looks similar and has a similar voice, is not actually him. The clothes may have changed, but the face remains the same. The second verse describes how the man is surrounded by old images and memories. His brain seems to skip over the present moment, leaving him in a state of perpetual pain. Towards the end of the song, there is a mention of spending a bad day with a man and a picture of himself. This suggests that the man may be wrestling with his own identity and struggling to reconcile the image of himself on television with his own self-perception. The song raises themes of identity, confusion, and the impact of media on our perception of self. It explores the disconnection between our internal experiences and the external images we encounter in the media.
