
ReasonĪnd most pointedly in the second verse, we see that the abuse they suffer is not only physical but also psychological. Indeed the staff of the sanitarium has the singer afraid to actually venture out into the world and “breathe the open air”. So this scenario generally fits into the plot of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, in which the staff of the featured psychiatric hospital is presented as being oppressive.

Now keeping in mind that these abused individuals can actually leave whenever they want, that then begs the question of why they would endure such treatment in the first place. inmates, are “getting restless” and thinking about launching a “mutiny” against the workers at the sanitarium. And why is that important? Simply because it becomes increasingly obvious that the singer and his fellow inmates are going through some type of hell in this institution. For instance, in the first we can see that that the staff of the facility sometimes tie inmates up as a form of therapy. Or stated bluntly, the use of violence is common in their treatment processes. In fact it is so much so that at the end of the day the “natives”, i.e.

Song’s NarrativeĪnd in terms of deciphering the entire narrative of this track, that premise is important to keep in mind.
#SANITARIUM LYRICS WINDOWS#
Or more specifically, in the track, the narrator plays the role of someone institutionalized in a mental-health facility. And before going any further, let’s make something clear. An inmate is not obligated to actually reside inside a sanitarium, meaning that in reality the singer can leave any time he wants to. And this reality is actually alluded to in the first verse when he states “no locked doors, no windows barred”.

Now said book is set in a mental institution, a theme which this song copies.
