It’s funny. I googled images of “Dr. Darkness” and I found this image and it’s EXACTLY what I imagine when I hear this song. Here is my interpretation of the song:
As a whole, I see Dr. Darkness as our own qualities, flaws perhaps, that tend to hold us back crossed with our subconscious and ego. Often those qualities can appear as self-doubt, low self-esteem, or talking to or about ourselves in a negative way. Think the old saying “I’m my own worst enemy.” We absolutely can be, and I know I am mine for sure. That is my understanding of who, or what, Dr. Darkness is.
Let’s look at and break down some particular lyrics:
“You might have seen him walking
In a thoughtful Sunday stew,
Beware my friends you caught a glimpse
But he’s always watching you”
This suggests to the listener that while you may have noticed or identified these negative feelings or behaviors, they are still very much present and moving around nearby.
“He operates by night and day
With precision on his brow
His patients are the victims
To the blinding spell of doubt”
These behaviors never disappear completely and will always come around and they best attack individuals who are lacking self-love and self-respect and are full of self-doubt.
“When he comes a knocking
You best not let him in
He’ll hang his feet upon your couch
And sell you medicine”
As mentioned above, feelings of negativity toward ourselves will never go away. So when those feelings creep up, do not give in to the self-destructive and toxic thoughts or actions. Because once they are allowed in, they multiply quickly in a way that will only cause further damage.
“Faithful to the laws
Set forth by pride’s decree
The doctor has a knack for
Sowing seeds of jealousy”
This suggests that perhaps just when you may be working hard to fight the above-mentioned negative thoughts and are working to become proud of the person you are, there will always be aspects of your life (work, home, friendships, financial, etc) that will challenge you and make it hard not to say screw it and fall back into old ways of thinking and lose hope.
“If you think you’ve got control
Of your primal destiny
Just look out for the doctor’s
Primeval specialty”
Similar to above, just when everything is going well and you’re practicing healthy habits a healthy lifestyle, something will always come along to try to knock you down. The highs don’t stay highs forever. Life’s full of ups and downs. It is just important you the downs don’t keep you down.
“Doctor doctor
Won’t you let me be
Please don’t you play
Those evil tricks on me
Cause I’ve been down
And I’m sure I know it’s you
That’s been sneaking around
Inside my head
With nothing else to do”
Last, the chorus. Recognizing patterns of negative behaviors and negative thoughts all while knowing that those thoughts do not define who we are. This recognition is incredibly important to putting ourselves in check.
We owe it ourselves to be kind to ourselves and love ourselves. We cannot act upon those moments which we feel sad, frustrated, or upset because it can easily affect ourselves mentally and emotionally and it is so easy to spiral into those feelings. When we are kind to ourselves, we are more likely not to allow anyone around you who isn’t also kind to us.
