Paranoid Joy

"Paranoid Joy" is the third song on the album Loopholes by the Murlocs. The song employs a light, doo-woppy sound to contrast rather heavy lyrics about the mixed feelings one has about growing older. The song is written from the singers point of view, but could easily be from that of any young person in the world today. The message that this song is attempting to convey is simple; the future is stressful. The song highlights the uncertainties that the future holds as well as the difficulties that age presents, which weigh on the mind and give young people a sense of paranoia.

To begin, the singer discusses the financial and employment difficulties that the future is sure to hold. He states that he is "Gambling to manage, trying to fathom my expense/Under estimates drop and I'm still left in debt." This demonstrates that economically, he is not doing very well. The future, in a financial regard, looks grim, which is part of why he is feeling paranoid about it. He goes on to say that he is "Waiting for the ideal dream to come along and please my needs/A lifestyle lenient enough to carry out my unplanned strategy." This gets at the Joy of his paranoia because he is worried about his future yet is still approaching it in a youthful manner. He provides a unique juxtaposition with his word choice here; he is living an "unplanned strategy", a wholly youthful lifestyle of impulse and little foresight, but he still thinks ahead and dwells too much on the future, creating a "Paranoid Joy" of youthful fun as well as the weight of the uncertain future.

Later on in the song, the speaker expresses fears of the physical/societal aspects of age. He tells us, "I'm convinces that I will fall apart before I can mold." He expresses here a fear of being able to change the unplanned life he currently lives into a more traditional one, suited for an older member of society. He goes on to tell us of the fact that that traditional future role does not appeal to him at all when he says that he is "Situated with a sickness at the thought of a retirement home". What's more, he says "Strangling my crown, I guess its the process of becoming bald" (there is an error on genius.com). The line "strangling my crown" elicits an image of the ring of bear skin around the top of your head, or crown, that appears as hair loss begins with old age. The imagery, while giving a clear picture of baldness, strengthens the concept of fear of aging. Going bald is seen as a terrible part of growing older, and that is depicted clearly hear. Finally, this verse is finished with the speaker saying that "Sweat beads as these predictions start to unfold." This encapsulates the entire verse perfectly; as the process of aging continues, fears arise as well, described through the use of the word "sweat".

All of the Joy from the previous verse is gone in this one, and replaced with intense dread of what the future holds. The chorus also contributes to this sense of dread, with the lines "I always disappoint/I can't avoid" separated by the line "Paranoid Joy". The speaker identifies that he always disappoints themselves and others, demonstrating an even more pessimistic attitude towards the future that is solidified by the line "I can't avoid", which serves as a final admittance of defeat. The future, as ugly and scary as it seems, is unavoidable.